Jesse
Puljujärvi is currently playing in the
AHL’s Calder Cup
finals. On Sunday, he scored an overtime goal in Game 5 keep his
Charlotte Checkers alive against the Abbotsford Canucks.
There are still one or two AHL games to go. After that, according
to Swiss media outlet Blick, his next stop will be
Switzerland. The Blickarticle
is behind a paywall, but Finnish newspaper Helsing Sanomathas
reported some of its contents, and states that that
Puljujärvi has
already signed a contract with a Swiss club for next season.
While his exact destination is less clear, the article states that
it’s rumored to be HC Lugano. Lugano, which
has already signed Connor Carrick and Rasmus
Kupari this off-season,
is rebuilding its roster after a disappointing season.
When Puljujärvi was waived by the
Pittsburgh
Penguins in February to terminate his contract “by mutual
agreement” ahead of the international transfer deadline, it was
widely expected that he’d end up in Europe. Switzerland was one of
his rumored destinations at that time, as was Kärpät
Oulu, his hometown club in Finland. However,
he surprisingly signed with the Florida
Panthers instead.
Jesse Puljujarvi Waived By Penguins – Headed Back To Finland? The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi on unconditional waivers on Saturday for the purposes of terminating his contract, according to multiple sources.
Puljujärvi only
played 31 NHL games this season – 26 with Pittsburgh and five with
Florida, scoring four goals and adding six assists. He had 26 points
in 26 AHL regular-season games split between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
and Charlotte, and has 11 points in 17 playoff games through Sunday.
Puljujärvi was
chosen fourth overall by the Edmonton
Oilers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He has 128 points in 387
career NHL regular-season games, and six points in 27 playoff games.
In June 2023, he
underwent double hip surgery and missed half of the following season.
Photo © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jesse Puljujärvi: “It’s been a long process, I’m really happy to be here”The last couple of seasons have been an ordeal for Jesse Puljujärvi. He split a rather unproductive 2022-23 campaign between the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes, during which he played in constant pain. Then in June 2023, he underwent double hip surgery. He didn’t return to the ice until January and, after a half-season split between the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the NHL, he’s now playing in his second IIHF World Championship for Finland, and first since 2017.
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