Puljujarvi, Virtanen, McLeod: Oilers GM addresses burning questions on Day 1 of camp

If Jesse Puljujarvi remains an Oiler this year, he will have to fight for ice time, general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday as 52 players reported to training camp at Rogers Place.

"It's competitive. You can't just be handing out jobs and, 'You get to go on the powerplay because you're a high pick,'" Holland told reporters.

He said the fourth-overall pick in 2016 was "frustrated" with his role and offensive production at the end of last year.

The 24-year-old winger finished the season with 14 goals and 22 assists in 65 games. He added three points in 16 playoff games, playing fewer minutes.

"Last year he got off to a great start with the first 10, 15, 20 games and then he kinda hit the wall. And then I think he lost his confidence, then we had a coaching change and his role changed," Holland said.

"We're going to have a competition, Jesse is in that competition."

Holland said he will speak with Puljujarvi about his role in the next week or so, but ultimately head coach Jay Woodcroft will decide the lineup.

Puljujarvi requested a trade to another team in 2019, and many NHL insiders have said he might be dealt before the start of the season to free up salary cap space.

Holland didn't say whether or not he plans to trade Puljujarvi, but stated that he expects to make some roster decisions "on the fly" in the next couple of weeks.

"I don't really have that answer for you because I want to see what we look like. I want to see what the players look like, I want to watch preseason games, I want to see where some of the young players are at," Holland said.

'I'M TRUSTING THE LEGAL SYSTEM'

The Oilers GM was also asked about Jake Virtanen, who in July was found not guilty of sexual assault by a B.C. Supreme Court jury.

Holland said Virtanen is being evaluated by the team, on the ice and off. He does not have a contract for the season and is in camp on a tryout.

The former Vancouver Canuck winger claimed in court that the encounter at a Vancouver hotel in 2017 was consensual.

"He was found not guilty. So I decided to offer him a pro tryout and we'll decide over the next two weeks if we'll offer him a contract or not," Holland explained.

The Oilers have been criticized by some, including the CEO of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton for "sending a horrible message," in bringing in Virtanen.

"If we lose faith in the legal system, I don't think that's a good thing. If it had never gone before the courts, he wouldn't be here. I wouldn't go there…So, I guess I'm trusting the legal system," said Holland.

Forward Evander Kane was also asked about Virtanen and the controversy surrounding his arrival.

The Oilers faced similar criticisms when Kane joined the team in January. At the time, Holland said he believed in "second chances."

"I think when you're dealing with tough situations there's a lot that people like to speculate about, people like to pretend they know about, people like to pretend they have insight about, and a lot of that is B.S. sometimes," Kane told reporters.

"I could donate $5 million to charity today and someone will find something wrong with it. That's just the way social media, specifically, is in the age we live in today. With regards to Jake: He knows what he did, he knows what he didn't do, and that's left with him to deal with."

Virtanen met with reporters Monday. He said he understands if there are Oilers fans who never believe his version of the story.

ROSTER NOTES

Forward Ryan McLeod reported for physicals with the rest of the team Wednesday. He is still a restricted free agent, but Holland said that will likely change soon.

"I talked briefly with Ryan this morning, so hopefully he's on the ice tomorrow and we're going to find a solution on the contract," the GM said.

Goalie Mike Smith reported to training camp but failed his physical. The 40-year-old has one year left on his contract but is headed home to B.C., Holland said.

Defenceman Slater Koekkoek will not report to camp. He is taking time to "work on his mental health," according to a brief letter that Holland read on behalf of Koekkoek and his agent.

Holland said the vast majority of the 52 players on the training camp roster are healthy and ready to play, with the exceptions of Cody Ceci, who is expected to miss three days with a hamstring injury. Prospect forward Carter Savoie is also injured and being evaluated.

There are opportunities for young players to make the Oilers this year, but Holland said he would prefer that rookies like Dylan Holloway play lots in the AHL rather than sit on the bench in the NHL.

"I don't want him playing seven minutes on the fourth line," the GM said.

The Oilers' regular season starts at Rogers Place on Oct. 12 against the Vancouver Canucks.

With files from The Canadian Press