Jesse Puljujarvi Reveals the Real Reason His Contract Was Terminated by the Penguins
Jesse Puljujarvi has now left his third NHL team, and after the former No. 4 overall pick was terminated by the Penguins, he's opened up on the reason why.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made some interesting moves in recent times, and after waiving Jesse Puljujarvi, the team shockingly announced that the 26-year old would have his contract terminated.
The former No. 4 overall pick would then go on to sign with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, the affiliate of the Florida Panthers, as he looks to get his career back on track and potentially find his way back into the NHL sometime soon.
Now, he's opened up on exactly why he made the move, and it was relatively simple; it's not about the money for Puljujarvi, but rather an opportunity to prove himself and potentially get a role at the NHL level.
I was at a dead end. There was no prospect in Pittsburgh. That's why we came to this solution.»
Financially, it would have been much wiser for Puljujarvi to ride out this season in Pittsburgh before free agency, but with the young winger wanting more opportunities to prove himself, he felt it was a risk worth taking to move on from the Penguins and try find a spot elsewhere.
Only time will tell whether or not this was the right move, as Puljujarvi certainly has the potentially to be a bottom six winger in the league, but until he finds the right environment to unlock that skill and potential, he will continue to have plenty to prove.
| 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 | ||||||