The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired forward Jesse Puljujarvi from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward prospect Patrik Puistola, the club announced Tuesday.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report the news on Tuesday morning.
Edmonton did not retain any of Puljujarvi’s prorated $3 million cap hit for the rest of the 2022–23 season. He’ll be eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in July 2023.
Puljujarvi, 24, recorded five goals and 14 points in 58 games with the Oilers this season. Edmonton originally selected Puljujarvi in the first round (No. 4 overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho notably played on a line with Puljujarvi at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. Puljujarvi and Aho respectively finished first and second in scoring at the tournament.
“Jesse possesses a great blend of size and skill, and he will add to the depth of our forward group,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement on Tuesday. “He has familiarity with some of our other Finnish players, and we see him as a great fit for our team and locker room.”
Puistola, 22, is an unsigned draft pick with 15 goals and 38 points in 56 Liiga games with Mikkelin Jukurit this season. The Hurricanes originally selected Puistola in the third round (No. 73 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. His exclusive signing rights — now with the Oilers — are set to expire this summer.
For Puljujarvi, the deal represents a change of scenery after a difficult final season in Edmonton. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound winger collected 51 goals and 112 points in 317 career games over parts of six seasons with the Oilers, adding three goals and five points in 20 playoff contests.
The Hurricanes will return to action on Wednesday to take on the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena at 10:00 p.m. ET.
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