The Penguins will place goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers later Wednesday, the team announced. It’s unclear if he’ll be assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if he clears or if he’ll remain on the roster, but Pittsburgh will give other teams a chance to take him off their hands for free before they decide how to move forward with the struggling netminder.
Jarry, who allowed three goals on 17 shots in last night’s loss to Seattle, is now down to an abysmal .886 SV% on the season with a 3.31 GAA and an 8-8-4 record in 21 starts and one relief appearance. He posted a .926 SV% in five AHL appearances earlier this year on a conditioning stint that didn’t require waivers, although that hasn’t changed his confidence or level of play at the NHL level.
Now 29, Jarry finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns. Those highs led the Pens to sign him to a five-year, $26.88MM deal minutes before he was set to reach unrestricted free agency in 2023.
Just a year and a half in, they’re already trying to find ways to get out of the deal. If they can’t trade him or convince another club to snag his $5.375MM cap hit off waivers, he could be headed for a buyout this summer.
Notwithstanding this year’s struggles, Jarry’s career numbers are still quite good. The 2013 second-round pick has suited up 278 times for the Pens since debuting in the 2016-17 season, posting a 144-92-29 record with 19 shutouts, a 2.74 GAA, and a .910 SV%. He’s stopped 14.2 goals above average throughout his nine-year career and tied for the league lead in shutouts with six as recently as the 2023-24 campaign.
Without the risk of his contract hamstringing an acquiring team, Jarry would likely be snapped up on the waiver wire and would have even generated significant interest on the trade market considering his past resume. But more than three seasons remaining at a steep cap hit will likely be too much to swallow for even the most financially flexible teams if he can’t rebound from this year’s regression.
Unfortunately, backup Alex Nedeljkovic hasn’t been any better, with a matching .886 SV% in his 19 showings this season. Their best option has been 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist, who’s been in the minors for the last two months but seems ticketed for a recall after Jarry’s waiver period ends Thursday.
Blomqvist, who the Pens selected 52nd overall in 2020 and earned a spot on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season, had a .904 SV% and saved 2.1 goals above expected in eight games early this season while Jarry was on his conditioning loan, per MoneyPuck. He also has a .912 mark and a 6-4-2 record in 12 showings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
The last nail was finally laid last night. Shame it would take assets they can’t afford to give up in order to ship him to another franchise.
No point in them adding assets. They’re likely going to be mediocre for year anyways, might as well just hope he can regain his form. Best case scenario right now is look for a Kuemper-Dubois sort of trade. I’d much rather have an overpaid and underperforming forward than an overpaid and underperforming goalie. Much easier to hide and shelter on a roster.
Finally. This new ownership group has proven it has zero interest in the club. The Jarry extension along with the Graves signing and trade for Karlsson have been a disaster. Not to mention the continued failures of Mike Sullivan.
There is zero accountability in this organization right now.
The single best thing an organization can do is to prioritize the scouting, drafting and development of a PIPELINE of goaltenders.
We need to do that.
Also…there’s NO team in the league desperate enough to take that deal, right? I can’t think of one that is even plausible.
Hurricanes?
I would think any team would rather engage Dubas about the Pens retaining salary or tossing in a pick/prospect. But desperate teams do desperate things.
Another big fat swing and a miss for Kyle Dubas on the Jarry contract. Nice game pretty boy!
I just don’t understand the Dubas thinking behind the signing. I mean, it wasn’t like he suddenly became porous *after* signing. This is who he was—-and still is? He plays like an aloof zombie but bit the lottery. Sheesh