In today’s NHL rumors, there is more news as it pertains to a possible return of Jesse Puljujarvi to the Edmonton Oilers. Plus, will the team sign Mike Green for another season? And, in Dallas, it appears Roman Polak just publicly removed himself from the NHL and competing with the Stars going forward.

Update on Puljujarvi and the Oilers

Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal has more information on reports out of Finland that Jesse Puljujarvi might have had a change of heart about returning to the Oilers.

Leavins writes:

I am made to understand that while NHL clubs kicked a tire here and hummed and hawed there the Oilers never heard anything approaching an offer equal to fair market value. 

source – ‘As the Edmonton Oilers focus on the post-season a decision on a Canadian NHL Hub is coming down to the wire: 9 Things’ – Kurt Leavins – Edmonton Journal – 06/15/2020

He also believes the 22-year-old forward may have realized he got bad advice trying to leverage the Oilers and force a trade.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun digs deeper into what a deal might look like to bring Puljuarvi back and says he wouldn’t be making a lot.

Matheson writes:

If he wants to come back to the Oilers for the 2020-21 season, he will be playing for $874,000 on a one-year qualifying offer, which is a five per cent bump off his $832,000 base salary. He might have made $350,000 in Karpat with a heavy tax rate.

source -‘Jesse Puljujarvi still prospect at this point for Edmonton Oilers’ – Jim Matheson – Edmonton Sun – 06/12/202

At this point, it seems Puljujarvi might be looking at how he got to this point and what kind of situation he’s put himself in, at least when it comes to an NHL return. The Oilers are firmly in the drivers seat now and Puljujarvi could be a cost-effective addition to the bottom six forward group.

In other Oilers news, Dmitri Samorukov’s departure is potentially a sign that the Oilers intend on trying to re-sign veteran defenseman Mike Green for another year.

Related: 7 Biggest NHL Players in Today’s Game

Roman Polak Might Be Done With Dallas Stars

According to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic, defenseman Roman Polak is done in the NHL. Saying he’d prefer not to even return to the Dallas Stars for the remainder of this season, he’s signed in another league.

Shapiro writes:

The Dallas Stars defenseman has signed a three-year contract with HC Vitkovice in the Czech Republic, set to begin during the 2020-21 season. The deal, which was announced on Monday morning, includes the caveat that he’ll be able to finish his current NHL contract before joining the Czech team.

Polak, however, has made it known he would prefer to not return to Dallas for the scheduled NHL training camp that would open on July 10 as part of Phase 3.

source – ‘Roman Polak’s time with Stars may be over; defenseman isn’t interested in return’ Sean Shapiro – The Athletic – June 15, 2020

Reports are Polak told iSport.cz that if he “really had to finish the NHL, I would go. But I will do everything to make it unnecessary. I will definitely be here next season.”

GM Jim Nill said he has no idea where Polak’s decision is coming from but it sounds as though he was unhappy with the playing time and deployment this past season. He said, “Sometimes, I was sitting on the bench asking myself, ‘What am I doing here? I don’t want to be here.’”

It will be interesting to see if the Stars and Polak agree to terminate the remainder of his deal, which would potentially forfeit the final cheque owing.

Polak is also concerned about coming back and risking injury. Quotes from translations from @JVitek94 read, “I can’t imagine playing games after just three weeks of practicing on the ice. I need two month to prepare, othewise there is a risk of an injury.”

The post NHL Rumors: Oilers News, Plus Stars Potentially Lose Polak appeared first on The Hockey Writers.