Just one day after becoming a free agent, a former first-round pick and ex-Pittsburgh Penguin is already getting another opportunity.
Forward Jesse Puljujarvi – placed on unconditional waivers by the Penguins on Saturday for the purpose of contract termination and having cleared Sunday – has signed a paid tryout contract (PTO) with the Charlotte Checkers, AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.
Puljujarvi’s agent, Markus Lehto, has ties to Florida GM Bill Zito, as the two co-founded a sports agency in the 90s and have remained close. It’s unclear whether or not that connection led to the signing.
After spending a calendar year with the Penguins – which, ironically, began with a PTO and a subsequent contract with the Penguins on Feb. 4, 2024 – Puljujarvi sought other opportunities after feeling that his time in Pittsburgh had run its course.
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas released a statement upon the decision to place Puljujarvi on unconditional waivers, saying that agreeing to the mutual contract termination would be the best way to give him other opportunities to thrive, given the work he has put in since his double-hip surgery in the summer of 2023:
Puljujarvi will be joining a Checkers team that is third in the AHL’s Atlantic Division behind the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. His last game with the Penguins’ organization came on Feb. 2, when Wilkes-Barre was defeated by the Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-4, in overtime. Puljujarvi posted an assist in that game.
The 26-year-old Finnish forward has registered 57 goals and 127 points in 382 NHL games with the Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers – who selected Puljujarvi fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
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