Jesse Puljujarvi seems to be open to returning to the Oilers next season

BarDown Staff

Jesse Puljujarvi , Getty Images

After signing with Finnish team Oulun Karpat last offseason following a fraught three years with the Edmonton Oilers, former 4th overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi’s stance on resuming his NHL career in Edmonton appears to have softened.

An article from Finnish news site Oulu reports that Puljujarvi, per the Edmonton Journal translation, says “never say never” in regards to a possible return in Edmonton. While remaining with Karpat remains on the table, he is once again open to signing with the Oilers.

Puljujärvi repeating his stance ”never say never” when asked if returning to Oilers is possible. He says though that everything is open now and he hasn’t set any time lines for the decision. Playing with Kärpät is also an option for the next season. https://t.co/6TuKmqKB9d
— Mari Lönnberg (@LonnbergMari) June 11, 2020

The Oilers control Puljujarvi’s rights after the two parties reached an impasse in his contract negotiations as a restricted free agent, and while there was some speculation that his rights could be traded as the deadline, no such deal came to fruition.

Puljujarvi’s NHL career has been off to a rocky start with frequent assignments to the AHL, but his potential remains intriguing, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can find a middle ground with the Oilers whenever their contract negotiations pick up again for real.

h/t Oulu