Jesse Puljujärvi, who was drafted 4th overall by Edmonton in 2016, did not have a successful career with Edmonton. Both the player and the team were at fault for this failure.
Jesse Puljujärvi was traumatized during his time playing for Edmonton
Puljujärvi has not yielded many points yet, but his play has proved to be drastically better than his play with Edmonton. He has also found other Finns on the team in which he has found comfort and friendship.
His friend Sebastian Aho has become good friends with Puljujärvi, and explained in a recent interview that Puljujärvi's time with the Oilers was very detrimental to his confidence and his mental health. It was so detrimental that Puljujärvi refuses to discuss it.
"I think he is adapting better and better all the time. The game will definitely start to become more natural gradually. Yes, Jesse knows how to play," Aho said."
"I have no idea what happened there in Edmonton," Aho commented.
Playing for Carolina seems to have been a sort of rebirth for Puljujärvi, who was figuratively run out of Edmonton by an angry mob.
It is clear that Puljujärvi's time in Edmonton has had drastic effects on his confidence. In December, he commented that his confidence got so low that he was no longer sure if he was good enough to play in the NHL.
This is pretty tragic, hopefully Puljujärvi can see more success and happiness with the Hurricanes.