Indeed.
I said it before the season started and i still believe in it, that once Pulju becomes NHL regular he's going to do it with a bang. He doesn't need to improve his skating, he's a strong kid with great skill, heavy shot.. For him it's all about learning how to be good along the boards and work in tight spaces. And of course work on his stamina so he can go up and down the ice and use his skating to his advantage.
Once he gets comfortable and puts all the tools in the right toolbox there is no "development" period after that. He's going to be a capable top 6 player right away. Then the sky is the limit how far he can go.
I think there's no need to rush him this year. He hasn't gone through a longer stretch of playing a top 6 role against men in his career yet. Back in Finland he played for the deepest offensive team and got some favorable matchups at times. I think it would work wonders for him to be that go-to guy for a longer period of time, and to do that in the smaller rink just makes it all the better.
While i do think it's obviously not good for a young kid to sit in the pressbox, for Pulju it was probably a good thing to see what the NHL is about and stick with the team for a while. To me it sends a message that the Oilers management trust he's going to be in the NHL soon. It probably took longer than people expected to send him down, but it was only 30 games or so. A lot of hockey to be played in the AHL this season.