Penguins Update: Is it Too Soon to Be Hopeful About Jesse Puljujärvi?

I confess, I’ve been keeping tabs on the progress of forward Jesse Puljujärvi ever since he signed a PTO with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 4.

On Monday night Jesse scored his first of the season…and his first professional goal in 11 months…during the Baby Pens’ 3-2 victory over Springfield. Late in the second period he chased down a short bounce pass off the right boards from fellow Finn Joona Koppanen, blew past a Thunderbirds’ defender with a few powerful strides and beat the goalie stick side with a heavy shot.

I have to admit I was greatly encouraged. In my dreams, I see the 6’4” 200-pound former fourth overall pick forming a power bookend with incumbent Drew O’Connor on a difficult-to-handle third line.

However, as the old marching song reminds us, it’s a long way to Tipperary. And Puljujärvi still has much to overcome.

Seen as a potential replacement for Taylor Hall and perhaps rushed to the NHL, Puljujärvi played 28 games with Edmonton in 2016-17 as a fresh-faced 18-year-old rookie. He scored in his debut, then failed to net another goal that season.

Following a couple of up-and-down seasons, he began a modest breakout during the Covid-shortened ‘19-20 campaign, notching 15 goals in 55 games. A respectable 22-goal pace over a full 82-game slate.

In ’21-22, the Swedish-born Finn tallied 14 goals and 36 points in 65 games. Again, not spectacular output, but solid. He also displayed a physical side to his game, dishing out a combined 182 hits over the two seasons.

However, just as Jesse was hitting his stride, his hips began to betray him. Culminating in a difficult and disappointing ’22-23 season that saw him manage just five goals in 75 games split between the Oilers and the Hurricanes.

“I fought with my hips all last season,” he admitted in an interview with Yle Urheilu. “Yes, you could play with them, but they weren’t good. I had to take care of it absolutely insanely and it also took painkillers. I gave everything I could give.”

In an attempt to rescue his career, Jesse submitted to invasive hip resurfacing surgery on both hips last summer. As part of the procedure, a metal ball and cup were placed into each of his hip joints. His surgery was performed by Dr. Edwin Su, the same surgeon who performed hip resurfacing surgery on Patrick Kane.

Months of grueling rehab followed. Pens GM Kyle Dubas took note of Puljujärvi’s progress. On December 10, he extended a tryout offer to the 25-year-old forward. Following three weeks of mostly off-ice training, the PTO with the Baby Pens followed.

In terms of extending a player’s career, hip resurfacing has proven to be hit or miss. Ed Jovanovski played 37 games for Florida in ’13-14 after submitting to the surgery before retiring. More recently, Capitals star Nicklas Bäckström played 39 games following the surgery last season and eight more this year before “stepping away from the game.”

Kane, however, has flourished thus far in his comeback bid with the Red Wings.

Could the same be possible for Puljujärvi? When healthy, he provides a mouthwatering array of attributes, including his aforementioned frame and a powerful skating stride. He’s a strong forechecker and play driver who embraces a 200-foot game. In many ways, tailor-made for Mike Sullivan’s puck-retrieval style.

Jesse’s advanced stats, even when he struggled to score last season, are outstanding.

Alas, with a career shooting percentage of 8.1, finishing…a weakness among our Pens…isn’t among Puljujärvi’s strengths. Neither is playmaking.

Still, he would seem a solid candidate for third-line duty…if he can make it all the way back. Which clearly seems to be his goal.

“Throughout the rehabilitation process, I have said that the NHL is the number one goal and that is what we are going towards,” he affirmed.

I, for one, would love to see the big guy succeed.

Big Z on Waivers

Speaking of large humans, the Pens placed forward Radim Zohorna on waivers yesterday. If Big Z isn’t claimed, he can be assigned to the Baby Pens.

Following a promising start to the season that saw the hulking 6’6” forward pot three goals and five points in his first nine games with the black and gold, his play (and production) have fallen off rather dramatically. But, hey, at least he finally received an extended chance to prove himself and the team got to evaluate him once and for all.

For now, it appears the legend of Big Z as an overlooked diamond in the rough is at an end.

If Zohorna does clear waivers and is reassigned, the Pens are likely to recall a defenseman (perhaps Ryan Shea) in the wake of an undisclosed injury to Chad Ruhwedel, who exited Monday afternoon’s game early after being rammed into the boards.