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Quick Hit: Puljujarvi + Lucic

July 4, 2019, 10:00 PM ET [28 Comments]
Matt Ross
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Taking a little break from the burgers, beers and booms of the holiday to drop a quick note on something I saw earlier...

Take it with a grain of salt, but I noticed a couple hockey Instagram accounts (that are usually pretty reliable/accurate with rumors/speculation) that the Kings had spoken with the Oilers about RW Jesse Puljujarvi,

Then I saw a tweet from Dennis Bernstein - host of "Off The Rush" on SiriusXMNHL, NHL Network correspondent, etc., that read:

"An American holiday doesn't prevent us from having inside stuff for you....

LA have recently kicked tires on Edmonton RW Jesse Puljujarvi.

But apparently cost of doing business is taking on Milan Lucic contract, something LA not inclined to do at this time"


Obviously the Kings are in no position to make that deal and good thing it sounds like they're not going to pursue it.

I mean...

1. Lucic goes against everything Blake has said about their plan for the upcoming year
2. Been there, done that with Lucic
3. Multiple other huge contracts already on the bill
4. Kings aren't in a position where brining in either guy (or both) will get them to the next level

Admittedly, I don't know a ton about Puljujarvi and am hoping some of you guys and/or Oilers fans can chime in a bit. Is he a product of the EDM environment of first-round picks that were never developed properly? Does he struggle at the NHL level/a bust? Would he benefit from a different system? What will he be looking for coming off his three-year entry-level deal?

Elite Prospects has him billed as:

"A big winger who combines size, skating and skill. A strong skater who can blast past the opposition in full speed. Able to use his size, reach and stickhandling skills to retain the puck in speed. A smart player at both ends of the ice, both on and off the puck. Great work ethic and positive attitude. More of a playmaker than a scorer and could improve his shooting skills, although already equipped with an accurate release. Doesn't shy away from physical play, but could use his size more to his benefit."

What's interesting is that, at 21, Puljujarvi could potentially fit in with the kids LA are going to be giving shots to this season and has added some NHL experience to his resume. But, I have to believe packaging Lucic with him would be an instant deal killer (for most teams) - especially when you calculate in Looch's speed and the fact that he still has four years left at $6M per...EDM can't be expecting to get anything of real value in return if Lucic is part of the deal, right? Feel like they'll have to eat some of that Milan money to ship him out.

I wonder if Blake is going to make any other lower risk moves (similar to the Ryan and Frk deals) and move a contract out before the season starts? Probably the former before the latter, as I'm not sure too many teams are biting.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Go Kings Go
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