The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday morning the club has traded Jesse Puljujarvi, the winger they drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Puljujarvi, 24, struggled offensively during the 2022-23 season after posting career highs in goals and assists with the Oilers in the prior season.
In return for the six-foot-four forward, the Oilers will receive 22-year-old winger Patrik Puistola from the Hurricanes. Puistola, who hails from Finland, was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL draft by Carolina and has yet to play an NHL game.
Puljujarvi, a native of Finland, spent three seasons in Edmonton before returning to Europe to play in the Finnish Elite League. Puljujarvi later rejoined the Oilers in October 2020.
In July, the player signed a one-year contract worth US$3 million.
Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he proposed the possibility to Puljujarvi and his agent recently to have the player re-sign with Edmonton at a significantly reduced salary when his current contract expires but was told the forward was seeking “a fresh start” instead.
“I think in the time that I’ve been here and the coaching staff, I think we’ve tried to be as patient with him, given him as much opportunity as we possibly could,” Holland said, adding that he believes Puljujarvi has learned to play a more physical game with the Oilers. “But unfortunately, we’re at this day today and we’ve got to move forward.”
“Jesse possesses a great blend of size and skill, and he will add to the depth of our forward group,” Don Waddell, the general manager of the Hurricanes, in a statement.
“He has familiarity with some of our other Finnish players, and we see him as a great fit for our team and locker room.”
Puljujarvi joins fellow Finns Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Antti Raanta with the Hurricanes. He played on a line with Aho for Finland at the 2016 world junior championship and led the tournament with 17 points in seven games.
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Puljujarvi had become a lightning rod for both praise and criticism by fans on social media over the past few seasons. Nicknamed the Bison King, Puljujarvi has played all 317 games of his NHL career with the Oilers, scoring 51 times and collecting 61 assists.
The Oilers announced the trade via Twitter and did not provide further details about the deal.
The move comes the morning after the Oilers lost 3-2 to the Boston Bruins at home on Monday night.
Edmonton cleared $3 million of salary cap space to work with three days before the NHL’s official trade deadline passes. The Oilers, who are giving up more than three goals a game, are believed to be seeking help on defence.
Holland said there are “a few players out there” that the Oilers “think would fit” with the team but noted acquiring players the team has targeted is easier said than done with the NHL salary cap.
“The reality is every team in the National Hockey League is dealing with the same challenges that we’re dealing with,” the GM said. “It’s a level playing field.’
“Today, I’m hoping, was Step 1. We’ve got to move money. I hope there’s other steps to come.”
— With files from The Canadian Press