Oiler says he will 'probably' be wearing a new jersey soon.

The Edmonton Oilers may soon part ways with another former first round pick and that departure may come sooner rather than later. 

Although his name has been the subject of rampant trade rumors for the better part of the last 2 National Hockey League seasons, we have not heard the name of forward Jesse Puljujarvi mentioned a great deal as of late. In spite of that however it seems that Puljujarvi himself believes it is only a matter of time before he is no longer a member of the Oilers organization. In a recent interview with the foreign press Puljujarvi admitted that his times as an Edmonton Oiler may be over.

Speaking with Finnish media outlet Iltalehti Sport Puljujarvi stated that he would "probably" be leaving the Oilers organization, something he articulated by saying he would "have a jersey change." It is clear that Puljujarvi feels his time as an Oiler is up, but what is less clear is what the next phase of his career will be. Puljujarvi made it clear during the interview that his preference was to remain in North American and playing in the National Hockey League.

"It is definitely the first choice," said Puljujarvi as per Italehti.

It has to be noted that the article also points out that there remains significant interest in Puljujarvi across the ocean in the Kontinental Hockey League. More specifically the team that currently holds his rights, the KHL's Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, is currently led by Canadian head coach David Nemirovsky and Nemirovsky has made it clear that the team would welcome him with open arms.

"We know Jesse's situation. He is a young and very talented player. Perhaps the KHL would be a good next step for him on the way back to the NHL," said Nemirovsky. "We are interested and we want him, if he wants to come."

There's no question that as far as a trading chip Puljujarvi's value will be at an all time low, and with newly appointed general manager Ken Holland taking over management of the Oilers roster there's no way to gauge how the organization views Puljujarvi. That being said if Puljujarvi is to be taken at his word it sounds like he expects the Oilers will be moving on in short order.