Jesse Puljujarvi signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, after a professional tryout and recovering from double hip surgery, bringing his experience from the Oilers and Hurricanes to potentially play on Pittsburgh’s third or fourth line.
Getty Images just dropped some big news.
Jesse Puljujarvi, that free agent forward everyone’s been talking about? He’s now officially signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This deal’s gonna take him through the 2024-25 season. And guess what? It’s pegged at an average annual value of $800,000.
Before this, Puljujarvi dipped his toes into the waters with a professional tryout for the Penguins. That was back on December 10. The guy had just come off double hip surgery during the 2023 offseason. Despite that, he’s been nothing short of impressive.
Since rocking that tryout jersey, Puljujarvi’s racked up nine points. We’re talking four goals and five assists here, all in just 13 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Let’s rewind a bit. Puljujarvi was the No. 4 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, snagged by the Edmonton Oilers. The 25-year-old winger spent six seasons with the Oilers. Then, in a twist before the 2023 trade deadline, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Throughout his career with the Oilers and Hurricanes, Puljujarvi’s notched 114 points. That’s 51 goals and 63 assists over 334 games. Not too shabby, right?
Now, the big question on everyone’s mind: Where’s he gonna fit in with the Penguins? Most bets are on him skating on the third or fourth line. And the Penguins? They’re currently sitting at a 22-17-7 record. That’s 51 points for those keeping score. They’re seven points shy of a playoff spot as the league kicks back into gear post-All-Star break.
So, yeah. Things are about to get interesting.
