FEATURE: Tippett talks Turris, Barrie, Puljujarvi

EDMONTON, AB - The Oilers will be a more well-rounded team up front next season thanks to their moves this month, according to Head Coach Dave Tippett.
The bench boss joined Bob Stauffer on Tuesday's episode of Oilers Now on 630 CHED to discuss some key additions to the roster with the signings of Kyle Turris and Tyson Barrie, as well as the reunion with Jesse Puljujarvi.
Specifically with regards to Turris and Puljujarvi, who both signed two-year contracts earlier this month, Tippett said the Oilers will have three forward lines capable of generating consistent offence, as opposed to two scoring lines and two checking lines, which was the case in 2019-20.
"I think the NHL has gone to top-nine forwards and then a role-playing fourth line," the coach said. "We were kind of top six and bottom six last year. With bringing in Kyle and with the addition of Puljujarvi, we'll get to where we feel a lot more comfortable with a top nine in offensive situations and in five-on-five situations."

Tippett, who coached Turris when he entered the league with the Phoenix Coyotes and again at the 2014 IIHF World Championship, believes the 31-year-old can drive the team's third line while also supporting the penalty kill and playing centre on the second power-play unit.
"He's a really smart player in all situations," Tippett said of the right-shot middle man who has scored 416 points in 726 career NHL games with Phoenix, Ottawa and Nashville. "He's going to be a nice fit for us."
Turris' right-winger to start the 2020-21 campaign could very well be Puljujarvi, as the team's fourth-overall pick four years ago will make his return to North American after spending last season and the start of this season in Finland's Liiga.
Tippett said he's watched most of Puljujarvi's action with Karpat this season, as the 22-year-old has scores five goals and two assists in five games. He scored 24 goals and 29 assists in 56 games with Karpat last season, after playing 139 NHL games over parts of three seasons with Edmonton, tallying 17 goals and 20 assists.
"You watch him play now and he's a different player," Tippett said. "He's a dominant player in the Finnish league right now. His English is good and he's anxious to come over and prove he can be a good player in the best league in the world... I think we'll get a much better player coming in here this time."
The bench boss also talked about what he hopes Barrie can bring to the team's defence corps, with fellow veteran blueliner Oscar Klefbom likely to miss most or all of the 2020-21 season due to a nagging shoulder ailment.
Barrie's most obvious strength is his offensive ability and specifically power-play prowess, as 129 of his 346 points in 554 career NHL games with Toronto and Colorado have come on the man advantage. Edmonton had one of the top PP conversion rates in league history last season at 29.5%, which was more than four percentage points better than second-place Boston and just behind Montreal's all-time record in 1977-78 at 31.9%.

"He'll come in and give our power play a little different look with a right-hander instead of a left-hander, and he's very adept at running a power play," Tippett said of the 29-year-old. "He's excited about that part of it, but he's also excited about trying to make our team a better team and a better five-on-five team. He's a great fit for us."
Further to Tippett's second point, the coach said Barrie doesn't get enough credit for his two-way play and that his puck management makes him a valuable five-on-five asset.
"He's been cast as that power play, offensive guy, but I think he's a good two-way player," Tippett said. "One of our things with five-on-five is we didn't play with the puck enough, so you end up defending too much. With Tyson, the way he moves the puck and the way he can carry the puck up the ice, he might not be the best defender in the league, but he doesn't have to defend as much as a lot of other guys do because he moves the puck so well out of his own end."
Tippett added both of the marquee newcomers, Turris and Barrie, told him they're coming to Edmonton with a lot to prove after disappointing seasons in Nashville and Toronto, respectively.
"They're very motivated players and those are the kinds of players, as a coach, you like coming into your lineup," he said.