Jussi Jokinen is set to provide the Edmonton Oilers with great value both on and off the ice.
The Finnish forward signed a one-year, $1.1-million contract with the club Friday, and will be expected to contribute at both ends of the ice, as he has over the course of his career.
More than that, Jokinen will be called upon to mentor Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton's fourth overall pick in 2016, who played for Finnish Elite League club Karpat - a team Jokinen owns in part - before coming to North America.
It's a role he's already embracing.
"I'm there any time (Puljujarvi) needs something," Jokinen said, per Chris Wescott on the team's website. "I think he'll be a great player for the Oilers for a long time. He's a young guy and it's not easy to come into the League but I'll do everything I can to help him grow as a player and person."
It's the kind of relationship Jokinen benefited from when he broke into the NHL.
"I remember when I was a young guy I came to the Dallas Stars and Jere Lehtinen was my roommate my first year I was able to learn from him what you have to do to be an NHL player," he said. "I learned how you have to train, how you have to play and carry yourself and stuff like that so I learned a lot from him."
Jokinen is averaging 0.61 points per game since 2005, and consistently boasts positive possession numbers, making him a tremendous low-risk, high-reward signing for the Oilers.
Even if he remains for only one season, his impact could be lasting should he indeed impart some important lessons on young Puljujarvi, who registered one goal and seven assists in 28 games for the Oilers last season.
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