Jesse Puljujarvi's time in Edmonton is likely coming to a close

Jesse Puljujarvi's time as an Edmonton Oiler has been an interesting one to say the least.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the young Finn ahead of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and the Oilers decided to use the fourth overall selection that year to take him. It's probably safe to say that so far, Puljujarvi hasn't lived up to that hype.

Puljujarvi came over to North America right away and split time between the Oilers and their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield for the 2016-17 season. As the seasons went by, Puljujarvi saw very limited offensive production, something that made him an elusive prospect in 2016.

Due to contract negotiation issues with the Oilers, Puljujarvi returned to Finland to play for Karpat during the 2019-20 season. In October 2020, he returned to Edmonton and signed a two-year contract.

Flash forward to June 8th 2022, the Oilers have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Puljujarvi had a poor second-half of the season with injuries and a bout with COVID-19 to blame for that.

In his season-ending media availability, Oilers general manager Ken Holland didn't seem all that committed to keeping the 24-year-old around next season.

Although it wasn't a great second-half for Puljujarvi, he did set career-highs in assists and points. In 65 games, he tallied 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists), 20 penalty minutes and was a plus-22.

Puljujarvi is set to become a restricted free agent this summer and in order for Edmonton to retain his rights, they will need to submit him a qualifying offer of $1.4 million.

Oilers' Holland noncommittal on Puljujarvi: 'I've gotta sort out Jesse' https://t.co/IHg1Yc3u8b pic.twitter.com/uW5gBymvP4— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) June 8, 2022

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