Puljujarvi Clears; Sullivan Explains Why Penguins Waived Him

DETROIT — At 2 p.m. ET, Jesse Puljujarvi will likely have a new hockey address. Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins put the big winger on waivers. The team with the highest waiver priority, which submits a claim, will be awarded the player.

Update: Puljujarvi was unclaimed. He will be assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Puljujarvi and general manager Kyle Dubas had a conversation and also offered his insights on the situation.

“Kyle spoke to him about the process. He’s been out of the lineup for a little while now, and part of it is just being fair to the player. Jesse is a great kid,” said Sulivan. “He’s worked extremely hard to get himself in the position that he’s been in. He’s been in our lineup and he’s had some success. You know, we’ve chosen to go with the group that we’ve had here for a little while. We feel like the group that we put in the lineup every night has played extremely well and is deserving of being in the lineup, and the results have followed.

“More importantly, it’s about being a fair player.”

The obvious inference from Sullivan was the Penguins expect Puljujarvi to be claimed.

Puljujarvi hasn’t played since Dec. 7. In his career, he’s struggled to maintain a place in the NHL since being the fourth overall pick in 2016 by the Edmonton Oilers. He had double hip surgery in the summer of 2023 and signed a free-agent tryout agreement with the Penguins in December 2023. However, his 10-day tryout expired without a contract, and he signed a professional tryout agreement with the WBS Penguins and was eventually called up to Pittsburgh in February.

Last season, Puljujarvi had four points (3-1-4) in 22 games. He played 21 games this season and registered eight points (3-5-8). Puljujarvi has played in 357 career NHL games and has 56 goals and 126 points.