Player Discussion Jesse Puljujarvi Part 11: Solid Return Season Completed, How Does Next Season Go For the Big Finn?

[fuswald]

JP and McDavid will dominate this League this year ala Kurri/Gretz.

We cannot afford him I think his days in Edmonton are limited.

 

[Broberg Speed]

We cannot afford him I think his days in Edmonton are limited.

How much do you think Jesse Pulijarvi's next contract is going to be and what kind of statistics season and numbers will he have to put up to demonstrate the worthiness of such contract?

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

I think he looks something like 27 goals and 24 apples.

 

[Broberg Speed]

I think he looks something like 27 goals and 24 apples.

I believe the Oilers should be able to retain a winger scoring 50 points playing alongside the best player in the world.

 

[Geardedandbearded]

Hopefully JP has the confidence to throw his body around a little more this year. He’s got a big ass and should use it haha.

 

[nabob]

Whatever McDavids points are....JPs have to go up. His points last year were abysmal for his opportunity.

JP needs to grow into a winger who can produce vs that guy who plays on Connor's wing

Never miss an opportunity to be negative in a thread about JP

He could score at a PPG pace and you’d move the goalposts to complain about something else.

 

[GOilers88]

We cannot afford him I think his days in Edmonton are limited.

JP finally gonna break out. So excited for the kid this year.

If he does they'll make the money work I'm sure. No concerns there.

 

[K1984]

In a best, worst case where Puljujarvi nets 30 goals and 60+ points and he costs too much the Oilers would be able to get value back dealing him.

Not dissimilar from the Drouin/Sergachev trade. I imagine you could move him for a slightly younger, cheaper player that has upside, but isn't there yet.

Don't want this to happen (the trade, not the performance), but if it did I don't think it would be a situation where the Oilers are stuck in a situation where no value comes back for him.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Never miss an opportunity to be negative in a thread about JP

He could score at a PPG pace and you’d move the goalposts to complain about something else.

Are you surprised? He thinks JP owes him something and quit on a team without a contract

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

If he drops the mitts and tools someone this year, I'll lose my mind.

 

[Aceboogie]

Super interested to see what JP can do next year. His defensive metrics were some of the best in the NHL last year and actually were in the tier of the Bergerons/RoRs/Couturier. Now I hold those guys much higher because they are able to do it year over year.

But if* JP has another year with defensive metrics similar to last year. Hes gotta be top 7-15 defensive forward in the NHL (big if). Unfortuantly, most forwards dont get the praise for the defensive ability until after a few years.

Offensively, he was able to generate lots of chances and the play never died much with him. Literally the only thing separating him from being an upper echelon top 6 winger is finishing. If he was able to finish McDavids set up better (not even elite level, just solid only), hed have 25 goals. 25 goals, 65 points and a two-way beast would be such a good forward

 

[Dorian2]

Super interested to see what JP can do next year. His defensive metrics were some of the best in the NHL last year and actually were in the tier of the Bergerons/RoRs/Couturier. Now I hold those guys much higher because they are able to do it year over year.

But if* JP has another year with defensive metrics similar to last year. Hes gotta be top 7-15 defensive forward in the NHL (big if). Unfortuantly, most forwards dont get the praise for the defensive ability until after a few years.

Offensively, he was able to generate lots of chances and the play never died much with him. Literally the only thing separating him from being an upper echelon top 6 winger is finishing. If he was able to finish McDavids set up better (not even elite level, just solid only), hed have 25 goals. 25 goals, 65 points and a two-way beast would be such a good forward

The little I watched and got from JP's play, compared to most folks here, is pretty close to what you've stated here. I'm looking forward to another good developmental year from him coming up. He hasn't broken out yet.

 

[McSuper]

I am not going to predict points . I will predict most teams will wish they gave up a first round pick for him . Holland rumoured asking price .

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I remember watching Knights games that year. I thought Marner and Juolevi would be NHL stars and Tkachuk was just riding off their coattails because of his lack of speed.

That's interesting. I saw that team at the Memorial Cup and it was clear Marner would be an elite NHL player. Tkachuk who was basically playing on one leg was dominant and I was drooling of him playing on McDavid's wing. Course didn't see the clown show this guy has brought. Juolevi was the guy I thought was grossly overhyped with his numbers pumped up significantly by such an elite forward group.

Some talk about who the Oil would have drafted. There was a ton of speculation of trade down to grab Sergachev who was coached by former Oilers coach Rocky Thompson. Lots and lots of direct intel on the player beyond the obvious size, smarts and great offensive tool kit he showed as an elite junior.

Back to Puljujarvi, this is a big year for him and this team. I think he needs to be at least a fifty point (20-25 goal) season as a top line forward. Not crazy about the Oilers right side and Puljujarvi's next step will be very important to stabilize RW production. Should be do-able with increased PP time and net front presence. Let this great story continue!

 

[Del Preston]

 

[Mikey71]

If he drops the mitts and tools someone this year, I'll lose my mind.

We would have to start calling him The Finnish Freak.

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

The main thing I personally want to see from Jesse is showcasing his newly acquired arsenal via boxing training. He's a big boy, with a big chin and alot of bite; he can swim in those deep waters as he continues to evolve physically
He can achieve something Connor or Leon hasn't yet; Gordie Howe hatty.

Fully anticipating an evolved Jesse Puljujarvi, that's on the verge of breaking out, to put up his best career NHL numbers this season. Tippett absolutely loves Jesse, he mentioned it again a few days ago on the Gregor interview; so hopefully he'll remain with McDavid, which is obviously key to his NHL breakout. He's the perfect compliment for Connor. A big body, that loves to hit, forechecks, backchecks, board battles; thats uniquely fused with exceptional skill, speed and offensive IQ. Also younger than McDavid, which I think is a key factor for both of them as they continue to grow with each other

The year could be a breakout year for a number of Oilers. Puljujarvi, Bouchard, Benson, McLeod, Skinner and even Yamamoto. That's 4 Oilers that would be competing for the Calder. Unless they decide to slot in Holloway, Broberg, Lavoie and/or Samorukov.

 

[urho]

I'm pretty excited to see what kind of Jesse appears at the camp. He's going to be even faster and stronger and I'm sure he demands a lot from himself. If everything goes well, he's got the potential for a monster season (~70 points) although that's quite unlikely with the limited PP time he's going to have. Anyways, there's lots of reasons to expect a good season from him!

 

[HockeyHistorian]

This was posted on Twitter recently. The interview is a few months old, but someone has put subtitles in it, so I thought some of you might be interested.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

This was posted on Twitter recently. The interview is a few months old, but someone has put subtitles in it, so I thought some of you might be interested.

With him responding in Finnish his personality comes out a bit more. I'll have to watch for him yelling "Vittu jes!" now when he scores.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

With him responding in Finnish his personality comes out a bit more. I'll have to watch for him yelling "Vittu jes!" now when he scores.

I think a few of us will be now yelling "Vittu jes!" when they score from now on...I know I will be if I'm around my kids.

 

[Studz]

This was posted on Twitter recently. The interview is a few months old, but someone has put subtitles in it, so I thought some of you might be interested.

Good interview, shows his personality and intelligence.

 

[Oilers In Tree]

Doesn’t anyone see the resemblance here?

 

[Skar]

Doesn’t anyone see the resemblance here?

View attachment 464370 View attachment 464368

Flexing with the Moncler sweater

 

[urho]

This was a very interesting interview made not so long ago. Obviously there's no subtitles but he's asked surprisingly straightforward questions about his first NHL-stint and Jesse's being honest about it. Basically he said that he didn't expect anything to go wrong and when it was clear he didn't belong with the NHL team it was so tough for him that he doesn't even remember much about that time. He had such high expectations for himself that it was disastrous for his self-confidence when things didn't go well. He also mentions the obvious - in those dark moments having trouble to communicate in English was really hard on him. In the end he reached a point where he had to have a change of scenery. He doesn't say it outright (other than it was very hard on him and he took it on his inner circle, was feeling bad, yelling etc.) but it sounds almost like depression.

He also says that playing with Kärpät in Finland was his first pro season where he was a team leader and it revived his career basically. "Every pro league is difficult but I was able to be that player". When he got a chance to come back he decided to "give it all, leave nothing on the table". He thinks his work-ethic was his greatest strength last season. He also says that lately he's seen some highlight-videos of his last season and he has to admit that he was good. When asked about the next year and his expectations he says that he doesn't yet have the confidence level to expect things to go well but he really really hopes that he can continue this season from the place he was last year. And that he wants the team to take those next steps and have success in the playoffs.

It was also interesting to hear that he thinks it's quite laughable to think that playing with Connor is easy (even on HFBoards some think it is...). "You cannot be a fanboy or watch what he's gonna do - you'll be late immediately. You have to play at a high level yourself when he's your linemate." He also says that it was great when he felt that those guys (mainly McDavid) started to have some trust in him. What I think was almost touching was that after they talked about him being quite alone in the first couple of years in Edmonton it was actually quite a big deal for him that other players sang happy birthday to him after the practice. "In hindsight it was funny and made me feel good inside -- that they like me".