Rantanen wants Avalanche to acquire former World Junior teammate
On a recent edition of a Finnish podcast called 'Total NHL forever', Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen said he believes Edmonton Oilers forward as well as his former World Junior and World Championship teammate Jesse Puljujarvi would be a good fit in Colorado.
Rantanen and Puljujarvi have been teammates on the international level on three occasions, the 2015 World Juniors, 2016 World Juniors and 2017 World Championship. The pair helped Finland win the gold medal at the World Juniors in 2016, with Puljujarvi having 17 points in seven games, earning MVP honours, while Rantanen had five points.
As Rantanen mentioned, it would be a fresh start for Puljujarvi and that's exactly what he needs. Whether that's in Colorado or another franchise in the National Hockey League, the 24-year-old and the Oilers appear to be heading towards a split either before the trade deadline or in the summer.
Back in December in an interview with a Finnish media outlet, Puljujarvi questioned if he belonged in the NHL anymore and in recent weeks, has found himself in the press box. If the Oilers aren't able to trade him before March 3rd, there's a pretty good chance that they won't issue him a qualifying offer this summer and he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
Source: Reddit
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