Hurricanes dip into NHL trade market, acquire winger from Oilers for unsigned prospect
A new hometown and a fresh start on the ice with a new group of teammates — many with whom he is familiar — just might be what Jesse Puljujarvi needs to reach the potential so many people saw in him when the Edmonton Oilers drafted him fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.
That’s what the Carolina Hurricanes are hoping for; that’s why they traded for the struggling 24-year-old left wing Tuesday, sending the signing rights of an unsigned 2019 draft prospect to the Oilers.
That’s also what Puljujarvi is hoping for as he readies to join his new club.
“I’m getting a new opportunity, and I am excited for that,” Puljujarvi said on a Zoom call Tuesday afternoon.
“I hope this is going to be good for me, and I’m going to work really, really hard to do everything right and be the best player I can be and help the team in Carolina. Hopefully everything goes well and I will enjoy every day.”
The Canes wasted no time in reaching out to their newest player. Puljujarvi said Tuesday head coach Rod Brind’Amour reached out to him shortly after the trade was made official.
“He called me already, and he said he was happy I am coming there,” Puljujarvi said. “He said to be myself, and everything will be good. I am really excited to go (to Raleigh) and show my skills.”
As expected, Puljujarvi is well aware of the brand of hockey the Canes emphasize in Raleigh.
“My strength is skating, and I really like to forecheck, and I think I am going to be a really good fit on that team,” Puljujarvi said.
“I know they have a really good team, young guys, and they play really fast hockey. I’d really like to be a good player for that organization, part of the team.”
Faced with mounting pressure to act as teams around the Eastern Conference added to their rosters ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline, the Hurricanes had been conspicuously silent.
But just after the team left the ice after practice at Invisalign Arena on Tuesday, the Canes confirmed they’d acquired Puljujarvi from Edmonton for unsigned 2019 draft pick Patrik Puistola.
“At first I was like, ‘Really?’ After that I was excited, and happy,” Puljujarvi said. “I’m really excited to be part of Carolina right now.”
A 6-foot-4 winger, the right-handed Puljujarvi was drafted fourth overall in 2016 by the Oilers. He has five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 58 games this season for the Oilers, to go with 30 penalty minutes.
Puljujarvi has 112 points in 317 career NHL games, and has five points in 20 career playoff games. Puljujarvi also played 163 Liiga games with Karpat, in Finland, from 2014-20, posting 110 points in that country’s top professional league.
“Jesse possesses a great blend of size and skill, and he will add to the depth of our forward group,” Canes general manager Don Waddell said in a news release. “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 becomes the fifth Finnish player on the Hurricanes’ active roster, alongside forwards Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and goaltender Antti Raanta.
“I’m really good friends with Aho, we played many years in juniors,” Puljujarvi said. “We were friends after that for 10 years, and we work in the same group in the summers, so it’s really fun to be playing in the NHL on the same team.”
Puljujarvi carries a salary cap hit of $3 million, and he is a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
It’s also unclear when Puljujarvi will join the Canes. He still has to apply for, and be granted a visa to work in the United States, since he’s Finnish and has been working in Canada.
“I am hoping to be with the team as soon as possible,” he said.
According to CapFriendly, the Hurricanes still have just over $7 million in salary cap room should they choose to add any more players prior to 2 p.m. Friday.
Going the other way in Tuesday’s deal, Puistola, 22, has 38 points in 56 Liiga games with Jukurit this season. The 6-foot, 174-pound forward has 89 points in 223 career Liiga games with Tappara, Jukurit, KooKoo and JYP. He was selected by Carolina in the third round, 73rd overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 12:42 PM.
