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Morning, Oilers fans!
First thing’s first, I suppose: Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars goes tonight at 6PM MST, with Tampa ahead 2-1 after a 5-2 win in Game 3.
On to more important things.
Word on the web is Bob Stauffer ballparked a short term contract around $1-$1.25MM for Jesse Puljujarvi yesterday afternoon. He brought on former first overall pick (1983) Brian Lawton to talk about what his return might mean to the incumbents in the dressing room:
"When it comes to contract negotiations, players understand. All they care about is, can Jesse Puljujarvi come back, play for us and help us win..."@brianlawton9 says the #Oilers players would be open to a Puljujarvi return in Edmonton. ⬇️https://t.co/wTe3RavNnH
— Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer (@OilersNow) September 24, 2020
Of course, the contract hasn’t been signed yet so this is all speculation, but I think Lawton’s take is a reasonable one. Given the only inbound moves the Oilers have made this summer have involved re-signing some of their (non-) contributors in the bottom six, I imagine that the Oilers would recognize the upside a Puljujarvi return represents.
On the flip side, you might be able to make the case that if Connor McDavid wanted Jesse Puljujarvi back bad enough, that he’d be back already. Pay attention to this space.
Beyond that, the Oilers have a couple holes that need addressing as of today, exactly two weeks from the start of Unrestricted Free Agency. The Oilers have a middling first round pick to take care of just before that, but shouldn’t expect any player — at any position — to make a meaningful impact next season. To improve the roster in a meaningful way between now and the start of the 2020-21 season, Ken Holland will have to find a trade and/or hit in free agency. Do you see any trades between now and then? Who would you covet in Free Agency? What holes would you address first, and who would you plug them with?
Otherwise, have yourselves a great weekend, and we’ll see you back here bright an early on Monday.
Puljujarvi Watch: Orange (Copper and Blue)
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