The Penguins placed forward Jesse Puljujärvi on waivers yesterday, perhaps with the intent of clearing a roster spot for a returning player. They’re currently at the 23-man limit.
Between you, me and the lamp post, I would’ve preferred the Pens waive veteran Kevin Hayes, who doesn’t have the speed to excel in Mike Sullivan’s system. But in fairness, Hayes is a bit more versatile than Jesse.
Personally, I thought Puljujärvi was one of our better forwards this season, at least among the depth guys. He actually got off to a really solid start (a goal and five points in six games) before his ice time and usage strangely began to crater.
Still, his metrics were generally good and his eight points in 21 games translated into roughly a 30-point pace over a full season. I liked his size (6’4” 216), skating and willingness to venture into the dirty areas, to say nothing of his first-round pedigree.
Too, I have enormous admiration for the way he courageously battled back from invasive double-hip surgery to reclaim his career. To say I was “pulling” for the big guy (no pun intended) was an understatement. However, what had the potential to be a genuine feel-good story hasn’t quite worked out that way.
The acquisition of Philip Tomasino (three years younger) and the return of Blake Lizotte and especially Matt Nieto from IR combined to squeeze Jesse out of the mix. Frankly, I’m not a huge Nieto fan due to his offensive shortcomings, but he’s a good defensive forward and penalty killer and he’s found a niche on the fourth line.
Although there certainly were other mitigating factors, the team was 6-11-4 with Jesse in the lineup and 11-5-1 without him.
Then there’s the not-so-small matter of Sullivan. Going by appearances, Puljujärvi doesn’t seem to be a “Sully guy.” Once our coach passes judgment on a player, it’s nearly impossible to work back into his good graces.
If Jesse clears waivers, he can be assigned to the Baby Pens. But I’m hoping he gets claimed by another team, one that will truly give him a fair shake and afford him the opportunity to continue his comeback.
After last night’s debacle in Detroit, fire Sullivan period. I went to the game and the Pens sleep walked through the first two periods with the exception of a couple of shifts. A pathetic 13 shots on net through two periods is ridiculous. And Graves and Joseph out on the penalty kill??? His powerplay manpower chooses were also puzzling. Sully doesn’t like size and grit while his aging players get the hell beat out of them. Crosby took many cheap shots from the Dead Wings last night. Get rid of his Arse after the international tourney. This clown has killed so many careers with his pint-size finesse hockey with no physicality. Replace him with the ex-Boston coach which fits the Pen’s aging players. There is simply no structure on this team.
choices not chooses for above.
Hey all,
Puljujarvi cleared waivers and will likely be assigned to the Baby Pens. It appears based on comments by Mike Sullivan that the Pens fully expected Jesse to be claimed and that he was waived in no small part to give him an opportunity to hook on with another team.
In a corresponding move, Marcus Pettersson has been reactivated.
Rick
Hey Rick,
All I will say is, I am so sick of Sullivan’s Crap!!!!! He is the biggest reason for my low expectations of this team and he will, unfortunately, continue sinking this ship through the foreseeable future.