BIG UPDATE

It looks like the Oilers have acquired Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators. The 32 year old has 5 goals and 18 points this season for the Predators. He is an excellent second pairing player who could easily play a top pairing role as well. We don't yet know the return but reports are it is multiple picks/pieces. I will update once we know more.

Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a 2023 1st and a 4th in exchange for Ekholm and a 6th. Don't know if there is any retention on this deal on either side. This is a really surprising deal but at first glance this is a net positive gain for the Edmonton Oilers.

The Puljujarvi saga is finally over. The Edmonton Oilers have traded Jesse Puljujarvi to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Finnish forward Patrik Puistola. No money is retained in the deal.

This trade has been months in the making. Puljujarvi clearly was not a fit in this Oilers locker room and has frequently been the source of ire for Edmonton media individuals and certain elements of the fan base. Puljujarvi has struggled to score over the past two seasons but still did excellent things defensively without the puck.

Last night was a perfect example of what Puljujarvi does well. In a very limited number of minutes, Puljujarvi made a few excellent plays, backchecking strong, forcing turnovers and creating chances for his teammates. Contrast that to a player like Kailer Yamamoto who played triple the number of minutes and missed on at least three grade A chances while also doing little defensively.

Yamamoto and Puljujarvi essentially both made the same amount of money but Yamamoto has always seemed to get treated more favorably because of his small bursts of offensive ability and the fact that he "looks engaged." This is where the eye test vs analytics argument comes into play. All the numbers support the fact the Puljujarvi is an excellent complimentary forward.

It should come as no surprise that an analytically driven team like the Hurricanes are the team that made the move to add him. Keep in mind this isn't a team like the Ducks or Coyotes, adding a player to test drive them to see if they want to sign them for next season. This is a playoff team that is adding a player they believe will make an impact for them this season and into the playoffs. I truly hope the change of scenery and an organization that believes in him will help him regain his confidence and help him have a long NHL career.

For the Oilers they now have an additional 3 million in cap space. The player that they acquired is a Finnish prospect and is essentially just to keep the number of contracts equal for both teams. Ekholm, Chychrun, and sadly Gavrikov are all still linked as targets for the Oilers.

So long Jesse. For a number of reasons it just wasn't working here in Edmonton but I wish you nothing but the best moving forward.

Thanks for reading.

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