On Monday, multiple reports say the Pittsburgh Penguins placed Jesse Puljujarvi, the Finnish forward drafted fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Draft, on waivers, making the former top draft pick available to every team, including the New Jersey Devils.
It is safe to say that, at the age of 26, Puljujarvi has not and probably will never live up to his lofty draft status, but this does not mean that the Penguins forward is not still a useful player. Known for his coveted blend of size, speed, forechecking ability, and stickhandling, the 6-foot-4 Puljujarvi would be a welcomed addition to just about any team's bottom-six. Unless they're the Penguins, apparently.
The Devils have long struggled to find permanent solutions to their scoring issues at the bottom of the lineup, and Puljujarvi has flashed the ability to provide that scoring, albeit being a few years removed from those days.
The 26-year-old has scored 10 or more goals at the NHL level three times in his NHL career, scoring 12 goals in 2017-18, 15 goals in 2020-21, and 14 goals in 2022-23. The latter saw Puljujarvi rack up a career-high 22 assists and 36 points, to boot.
Puljujarvi has managed to score three goals, five assists, and eight points in 21 games for the Penguins so far this season, which puts him on pace to finish the year with nine goals, 15 assists, and 24 points in 65 games. All in all, respectable totals for a player receiving very limited ice time on an average, slow, and old team.
How Jesse Puljujarvi fits the New Jersey Devils
As mentioned above, one of Puljujarvi's calling cards as a hockey player is his size and speed. The Devils' current fourth-line right wing is Nathan Bastian, who has two goals, three assists, and five points in 21 games. Aside from Bastian's limited scoring prowess, he is also below the NHL 50th percentile in top skating speed and speed bursts over 20 miles per hour, per NHL EDGE.
Puljujarvi, on the other hand, is in the 80th percentile in top skating speed, the 72nd percentile for speed bursts over 20 miles per hour. He has also been slightly more productive offensively.
While it is also worth noting that, per MoneyPuck, Bastian is on the ice for fewer expected goals per 60 minutes and fewer high-danger shot attempts per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, the Devils are also a much better team than Puljujarvi's Penguins, especially when considering former Devils defenseman Ryan Graves struggles to get in their lineup consistently.
Regardless, should the Devils claim Puljujarvi on waivers, whether for depth or for an upgrade, he'll be about as cheap as they can come. The former fourth overall draft pick has one year remaining on his contract at an $800k cap hit. The Devils should have no problems fitting the low-risk contract on their books, but it should be noted that with all 23 NHL roster spots filled, a corresponding transaction would have to be made to include Puljujarvi.
The foundation of this Devils team is its speed and skill, and general manager Tom Fitzgerald emphasized rounding out those edges and getting bigger in the offseason. Puljujarvi checks both boxes at a low cost, if Fitzgerald and the Devils are willing to pull the trigger on a waiver claim.