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Hurricanes getForward: Jesse Poliujärvi
get oilersForward: Patrick Boistola
Corey Brunman: Patrick Poistola is an unsigned third-round pick in the 2019 draft. He has excellent skill and offensive instincts and can score goals either around the net or from the goal. His skating and efforts weren’t really selling points though. As a one-way wing without elite offensive abilities, he has a chance of making the NHL but not one of the best prospects.
It says a lot about Jesse Buljwarvi’s worth that that’s all he can pull off. Puljujarvi’s toolkit is naturally more attractive. He skates very well for a senior winger and has some offensive ability, but his hockey sense and competition have been a concern over the past few years. Puljujarvi is an NHL player, a lot more player than Puistola, but whether he’s actually someone who can play the top nine in a Stanley Cup contender like Carolina is a question. Evidently, Edmonton decided the answer was no. I think it’s a 50/50 proposition. Puljujarvi is talented in certain areas and I think he has more to offer.
I don’t mind this gamble by Carolina because I like Puljujarvi, but it’s really interesting and unique given the similar position both clubs occupy, in the standings. It’s also a tricky score because it begs the question of what’s next for Edmonton with that extra cap space.
Hurricane degree: b +
Grade Oilers: B- (to be determined later based on future movements)
Sean Gentile: Before the Hurricanes actually acquired Puljujarvi, the move was already there as a combination of a joke and a prediction. Now, this is real. This is not a big trade. What it is, for better or for worse, is the hand-matching between player and team.
Carolina has excelled, in recent years, at controlling possession and creating scoring opportunities. This year alone, they lead in the expected ratio of five goals-on-five (60.7) and /60 (3.33). In terms of actual five-for-five/60 goals, they still rank high…but eighth overall, not first.
Puljujarvi embodies this process. His defensive effects are great and, up until this season, he has pushed the game forward as well. He just can’t score. More fairly, he wasn’t able to convert his defensive work into offense – at least not at an acceptable rate, if that’s what you want him to do.
What’s the good news for poligarvey and stick? That’s not what they really want him to do. Now, Karolina needs to break the game. That’s not news – that’s why they went out and took Max Pacioretty in the offseason. Pacioretty’s injury (and San Jose’s decision to send Timo Meyer to New Jersey) forced them down a different path that involved, for now, doubling down on the type of player that got them to this point. There is nothing wrong with that.
They took over all of Puljujarvi’s $3 million expired product, but still had plenty of room to add some juice to the bottom six. What they did on Tuesday was substantial, but minor. As for Puljujarvi, he is now in a place where the expectations are in line with his skill set. He’s a team role player who puts stock in the things he adds to the mix, rather than obsessing over what he doesn’t. Now, if some people can stop assuming he’s Valeri Nichushkin 2.0, and a lock to go from a 25-goal play-by-play driver, we’ll make some progress. He may have more to give, but if he doesn’t, that’s okay too.
As for the Oilers, they cleared up a large amount of cap space for a player that they didn’t take advantage of. Argue the last point if you will, but Puljujarvi wasn’t a $3 million player in Edmonton, and they couldn’t turn him into a single player. We’ll see what they do with the space, but creating it—and adding rights to Puistola—was the goal. In a vacuum, that’s good enough.
Hurricane degree: B
Grade Oilers: B
(Photo: Perry Nelson/USA Today)
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