Edmonton Oilers forward ranked as one of the best offers in the NHL this year

Article content

This just came in from CapFriendly, news that so far this year Edmonton has one of the best bargain players in the entire NHL in Jesse Puljujarvi.

When salary is compared to points production, Puljujarvi ranks second in the entire NHL, behind only Detroit rookie Lucas Raymond. Puljujajarvi, who has a salary cap of $ 1,175,000, has eight points from five games. Raymond has seven points from six games, but he makes $ 925,000 (before his bonuses are included; he can win up to $ 2.5 million in bonus money this year).

Article content

My take

1. Small sample size, of course, but Puljujarvi is off to a spectacular start. For Edmonton to compete this year and for years to come, it will need a steady supply of young forwards with value contracts to help out on the Core-12, the key players on any NHL team (Top 6 forwards, third-line center, maximum goalkeeper and Top 4 dmen). Puljujarvi assumes that role this year.

2. Puljujarvi’s two-way play has been strong. He’s confident loading and firing the puck, he’s winning his share of board battles, and he’s done well in his own zone. He’s ranked the best winger of the Oilers when it comes to individual Grade A plus-minus scoring chances. Even hard, he has made major contributions to 11 Grade A chances and made major mistakes in just three against, earning him +1.5 Grade A chances per game. The next best on the wing is Zach Hyman, +1.4 per game, then Warren Foegele, +0.7, Kailer Yamamoto, +0.5 and Zack Kassian, +0.0 per game.

Article content

3. Next year Puljujarvi and Yamamoto will need new contracts. It’s likely to cost the Oilers a lot, so much so that the team won’t be able to afford both unless Edmonton can pull off a great deal. There will almost certainly be a need for players with other value contracts to step up, the best candidates being Tyler Benson, who is now in the Oilers, Ryan McLeod, a dominant AHLer, Raphael Lavoie, who is learning the game of two. tracks. at the AHL level, Dylan Holloway, the 2020 first-round pick who is now injured, and Carter Savoie, who is currently breaking it in US college hockey, where he has 12 points from six games. I like Edmonton’s chances of finding one or two excellent value contracts in that group with McLeod, Holloway and Savoie being the best bets at the moment.

Article content

4. Of course, the hit point dollar by compounding is just one way to rank players by value. It’s the most obvious way and when it comes to NHL forwards, it’s a solid way to proceed. But surely, if we are looking for a player of value in the Oilers, it is difficult to beat the new Dynamic Duo of the team, Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard. Bouchard is still on his entry-level contract, one of the benefits of allowing a player to exhaust all of his primary junior eligibility. Earn $ 863,000 this year. Better yet, he’s got one more year for the same amount, a huge, huge, huge value for greasers. As for Nurse, he is in the final year of his contract paying him $ 5.6 million. Arguably, he’s been underpaid for years, given his growing status on the team. This year he is underpaid by around $ 3-4 million, given that he is a true No. 1 d-man and is likely to be a part of Team Canada. Nurse is heading into a few big profit years with his new deal, but there’s no question of the consistent value he’s brought to the oilers until that contract takes effect.

Staples in politics

The most dangerous response to Alberta’s landslide vote for ax equalization? Ignore it

In worship

STAPLES: When Edmonton’s Power Play gets cold, it will still burn opponents

McCURDY: Three Looks at Darnell Nurse

STAPLES: The New Dynamic Duo In Edm’s Blue Line