The Sharks announced Wednesday that they placed defenseman Valtteri Pulli on unconditional waivers for mutual contract termination.
“Valtteri requested to play in Europe, and we mutually agreed to terminate his contract,” said Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will. “We want to thank Valtteri for his contributions to the organization and wish him all the best.”
San Jose signed Pulli, now 23, as an undrafted free agent out of Finland’s TPS in 2023. They were one of a few NHL teams that had interest in bringing him over from Europe, beating out the Bruins, Canucks, Islanders, Penguins, Predators, and Jets, Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek (then of Sportsnet) reported at the time.
However, Pulli has spent the entirety of his entry-level contract on assignment to the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. The 6’6″, 209-lb lefty was limited to 10 points and a -8 rating in 59 appearances last season and has barely played in 2024-25, serving as a scratch for all but two of the Baby Sharks’ 21 games.
Pulli was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and was highly unlikely to receive a qualifying offer, so he could have tested the open market then and returned to Europe. Instead, the Sharks will part ways with him a few months early, allowing Pulli to finish the season overseas. A return to the Liiga with TPS, where he had 19 points and a +7 rating in 82 games from 2020-21 to 2022-23, seems likely.
While unlikely, any of the NHL’s 31 other teams could acquire Pulli for the rest of the season if they place a claim before 1:00 pm CT tomorrow.