I defend Lias a lot, but remember that Puljujärvi is only three months older than Lias and he had a better rookie AHL season than Chytil.
Jesse also wasn't a guy who had a great year out of nowhere and shot up the draft boards, he had been scoring at an elite level throughout his junior career. In fact prior to their draft years, Pulju had been a better producer than Laine at every level. I think there is a good chance he can still be a legit player in this league, a star even, and this is the perfect time to acquire him. Bigger guys, and especially the playmakers, usually take a bit longer to figure it out at the NHL level - look at Jumbo Joe. Hayes has taken a huge step at 26 and is having by far the best year of his career.
Great post. The problem for Pulju is that he is huge, 6'5+. He wasn't done growing and still taking his final steps in the SM-liiga when EDM rushed him to the NHL. During his first year the game was just too quick for him, he got to play so much without the puck compared to what he was used to. Never really put in a situation that he could master well. Its the same in the AHL. In the AHL if you pass the puck to a teammate, odds are that you will not get it back. You get a across the blueline and then put it on the net and take it from there. A statement like that can be misinterpreted, but compared to European hockey and also the NHL there really is a significant difference. How is an high octane offensive game played today? Fast passes up ice, give and go's, you move the puck and take a new position and work your way to the net with speed and the puck. And even if the AHL still is adopting, you still often see a more capable guy give the puck to someone and find that open ice, only to see the other guy almost be surprised to get a pass and go like 'oh if you don't want to fire the puck its your loss, I take the shot instead'.
I have no doubt whatsoever that EDM can ruin Pulju beyond salvation. It looks so easy when a kid is put in the right spot. But it is also a big mistake to think that a kid that doesn't score has nothing. The marginals are so small, especially for the bigger guys.
I think Pat Laine is a perfect example and the slump he have had lately in Winnipeg. Laine is 2+4 in his last 23 games. Nash's drought in the POs despite leading the league in shots in the post season is another good example.
Its a big mistake to think that production in hockey is a direct reflection of how well the player plays. Its easy to fall into the trap that if a player has the ability 100 he will score 80 pts in 80 games, the ability 90 he will score 72 pts in 80 games, the ability 80 he will score 64 pts in 80 games and so forth.
You need certain incidences to score in hockey. You need to accomplish certain things on the ice. If you don't get that, if you can't do what it takes, the scoring will basically disappear. During the regular season the game is more open and its not as drastic, but it can be during the regular season too and especially during the POs. That is why Laine can go from scoring 23 goals in his first 33 games to scoring 2 in his following 22 games or whatever.
Pulju has a ton of underlying ability but has lost several years in his development. Can he still be rescued? Who knows, but he does have potential if you can get him back on track, start putting him in a position to succeed, and build him up again. Seems like a perfect project for a rebuilding team.
