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The writing had been on the wall for a while when it came to the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ postseason aspirations, and the worst possible outcome became a reality on Tuesday, April 16, as the franchise was officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 and that removed the Penguins from the race for the second Wild Card berth in the Eastern Conference. For the second season in a row, Pittsburgh won’t contend for the Stanley Cup.
In the eyes of The Athletic’s Rob Rossi, a radical overhaul must be completed by Penguins’ GM Kyle Dubas this upcoming offseason even if that takes “making a bad trade” to shed some salary and open new possibilities.
“The Penguins shouldn’t add more nostalgic acts,” Rossi wrote in a column published on Monday, April 15, “nor should they be afraid to make a bad trade to rid themselves of Tristan Jarry this offseason.”
Do the Penguins Have a Problem in Their Net?
The main issue with the current Penguins roster, according to Rossi, is the lack of talent on goal and the volatility of the two goaltenders used by Pittsburgh this season: Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic.
Jarry has started 48 games for the Penguins this year posting a 19-25-5 record while keeping up a 90.3 save percentage and allowing 2.91 goals on average. Nedeljkovic has 37 starts with an 18-6-7 record, a 90.4 SV%, and the same 2.91 GAA.
“[Jarry] is not the guy they hoped he’d become—and all they were doing was hoping—when bringing him back at a $5.375 million annual cap hit for five seasons,” Rossi wrote. “It wasn’t just Saturday (April 13) night when he allowed a bad goal.
“Goalies go through growing pains. It’s on them to grow. Jarry hasn’t. He’s 28. Will he?”
The Penguins lost 6-4 to the Bruins on Saturday, April 13, with Jarry starting on net. He stopped 14 shots but allowed 2 goals and was pulled in the second period. For their next game, the Penguins opted to start Nedeljkovic.
Should the Penguins Find a Trade Partner for Jarry?
The Penguins have Jarry under contract through the 2027 season while Nedeljkovic will enter unrestricted free agency next July, per PuckPedia. Jarry has an annual salary of $5.38 million for each of the next three seasons.
“There are numerous issues with Jarry. God-given talent isn’t one,” Rossi wrote. “Even when Jarry has flashed forward progress, his inability to stay healthy has negated it.
“Blaming a player for injuries is not fair,” Rossi acknowledged. “Injuries happen. The best ability remains availability, and for whatever reason, Jarry has never been available enough for the Penguins.”
Jarry started his career with the Penguins and he’s played at least one game for the team since debuting in 2017. The netminder, however, topped at 58 games played (56 starts) in 2022 and he’s never reached 50 starts in his career after or before that season.
“Changes need to happen in Pittsburgh, no matter what happens between now and Wednesday night. Goaltending is near the top of the list,” Rossi stated.
With a rather paltry free-agent class of goalies, headlined by veteran Cam Talbot, expected to hit the market this summer, the Penguins might find a team interested in trading for Jarry.
That said, and before Pittsburgh moves on from Jarry, they should look into what they plan to do at the position going forward as trading their current starter and losing Nedeljkovic as a free agent will leave their net empty heading into next season unless they bring a prospect to their NHL roster.
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