A former Edmonton Oiler is on waivers.
On Monday afternoon, multiple sources reported that Jesse Puljujärvi had been placed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It comes as a bit of a surprise, as the 26-year-old Finnish winger has been productive this season, scoring three goals and eight points in 21 games, up from the three goals and four points in 22 National Hockey League games last season.
Puljujärvi was selected fourth overall by the Oilers in the 2016 draft, and scored a goal and eight points in 28 games during his rookie year. He found success in his second season, scoring 12 goals and 20 points in 65 games and played another season in the NHL in 2018-19, before departing to play in Finland for a season.
The 6’4” right winger looked like a different player when he returned to the NHL in 2020-21. During the pandemic-impact year, he scored a career-best 15 goals while adding 10 assists in 55 games. The following season, he scored 14 goals and 36 points, which remains a career high.
Unfortunately, his play took a hit in the 2022-23 season, as he scored just five goals and 14 points in 58 games. Before the 2023 trade deadline, he and his $3 million cap hit were moved to the Carolina Hurricanes to make some cap room for the impending Mattias Ekholm trade. Puljujärvi didn’t find much success with the Hurricanes either, picking up two assists in 17 games.

Oilers drop two spots in Daily Faceoff’s power rankings

Speaking of the Oilers, in the Daily Faceoff’s latest power rankings, they moved to the sixth spot, two spots down from where they were in last week’s ranking.
This is partly due to two losses in the Los Angeles metropolitan area over the weekend, as they fell 4-3 to the Los Angeles Kings and 5-3 to the Anaheim Ducks. The former saw them blow a one-goal lead twice, while the latter saw the Oilers blow a 3-1 lead.
While losing to the Kings hurt, more because they’ve moved back into the second spot in the Pacific Division, there is no excuse for blowing a two-goal lead to the Ducks, one of the worst teams in the league. Yes, they were on a back-to-back, but that’s a game they have to win.
However, despite those two losses over the weekend, the Oilers are 15-5-2 in their last 22 games. Things could certainly be better, but the Oilers have been a second-half team the past two seasons, and don’t expect the 2024-25 season to be different.

Quinn Hughes is out week-to-week

The Vancouver Canucks continue to struggle to stay healthy. On Sunday, head coach Rick Tocchet announced that Elias Pettersson is a week away from returning to the lineup while reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Quinn Hughes is week-to-week.
Last season, the Canucks finished first in the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record to go along with 109 points, five more than the Oilers’ 104 points. At this point last year, they had 49 points with a 23-10-3 record, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead.
Fast forward to today, and the Canucks have a 17-10-8 record with a -1 goal differential and a 3-3-4 record in their last 10 games. Their 42 points put them fourth in the division, well behind the leading Golden Knights who have 53 points.
Aside from overachieving last season, the Canucks have also had a myriad of absences from their top players. Thatcher Demko, a runner-up to the Vezina Trophy last season, only recently returned from injury and hasn’t been particularly good in between the pipes. Moreover, J.T. Miller missed time due to a personal leave of absence.
All of this has left the Canucks with the record they have now, just a point clear of the Calgary Flames for the final Wild Card spot.

Sidney Crosby became the all-time leading assist-getter for the Penguins

Sidney Crosby has broken another record, as he passed Mario Lemieux for the most assists in franchise history.
Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 draft and he’s gone on to become one of the best players in history. Over the course of his 20-year career, Crosby has 602 goals and 1,636 points in 1,310 games, reaching the 600-goal and 1,600-point plateaus this season.
Of course, he’s also won three Stanley Cups and a whole bunch of personal accolades like the Art Ross, Hart, Maurice Richard, Ted Lindsay, and Conn Smythe trophies. Last season, Crosby matched one of many Wayne Gretzky records, recording his 19th season with a point-per-game average. He looks on track to break the record this season.
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