Report: Oilers and Rangers had last minute deal for Puljujarvi fall apart

With the Dec 1st. NHL signing deadline passing this past week, it means that unsigned RFAs Julius Honka of the Dallas Stars and Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers can not and will not play in the NHL this season. 

It was reported that both Honka and Puljujarvi received interest on the trade market, but obviously neither Stars GM Jim Nil nor his former boss and now Oilers GM Ken Holland could close the deal. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet however reports that the Oilers were close to moving Puljujarvi to the New York Rangers, but just couldn’t close the deal.

Check out this little tidbit from Friedman’s most recent 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet:

Before the Dec. 1 signing deadline, word is the Oilers re-engaged some of the clubs who had shown previous interest in Jesse Puljujarvi. That includes the Rangers, St. Louis and Tampa Bay. I believe they discussed Lias Andersson with New York, and think Puljujarvi wanted to go there, but things couldn’t close.

Interesting. For what it’s worth, there seems to be just as much concern for Anderssen’s NHL future as there is for Puljujarvi’s. Neither player has really impressed at the AHL or NHL level thus far in their careers. If Puljujarvi’s NHL totals of 17 goals and 37 points in 139 games don’t blow your mind, then Anderssen’s three goals and nine points in 66 games will completely underwhelm you. 

There’s reason to believe that both players’ potential can be fulfilled with a change of scenery though, so don’t be surprised if something gets down between these two squads during the 2020 offseason.