The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Jesse Puljujarvi on waivers Monday afternoon. Should he go unclaimed by 2 p.m. Tuesday, he can be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
Puljujarvi, 26, has been a healthy scratch for the past nine games and 14 of the previous 15 contests.
In 21 games this season, the right-handed Puljujarvi has scored eight points (three goals, five assists) while averaging 11:37 of ice time per contest.
During the preseason, Puljujarvi was the Penguins’ leading scorer with eight points (four goals, four assists) in six games.
The Penguins brought Puljujarvi (6-foot-4, 216 pounds) to the organization approximately a year ago, granting him a tryout in December of 2023 as he recovered from surgery to each of his hips in June of that year.
After Puljujarvi suited up for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a professional tryout contract to open the 2024 calendar year — posting nine points (four goals, five assists) in 13 games — he signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 4. His contract carries a salary cap hit of $800,00.
In 22 NHL games last season, Puljujarvi had four points (three goals, one assist) and averaged 9:11 of ice time per contest.
Puljujarvi was the fourth overall selection of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.
