Breaking: Oilers make a statement regarding forward Jesse Puljujarvi

In case you missed it, the Edmonton Oilers placed defenseman Brandon Manning on waivers earlier today.

Manning, of course, was one of the final players acquired by former Oilers general manager before he was fired last month. 

Between Manning’s demotion and the trades of Ryan Spooner and Cam Talbot there’s no shortage of moves coming out of Edmonton right now. Perhaps the most intriguing player in all of the Oilers trade talk lately though is 20 year old former 4th overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi.

According to multiple reports from Edmonton Oilers insiders like Mark Spector and NHL insider John Shannon, both of Sportsnet, the Oilers management team of Bob Nicholson and Keith Gretzky are currently deciding what the plan is for Puljujarvi, specifically should he finish the season in the NHL or with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

According to Shannon, the Oilers will NOT be demoting Puljujarvi, despite protestations from the team’s fans and media alike:

That seems… unwise.

Puljujarvi, who again remember is just 20 years old, has just four goals and nine points in 46 games with the Oilers this year. He’s played just 44 games in the AHL over the past three seasons, putting up 15 goals and 37 points in those games. 

Puljujarvi was taken fourth overall in the 2016 Entry Draft ahead of players like Matthew Tkachuk, Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy. Still, despite his lack of NHL production, there’s still reason to believe that Puljujarvi can pull it all together and establish himself as an NHL scorer. Whether or not that happens in Edmonton though… who knows?