A recent report indicated that the New York Rangers' Lias Andersson is not interested in returning to the Broadway Blueshirts for the upcoming postseason and prefers to stay in Sweden. Now another unhappy lottery pick could be following the same path as Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi appears ready to sign a one-year extension with Karpat of Liiga, according to the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins.
After struggling to establish himself in the NHL, the fourth overall pick in 2016 chose to sign a one-year contract with Karpat last season. He had a solid season, scoring 24 goals and 53 points in 56 games, but many doubt that Puljujarvi will eventually return to the NHL and become a dominant player.
What’s interesting are recent comments in which he referenced a willingness to consider returning to Edmonton when he was quoted last week as saying, “never say never.” Leavins, however, wonders if Puljujarvi made the statement in hopes of raising his trade value, especially since there is a belief that the one-year extension would likely include an NHL opt-out clause.
- The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that the Canucks could have a tough decision to make with pending unrestricted free agent Chris Tanev. While Vancouver is expected to be capped out this offseason and it has has a number of free agents, including Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Toffoli along with several restricted free agents, Tanev might seem like a player who could easily be replaced, especially with a number of young blueliners near NHL ready, including Brogan Rafferty, Guillaume Brisebois, Olli Juolevi and the possible return of Nikita Tryamkin. However, the 30-year-old has made it clear that he wants to stay in Vancouver, and considering how well he paired next to rookie Quinn Hughes and his leadership skills, the Canucks might have to seriously consider keeping him over others. “It’s a very tough situation because nobody knows where the cap is going to be,” said Tanev. “But I want to stay in Vancouver. I love it here, and it’s sort of my new home. I love the guys on the team, and we’re trending in the right direction.”
- Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun writes that Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is still working on who might fill Vegas' extra spots on its expanded roster for the upcoming 24-team tournament playoffs. However, one name that won’t be on that list is rookie Cody Glass, who underwent knee surgery in March and is not expected to be ready for the delayed playoffs. Glass had a difficult rookie season in which he struggled on Vegas' third line with just five goals and 12 points in 39 games.
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