Hughes can acquire Jesse Puljujarvi as soon as tonight (and the price is revealed), but he has a reason to wait

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Jeff Drouin
August 8, 2022 (7:57 PM)

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Since the beginning of the summer season in the NHL, some players have been associated with the Habs in various trade rumors and the first one that comes to mind is of course Pierre-Luc Dubois.

The Winnipeg Jets forward was very close to being acquired during the draft, but the transaction did not take place and the Quebec forward is still part of the Jets organization.

But there is another player from Western Canada whose name has also been linked to the Canadiens and I'm talking about Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi.

As Mathis Therrien of Danslescoulisses.com reports, the Habs are still among the teams named as being interested in Puljujarvi and this potential interest is mostly related to the fact that Ken Holland needs to free up some money in order to be under the salary cap to start the next season.

But according to tipster Jimmy Murphy of Montreal Hockey Now, Kent Hughes should wait until at least the start of training camp to inquire about the Oilers' forward's availability.

The latter signed a one-season contract for $3 million, but the Oilers are still over the payroll by about $6 million.

According to Murphy, the price tag for Puljujarvi is currently a second round pick and some experts say that a one round pick between the second and fifth rounds could be enough.

One thing is for sure, as we speak, Hughes has the opportunity to acquire Puljujarvi (as early as tonight, if he wants to), but he has to give a second round pick in exchange.

However, the price could come down when the Oilers open camp, as the team could find itself in a situation where it will need to free up some money quickly.

That's still not very high for a player selected fourth overall in 2016. It's worth mentioning that the Oilers forward is only 24 years old and could potentially be a late bloomer.