The Penguins signed UFA winger Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year contract on Sunday, per a team release. The 2016 fourth-overall decide will earn $800K per season by way of the tip of 2024-25.
Per PuckPedia, Puljujarvi will earn the league minimal $775K wage this season earlier than seeing a $50K pay bump in 2024-25. He can be an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his profession when the deal expires.
Puljujarvi, 25, had 4 objectives and 9 factors in 13 video games on a PTO with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after getting back from a double hip surgery he had received in the course of the offseason. He started coaching with the Penguins in early December, signing a PTO at the NHL level to take action.
The Finnish winger seemed like a long-term fixture within the Oilers’ high six as just lately as two years in the past. An extended and winding growth path led him to a career-best 2021-22 marketing campaign through which his 36 factors and +22 ranking in 65 video games, oftentimes enjoying alongside Connor McDavid, earned him a spattering of Selke Trophy votes. Their line with Zach Hyman was arguably the perfect within the league that season at producing offense, producing 4.18 anticipated objectives per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck.
Nonetheless, Puljujarvi regressed considerably in 2022-23. After posting 5 objectives and 14 factors (together with a -11 ranking) in simply 12:15 of common ice time in comparison with the prior season’s 16:14, the Oilers reduce bait with their former high prospect and traded him to the Hurricanes for the signing rights to ahead prospect Patrik Puistola. His possession impacts rebounded down the stretch with Carolina, however the level manufacturing didn’t – he went with out a objective in 24 regular-season and playoff video games and added solely three assists. As such, the Hurricanes opted to not challenge Puljujarvi a qualifying provide and let him change into a UFA final July.
Final summer time’s surgical procedure suggests his skating and total play have been hampered by a lingering hip challenge in 2022-23, and the Penguins are banking on his means to maintain driving possession in a restricted position out of the gate. There’s a truthful quantity of upward mobility for Puljujarvi in Pittsburgh if his play warrants it – underwhelming seasons from Rickard Rakell and Reilly Smith have created a number of openings within the workforce’s center six. He could also be finest utilized in a bottom-six position to start out, nevertheless, as poor defensive play from veterans like Noel Acciari and Matthew Nieto has been one of many workforce’s greatest weaknesses. Puljujarvi may present an improve there and enhance the workforce’s objective differential, even when he’s not offering a truckload of offense himself.