Oilers News: First-round draft pick called to be Connor McDavid’s star duo ends up leaving NHL for exotic destination

It never worked out for Jesse Puljujarvi and the Edmonton Oilers. The former fourth overall pick in the 2016 NHL entry Draft has bounced around the league, yet he never established his place. Once touted as Connor McDavid‘s sidekick, he now departs for an exotic destination.

Puljujarvi remains an open wound in the heart of the Oilers. Edmonton drags the scar with a mix of regret and melancholy. What could have been? That’s a question that will always appear whenever the Finnish’s name is brought up.

Drafted just one year after McDavid, Puljujarvi could’ve formed an electric partnership with the generational talent. The former Oilers’ right winger wasn’t as exciting as McDavid—only a handful in NHL history were—but his blend of size and skill had fans in Canada’s Oil Capital on cloud nine. The parallels to Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri were easy to draw, but the Stanley Cups never followed.

Change of scenery

Now, Puljujarvi is setting off for new horizons—across the Atlantic, to be precise. The 27-year-old is returning to the Old World, but not to Sweden, where he was born, nor to Finland, his homeland and a place he’s previously played in.

Jesse Puljujarvi #13 of the Edmonton Oilers during warmup against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place on October 15, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada.

Jesse Puljujarvi is joining Geneve-Servette Hockey Club in the National League—Swizterland’s top-tier league. The former fourth-overall pick has signed a two-year deal with his new club, as reported by insider Chris Johnston.

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Journeyman

Puljujarvi is only 27 years old yet he has already been in several NHL organizations. Following his six-year stay in Edmonton, the winger was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023. He stayed in Raleigh for a couple of months before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent in February 2024.

After two seasons alongside Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, the Finnish forward signed with the Florida Panthers as a free agent late in the 2024–25 NHL season. He appeared in just five games for the Cats before being assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. In Charlotte, Puljujarvi helped lead the team to the Calder Cup Final, where the Checkers ultimately fell to the Abbotsford Canucks.

Now, he’s starting from scratch in Helvetia. Away from McDavid, from the Oilers, the NHL and the past. Perhaps, it’s exactly what Puljujarvi needs to regain his confidence and find his best hockey.