Puljujarvi open to reunion with Oilers: 'It may be possible'
After spending a year playing overseas, Jesse Puljujarvi has come to the realization his best chance at continuing his NHL career is returning to the Edmonton Oilers.
Puljujarvi requested a trade from the Oilers last year, but with a new regime in place, he's not ruling out the possibility of a reunion.
"You can never say no," he told Finnish news outlet Tampere Iltalehti, as translated by NHL.com. "I have grown and I see things a little differently. There's now a different GM (Ken Holland) and head coach (Dave Tippett) out there.
"They're building a winning team in Edmonton. It may be possible that I will still be playing there."
The 22-year-old gave the Oilers an ultimatum last year, stating he would spend the year in Europe if he wasn't traded. That proposition came about a month after the team hired both Holland and Tippett.
Puljujarvi wound up playing the 2019-20 season with Karpat in the Finnish Elite League, finishing fifth in the league with 24 goals and fourth with 53 points in 56 games.
He said a recent conference call with Holland and Tippett "left a positive overall picture," though he wouldn't divulge details.
The Carolina Hurricanes were one team to reportedly kick tires on the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, but no deal ever came to fruition.
Puljujarvi remains a restricted free agent. The Oilers retained his rights by giving him a qualifying offer.
The 6-foot-4 winger has collected 17 goals and 37 points in 139 career NHL games.