"I feel I'm here 99 percent to help this team with my game and maybe that one percent to help Jesse," Jokinen said of his compatriot. "I think that's normal. When I was a young player coming into the League, I had Jere Lehtinen as my roommate and he helped me a lot but that's normal and how it goes: older players help younger players.
"With Jesse, he's so young," Jokinen, who recorded 11 goals and 17 assists in 69 games with the Florida Panthers last season, said. "His language isn't perfect so I'm sure I can help him on the ice and off the ice to help him realize his potential and have a great year."
McLellan doubled down on that notion.
"I want Jussi and Jesse to both establish their own games," he said. "I don't want Jussi coming in and thinking that his job is to take care of Puljujarvi and to make sure that he's coming along. You've got to have your own game established first and then you can broaden it out to leadership and guidance and that type of stuff. Jussi is coming to a new organization, to new teammates, new coaches.
"I told him yesterday that I want him to focus on his game to begin with and then maybe once it gets established we can broaden that to helping Jesse out."