New York Rangers: Pros and cons for making a move for Puljujarvi
Talent hunting never stops in the NHL and it is only natural that the New York Rangers are looking to bolster their roster as they head into the final phase of the rebuild.
Although they dramatically changed the makeup of their roster during the off-season after adding Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox, the New York Rangers are still on the hunt for fresh talent.
And that is why we shouldn’t be surprised by the reports linking the Blueshirts with Jesse Puljujarvi, who is currently exiled from the NHL in Finland.
According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, there are a handful of teams mulling over a move for Puljujarvi with the Rangers expressing “persistent interest.”
Puljujarvi is an intriguing case study given that he has yet to really set the NHL on fire, despite being the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
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Although the talent is clearly there, it hasn’t quite worked out for the right wing in North America and his relationship with the Edmonton Oilers is said to be strained at best.
Currently in Finland with Karpat, Puljujarvi has potted 11 goals and tallied nine assists for 20 points through 18 games in Liiga, and the player is thought to be keen on a return to the NHL.
This is where it gets interesting. Puljujarvi requested a trade out of Edmonton in June and didn’t sign his qualifying offer, although the Oilers still hold his NHL rights.
That is key because if Puljujarvi doesn’t sign an NHL contract by the Dec. 1 RFA Deadline, then he cannot play in the remainder of the 2019-20 NHL season.
So, the Edmonton Oilers are going to have to decide whether to either try to sign Puljujarvi to a contract or trade him, which seems the most likely option at this moment in time.
There is no doubt that Jesse Puljujarvi has the potential to morph into a productive top six forward in the NHL, and we all know that the New York Rangers love a reclamation project, so this could be a match made in heaven.
That being said, let’s run over the pros and cons of any potential trade involving Puljujarvi before taking a look at what the deal might involve…