The Carolina Hurricanes are once again looking to add a top 9 forward to the roster and have once again been linked to Oilers RFA Jesse Puljujärvi.
The Carolina Hurricanes have gone 2-3-0 since the loss of Jordan Martinook for another 5-7 weeks due to surgery on his core muscles. It has been painfully obvious that the offense needs some help. They have only managed to score more than two goals once and almost half of the scoring is coming from the defense.
There have been rumors that team is close to a deal for Jesse Puljujarvi who is currently an RFA holdout for the Edmonton Oilers and playing for Karpat in the Finnish leage Liiga. If that sounds familiar its because that’s the same league and team that Sebastian Aho came from where his father is the GM.
Its no secret that the Carolina Hurricanes have been going after Pukjujarvi for a while. Reports have come well before the season started that the team has been asking for him but have yet to come to a deal. But that hasn’t stopped them from kicking the proverbial tire down the road and strengthened their commitment to making a trade happen.
As I reported tonight on Insider Trading, Hurricanes have done some tire kicking on a few forwards including Ho-Sang and Puljujarvi... not sure it will go anywhere but we’ll see https://t.co/UXMz64bFMp
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 17, 2019
Pukjujarvi has asked the Edmonton Oilers to be traded for a while now, which is the main reason for his RFA holdout. It has been reported that he has actually asked to be moved to the Carolina Hurricanes after seeing fellow Finns Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen thrive in the Carolina system with the support they are getting. It felt like only a matter of time before it happened.
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Now it seems that the Carolina Hurricanes may have actually got something moving. Karpat just signed Julius Junttila, who had stepped away from the team and the league last season to play for the KHL and SHL. The rumors are swirling that Junttila is actually Pukjujarvi’s replacement as he returns to the NHL and joins his new team.
Perhaps at this point the only true holdup from something being actually announced are the actual conditions of his new contract. Keep in mind that the Hurricanes only have about $1,767,199 in projected cap space. That would mean either a short term bridge deal that would fit him under that or a current roster player going back the other way. Currently it seems like Julien Gauthier might be in the trade mix along with some draft picks.
There is no doubt that adding Jesse Puljujarvi would be a huge boost to this offense that has failed to score more than twice in the last four games which has led to three loses. He would most likely usurp a position in the first or second lines. Can you imagine the damage he could do with Aho and Teravainen on an all Finnish line?
Question for CC Readers: Who would you send to Edmonton in a trade for Puljujarvi?