Value of: A Finnish player to EDM (that's a regular in the lineup)

Draiskull

Registered User
Oct 26, 2005
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Lightning have no interest in Yakupov or Fayne but you could probably have him for a decent plate of poutine.

(In other words we don't want to take on salary beyond this season but a pick or a depth scorer whose contract expires after this season would suffice.)
Yakupov's contract expires after this season.
This would actually make sense since they are from a same town(Tornio) and already know each other. Plus young RHD is a big need for EDM.
Not really a NHL regular.
Yakupov for Lehterä.
His big contract cuts into McDavid's next contract. Pass from EDM unless RNH is traded
in another deal for a RD
 

Puckluck

Registered User
Jan 8, 2016
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I think they speak Finnish there(real sorry if they don't. I don't know much about the place)

He is born in Estonia by Russian Parents, but moved to Finland at a young age. He grew up in the Swedish speaking part of Finland, speaking Swedish. Estonian is very closely related to Finnish, while Russian and Swedish are very different languages.
 

SmCurse

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Sep 4, 2013
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Reading this and kinda feel bad for Pakarinen who signed one way deal with Oilers for next season. Mentioned maybe once.
He is Finnish you know.
 

Volica

Papa Shango
May 15, 2012
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Ortio and Ramo are still FA if Edmonton didn't go out an get a lower end backup they'd be options :laugh:
 

Marksman

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Pulju will learn the language faster when he has to. Remember this guy moved from his his home town to Oulu to play with Kärpät at very young age. Hes willing to do lot for his career.

Or make deal with Carolina to get his teammate Aho.

Having Komarov there would be like having Esa Tikkanen though.
 
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The Red Line

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Oct 11, 2010
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Or, you know, he could learn English like every other euro player who has ever played in the NHL.
 

paragon

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May 5, 2010
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That's the impression I get as well. He just hasn't learnt the language because he hasn't been exposed to it. No one learns how to speak English in school, in Finland they teach you in school about the vocabulary and grammar basically, but to be able to speak it beyond the basic level you need to be exposed to the language and get used to it.
Most 3rd graders are already on the same level as Puljujärvi. Meaning they are good enough to say: "My name is Jesse. I like hockey. I'm very happy Edmonton." It's almost as if he's skipped every lesson after 3rd grade. And there's just no way a person living in Finland is not exposed to English because of music, movies, tv programs, games and internet are often if not mostly in English.

When you compare him to someone like Patrik Laine, an average speaker who's learned to speak in school, the difference is quite huge.
 

mazmin

Wig like a mink skin, soft like Twinkie dough
May 15, 2004
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Jets can offer Armia for a LHD or a draft pick. We have too many forwards.

Armia for Reinhart straight up?
 

Joe MacMillan

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Aug 10, 2005
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Most 3rd graders are already on the same level as Puljujärvi. Meaning they are good enough to say: "My name is Jesse. I like hockey. I'm very happy Edmonton." It's almost as if he's skipped every lesson after 3rd grade. And there's just no way a person living in Finland is not exposed to English because of music, movies, tv programs, games and internet are often if not mostly in English.

When you compare him to someone like Patrik Laine, an average speaker who's learned to speak in school, the difference is quite huge.

Patrik Laine is a bad example because he speaks exceptional English for your typical 18 year old Finn. He's very articulate and speaks better English than most Finns, period. Educated adult or uneducated kid. Tuukka Rask is another one who spoke almost flawless English when he first came over. These two don't represent the norm. They are rare exceptions.

Teräväinen, Ristolainen and Armia are much better examples. They struggled at first but got better and better pretty quickly (at least Risto did). I don't expect Puljujärvi to be much different when he comes over. I think he will speak English well enough around Christmas provided that he moves to NA and starts speaking English exclusively.

Remember, these kids don't spend the majority of their days on the internet, playing video games or watching movies on Netflix like the average Finnish teenager. They spend countless hours in their youth on practicing and playing hockey. It's not that peculiar that they don't get exposed to the English language nearly the same amount the average kid does.
 

paragon

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May 5, 2010
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Patrik Laine is a bad example because he speaks exceptional English for your typical 18 year old Finn. He's very articulate and speaks better English than most Finns, period. Educated adult or uneducated kid. Tuukka Rask is another one who spoke almost flawless English when he first came over. These two don't represent the norm. They are rare exceptions.
Rask is definitely exceptional, but Laine is quite far from it. He can easily get his points across, but overall his language skills are average or only slightly above average for an 18 year old. But I can see him easily becoming very good after his first year abroad.

Currenly Laine is even bad compared to an average Finnish NHL Pro. Rask and Haula have pretty much no accent, but even the average guy there is quite good for example pretty much all the goalies are quite fluent. Just go watch interviews of Rinne, Ramo, Raanta, Lehtonen or Korpisalo. Even Niemi is passable and Bäckström was good even if he was older when he went over. Same goes for most of the skaters as well.

Remember, these kids don't spend the majority of their days on the internet, playing video games or watching movies on Netflix like the average Finnish teenager. They spend countless hours in their youth on practicing and playing hockey. It's not that peculiar that they don't get exposed to the English language nearly the same amount the average kid does.
I'm pretty sure they do the typical young kids stuff when they are younger. 9 to 12 year old kids don't just go pro. And I'm sure even pros watch tv and listen to music. No matter how talented they are they still go through the same motions as the rest of us.

I still can't understand how you can grow up dreaming of playing in the NHL, but then you completely neglect your language skills, which make the transition so much easier.
 

ManofSteel55

Registered User
Aug 15, 2013
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Why is this conversation still going? Iiro Pakarinen is going to be our everyday 4th line right winger. He is Finnish. I'm pretty sure that as a Finn, he speaks the language and can help JP transition to Canada.
 

Golden Gophers 4649

Minnesota Hockey Fan
Jun 15, 2015
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Im on the Haula bandwagon... Ideal 3rd line C if Oil move RNH

Good luck with that one; not happening. To quote someone on here; the Wild and Oilers just aren't very good trading partners. Turns out Haula needed to get away from Yeo to show he can be a really good 3rd line center. No reason for the Wild to deal him; very possibly could be one of the best #3 C's in the NHL who actually from February on performed like a good #2.
 
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Soundwave

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Mar 1, 2007
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They already have Pakarinen who McLellan likes a lot as a 4th line energy guy so he'll probably be the guy Jesse can go to, but really ... I mean Kurri and Tikkanen did just fine in Edmonton 30 years ago and that was when the world was a lot less connected than it is today and their English was probably even worse than Jesse's is today starting out.

To be honest if I were the Oilers I'd just hire the kid a professional English tutor while he's back home in Finland if it's that big of a deal. 1-2 hours a day for 2 months would likely be all that's needed to bump his English up to decent, English is not *that* hard of a language to be able pick up enough to get by.
 

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