Former Top-5 Pick Jesse Puljujarvi Done in the NHL

Former Edmonton Oilers 4th overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi has seemingly given up on extending his career in the North America, instead signing with Geneve-Servette HC in the Swiss National League as the NHL's free agency period begins.

Jesse Puljujarvi was once one of the most highly touted prospects in all of hockey.

The Finnish forward scored 28 points in 50 games playing in the top pro league of his home country during his draft year.

The next season, he was rushed into the NHL where he scored just a single goal and 8 points in 28 games.

While his production would improve over the next few seasons, he never came close to hitting his potential, setting career highs in the 2021-22 season where he had 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 65 games.

After another slow start the following season he would be traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, which was the beginning of his journey around the league as he bounced from team to team hoping for a chance to stick full-time.

Unfortunately he would never be able to put everything together as his production continued to decline.

This season, he was given another chance by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but when he failed to perform, the team terminated Puljujarvi's contract.

Puljujarvi would end up playing in 387 career regular-season NHL games split among four teams.

He had 58 career goals and 70 assists for 128 points in those games.

That would be a respectable career for a player drafted in the late first round or later, but for a 4th overall pick, those are decidedly awful numbers.

Puljujarvi seemed determined to keep his dream of playing in the NHL alive even as his play declined over the past few seasons, but now he has finally given up, signing in the Swiss National League for next season.