Former Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi was placed on unconditional waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins for the process of mutual contract termination.
#letsgopens Jesse Puljujarvi is on unconditional waivers today for purposes of a mutual contract termination.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 8, 2025
At the time of filing, it is unclear if Puljujarvi is looking to get another chance at the NHL with another team or to return to Finland. That said, it has been a challenging season for him in Pittsburgh and he could benefit from a change of scenery regardless of where that ends up being.
Before his contract termination, Puljujarvi split the season between the NHL and AHL, though he spent most of it with the top squad. He recorded nine points (three goals and six assists) in 26 games with the NHL Penguins and three points (one goal and two assists) in four games with the AHL Penguins. He was in the second year of a two-year contract that carried an AAV of $800K.
While it is unknown if the Oilers would entertain the idea of reuniting with the former fourth-overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, Puljujarvi could help fulfill their needs for bottom-six forwards. Edmonton was connected to Brandon Saad given his history with GM Stan Bowman before the Vegas Golden Knights snagged him up. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported this week that the Oilers were in the mix for Drew O’Connor before the Vancouver Canucks snagged him up as one of the pieces in the Marcus Pettersson trade.
It is clear that Bowman is looking to add some reinforcements to their lineup that will help shore up their depth and that would be satisfied with a bargain bin add. Perhaps taking a run at Puljujarvi, even despite his polarizing tenure the first go around, could make a lot of sense in this regard, especially given the familiarity with the player from people in the front office. Of course, it is a mystery if he would want to return to Edmonton given what transpired, but if he is willing to come back perhaps there is a path forward for him to have a stronger second act.
Puljujarvi appeared in 317 career games with the Oilers where he recorded 112 points (51 goals and 61 assists) while adding six points (three goals and three assists) across 27 playoff games.
