Jesse Puljujarvi and the Edmonton Oilers again…
Allan Mitchell of The Athletic: The Edmonton Oilers ruined many a young prospect in their time. Jesse Puljujarvi remains far from an exception. Nail Yakupov appears to be the closest comparison as he started with 17 goals as a rookie. Subsequently, Yakupov found the sledding tough after that and suffered as a result of coaching change after coaching change.
Simply, Puljujarvi is at the mercy of Ken Holland and the Edmonton Oilers. Holland waits out the forward until next year even if need be. One side breathes air into the story while the other just carry on with business as usual.
Zach Werenski‘s agent is optimistic about a possible deal
Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch: As the restricted free agent jam continues, there is some possible good news in Columbus. Zach Werenski’s agent thinks the two sides can agree by training camp. Werenski has less leverage than most as Columbus can match any offer sheet with their cap space.
This all comes down to when doing Werenski and his agent blink. That will determine a lot and includes dollar and term. In the meantime, everyone waits.
The RFA standstill and impact
Craig Custance of The Athletic: These two small quotes explain everything.
“I hate the waiting game,” said another GM. “It shouldn’t take that long.”
“It’s weird, yes,” said a veteran agent. “There’s more at stake every year because of the salary cap issues. It’s catching up with people signing players long term in this round of the CBA. The cycle is catching up with teams. And the thing is, it’s going to get worse next year.”
Alas, next year can be worried about later. The jam is real. Toronto set the market and now tries to change it (Re: Matthews, Nylander, then Marner). Jack Eichel‘s extension can be argued here as well. However, the bottom line is until someone sets the market, all anyone can do is wait.
Quickly on Chase Priskie
Jimmy Murphy: Tampa Bay, Florida, and Montreal are all in on Priskie, who is a standout defenseman from Quinnipiac. Tampa Bay is said to be “coming in hot”. One of these rivals appears poised to land the defenseman.
As Chris Peters noted, this is the only bonafide player worth this much news. Priskie brings the offense and plenty of it.