Soon after requesting a trade from the Edmonton Oilers, forward Jesse Puljujarvi has given the team an ultimatum.
"If he doesn’t get traded, he will play in Europe next year." Puljujarvi's agent, Markus Lehto, told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "He will not play in Edmonton."
The Oilers have until Monday to issue a qualifying offer to the 21-year-old in order to retain his NHL rights. But since a player under NHL contract can't sign in Europe, Puljujarvi would refrain from accepting the offer if he isn't moved, according to Spector.
Meanwhile, Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he's keeping the team's best interests in mind and won't make a trade involving Puljujarvi unless he's satisfied with the return.
"At the end of the day, if you can do a deal that makes sense for the Edmonton Oilers, you do it," Holland said. "If you can’t, you go over (to Europe) and watch him play, and hopefully he scores a lot of goals over there."
Puljujarvi has mustered just 17 goals and 37 points over 139 contests since being drafted fourth overall by the Oilers in 2016.
