Jesse Puljujärvi became an unrestricted free agent in the NHL early Saturday morning. He is looking for a new club at the same time as he is expected to undergo a six-month rehabilitation period.
Jesse Puljujärvi, 25, summer did not start in the best possible way after a difficult NHL season. The Torniola attacker had to go to the operating table in New York, where both of the player’s hips were operated on earlier this week. The recovery time from a major operation is six to ten months.
– I fought with my hips all last season. Yes, you could play with them, but they weren’t good. I had to take care of it absolutely insanely and it also took painkillers. I gave everything I could give, opens Puljujärvi, reached by Urheilu from New York.
Hips have bothered the winger with a background already before. Now cleaning was no longer enough.
– Both hips were cleaned in 2019, when cartilage and bone spurs had gotten there. However, now they started to bother again, so a bigger operation had to be done. Now both hips were operated on and a metal ball and cup were placed there. However, they are not artificial joints. The pain should go away and the hips should become normal again, Puljujärvi continues.
The long rehabilitation process starts in New York from the same clinic where, for example, an American star was previously operated on Patrick Kane the other hip.
– I saw him walking past, Puljujärvi laughs.
– The plan is that I would be here for three weeks now and then I will return to Finland, where we will look for people with whom I will begin to carry out the rehabilitation.
Puljujärvi is without an NHL contract
After a difficult season, the operation came to Puljujärvi in a difficult place. The game didn’t take off last season and now the player is without a contract.
The Carolina Hurricanes did not make Puljujärvi a so-called Qualifying offer by Friday midnight, a basic contract offer that keeps the player’s rights with the club.
Puljujärvi became an unrestricted free agent who can freely choose his club. The situation is difficult in terms of the continuation of the NHL career, because the performances from the previous season are poor and there is at least a half-year break from games ahead. Puljujärvi’s upcoming season is more or less over.
– After all, these are pretty critical moments at hand, in which direction the career will go from here. If there are no contract offers, then there won’t be any. Let’s be free agents then. The most important thing now is to get my body in shape and be able to play at the top level again someday.
Puljujärvi’s goals are still clearly in the buckets.
– The goal is still to play in the NHL at a good level. That’s what we’re going for here, and I humbly go to work with that in mind. Whatever comes up, we’ll go through with it. This is my way at this point. I am happy that I can still play without pain, states Puljujärvi.
Puljujärvi no longer has a great need to return to the previous season. In Edmonton, the season got off to a nightmare start, then he was traded to Carolina. In Carolina, the start was promising, but in the last playoff games, Puljujärvi sat in the stands. Tehoja laitur recorded a modest 5+11 in 75 matches.
– It was my most difficult season. It could hold all sorts of things and yes, you could fight in it. Mentally it was really hard, but we got through that too. After Edmonton, I got to see a little more, which was positive. I loved being in Carolina. But there’s nothing you can do now but put your feet in shape and then look ahead.