Jesse Puljujarvi hasn’t had an easy time of it the last few months and the road to his return to the National Hockey League (NHL) will obviously be windier than expected.
In fact, tipster Frank Seravalli said during the Daily Faceoff Live podcast that the fourth pick in the 2016 draft should first go through the American League (AHL) before returning to the best hockey league in the world.
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“He will get another chance,” said the journalist. My guess is he’ll probably have to start somewhere with a pro tryout or an AHL contract to come back. I think it wasn’t just a health problem that prevented him from reaching the level he wanted to reach and a lot of people thought he could do that.
“I think there was a trust factor as well,” Seravalli added. So I think he still has a long way to go and teams won’t be knocking on his door for another chance after the end in Carolina. It was pretty dark so he came way back.”
Puljujarvi is still recovering from hip surgery this summer. He did not receive a qualifying offer from the Carolina Hurricanes, where he was traded at the last trade deadline.
In 334 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers and Hurricanes, the 25-year-old right winger scored 51 goals and 63 assists for 114 points.