Edmonton Oilers General Manager Ken Holland won’t be forced into trading forward Jesse Puljujarvi.
“I’m not trading anybody because they want to be traded,” Holland told Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer on Tuesday in Vancouver. “But if we can find something that works for everybody, I’ll look at it. If not, I’m not doing anything.”
Puljujarvi’s agent is Markus Lehto, who told Holland several weeks ago that Puljujarvi would like to be traded. Holland said Lehto repeated that when they spoke Tuesday morning.
“I’m not going to do something unless I feel really good it’s in the best interest of the Edmonton Oilers,” said Holland.
Puljujarvi, 21, was drafted fourth overall by the Oilers in 2016. He’s played 139 NHL games and has 37 points.
In March, Puljujarvi’s season came to an end when he had surgery on both hips. He’s expected to make a full recovery by September.