Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi has reportedly been placed on unconditional waivers Saturday in order to terminate his contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Puljujarvi has had a tenure of ups and downs with the Penguins, registering just six goals and seven assists in 48 games across two seasons. He was re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre /Scranton Penguins earlier this week for the second time this season. He previously cleared waivers on Dec. 3, but the franchise elected to keep Puljujarvi with the big club instead of sending him to their AHL affiliate. Assuming Puljujarvi clears again, he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Once a free agent, the Penguins will no longer have Puljujarvi’s $800,000 cap hit on the books. The 26-year-old journeyman was in the final year of his contract with Pittsburgh.
The Penguins signed Puljujarvi to a professional tryout before the 2023-24 season after he recovered from hip surgery. His initial 10-day tryout did not result in a contract offer, and he signed a PTO with the team’s AHL affiliate before ultimately earning an NHL contract.
Over the course of his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes and Penguins, the former fourth-overall pick has lit the lamp 57 times and added 70 helpers for 127 points across 382 games.
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