PITTSBURGH – Just over seven months following on offseason double hip surgery, Jesse Puljujarvi is officially ready to make his return to the NHL and debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puljujarvi joined the Penguins organization in mid-December and has been listed in the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets.
Head coach Mike Sullivan listed Puljujarvi as a game-time decision shortly after he signed his new contract and the official lineup announcement made things official. Puljujarvi will line up on the Penguins third line with Lars Eller and Ricakrd Rakell.
The Penguins will officially be Puljujarvi’s third team in the NHL after being a fourth overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2016. Puljujarvi played 317 games with the Oilers before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes at last season’s trade deadline.
In 334 games, Puljujarvi has scored 51 career goals and 63 assists for 114 total points. The Penguins are hopeful Puljujarvi can be a useful piece to the bottom six forwards and it wouldn’t hurt if he found some of the scoring touch that once made him a top draft pick.
After joining the Penguins as a free agent tryout and a 13 game stint on a professional tryout with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Puljujarvi's road back to the NHL has finally been completed.
The Penguins lineup announcement also finally confirmed the return of Reilly Smith to the lineup. Smith missed six games with an upper-body injury.
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