Former Fourth Overall Pick Jesse Puljujarvi Signs New Pro Deal
Jesse Puljujarvi has had his third opportunity in the NHL pass him by, and now, he's officially been given another lifeline with an AHL heavyweight as he has inked a deal with the AHL affiliate of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.
Former No. 4 overall draft pick Jesse Puljujarvi has been with three NHL teams already in his young career, and after having his latest deal terminated, many had lost hope for his future in North America.
Now however, he has officially signed a new deal, as it was announced on Monday that Puljujarvi has inked a professional tryout with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, as the team announced on social media.
In 26 games with the Penguins this season, Puljujarvi failed to impress as he passed through waivers unclaimed by the other 31 teams, showing that none of them believed in him at the NHL level.
However, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers believed in him enough to offer a PTO, and given his size, experience and potential, if someone in Florida goes down, it could be a matter of when, rather than if we see him in the NHL again this season.
The defending Stanley Cup Champions are likely hoping that they don't need to utilize him at the NHL level, but given his production at the AHL level since returning to North America (12 points in 17 games), this is an obvious deal for them to make.
Puljujarvi hits free agency in the summer, where many expect him to head closer to home to play in Europe given his struggles to catch on in the NHL, but if he catches fire down the stretch for the Checkers, absolutely anything could happen.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tom Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alexander Ovechkin | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack McBain | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Strome | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Paul | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam Atkinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Desimone | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 56 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 81 | |
Capitals | 55 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 80 | |
Oilers | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 72 | |
Stars | 55 | 35 | 18 | 2 | 72 | |
Golden Knights | 56 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 72 | |
Panthers | 57 | 34 | 20 | 3 | 71 | |
Hurricanes | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Wild | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Maple Leafs | 55 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 68 | |
Avalanche | 57 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 68 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||