Penguins Terminate Former Oilers First-Round Pick’s Contract

The Pittsburgh Penguins terminated the contract of a former Edmonton Oilers first-round pick.

Dec 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Jesse Puljujarvi (18) skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins were hoping that the addition of winger Jesse Puljujarvi would be a perfect fit. The former third overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers didn't pan out with his original organization, and after double hip surgery the Penguins gave him a slew of chances to break into their top-nine forward group.

It seems the experiment is over for the Penguins. NHL insider Frank Seravalli is reporting that the team is placing Puljujarvi on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination. He shared the news via his X account.

#letsgopens Jesse Puljujarvi is on unconditional waivers today for purposes of a mutual contract termination.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 8, 2025

The 26-year-old winger will be free to sign with any other NHL team or with another league entirely once he clears waivers. He will be looking for a home with his fourth NHL franchise if he seeks a new contract for the remainder of the year.

There are likely to be suitors for Puljujarvi and teams willing to gamble on him. After all, he's the prototypical power forward in today's NHL. He's big, standing at 6'4 and weighing just under 220 pounds. The winger has skated in 26 NHL games with the Pens this season, tallying three goals and six assists for nine points. Last year, he played 22 games with the team and fared similarly, with three goals and four points in those contests.

In his NHL career, he's played 382 games and accumulated 57 goals and 70 assists for 122 points. His best offensive campaign came as a member of the Oilers during the 2021-2022 season. Over 65 games, he netted 14 goals and added 22 assists for 36 points.

It's hard to predict which teams might be interested in Puljujarvi at this point, but it would be a fair bet to look at contending teams with limited cap space. Could a team like Oilers reach out for a reunion? What about a second stint with the Carolina Hurricanes? Or, would a squad like the Florida Panthers be interested in a cheap, bottom-six forward for a playoff run?

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