The two Alberta NHL teams have arrived at mid-July with work left to do and are running out of time to get things done. While the Calgary Flames appeared to be Stanley Cup contenders based on their 2018-19 regular season, the playoffs were a reminder that there are additional pieces required. The Edmonton Oilers have collected another bunch of bottom-six forwards but cannot seem to find a scoring winger for the top two lines or a checking centre.



Running parallel with those team storylines are the fates of two young forwards, Sam Bennett of the Flames and Jesse Puljujarvi of the Oilers. Both men were chosen fourth overall (Bennett in 2014, Puljujarvi two years later), both have fallen short of expectations and both players are at crossroads with their respective teams — Bennett in search of another contract and Puljujarvi in search of a new NHL team.



Adding to the drama of the situation, Bennett fits Edmonton’s needs like a glove, while Puljujarvi also...