The Pittsburgh Penguins added the Finn to the lineup.
Jesse Puljujärvi was previously transferred to the farm. PDO
Jesse Puljujärvi returns to the NHL.
Puljujärvi practiced in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup in a three-point chain before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets next night.
The Penguins put Puljujärvi on the transfer list last week, but no other NHL team grabbed him.
Before being on the transfer list, Puljujärvi had not played for a long time. Puljujärvi, who scored eight (3+5) points in 21 matches this season, does not enjoy the trust of the club’s coaching management.
– I just try to act professionally every day. I worked hard in the gym and on the ice. I can’t do anything else, Puljujärvi said on the NHL’s website.
If Pittsburgh’s head coach Mike Sullivan can’t suddenly find credit for the Finn, Puljujärvi’s fate may soon be to be on the transfer list again. The Penguins can try to push the Finnish player and his contract to other teams.
Puljujärvi has played 377 games in the NHL, in which he has scored 57 goals and provided 69 assists leading to goals.
The Edmonton Oilers’ 2016 first-round draft pick’s career in the big leagues has never quite taken off. Puljujärvi, who sometimes sought speed from Finland, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2022–23 season, from where the journey continued to the Penguins.