The Pittsburgh Penguins and goalie Tristan Jarry crossed the imaginary line into free agency last July and yet reunited with a five-year contract signed well into the afternoon on July 1, 2023, and five minutes later, Penguins fans were already inserting Jarry into the NHL trade rumors.
It seems on every Penguins Live Chat we do and most of my radio appearances, local and national, the Jarry question is present. The end of last season didn’t quiet the chatter but instead added a few shovels full of coal onto the locomotive’s fire as Alex Nedeljkovic became the de facto starting goalie in the improbable playoff chase that fell just short of its goal.
The Anatomy of a Trade Rumor
A trade “rumor” is a reporter hearing two teams talking. A report confirms it with direct sources. The latest round of Jarry trade talk is neither.
One writer publishes a speculative piece: “If the Penguins trade Jarry, here are some teams that should be interested.” That’s fair enough, but then low-quality clickbait sites run with it: “Reporter Suggests Penguins Will Trade Jarry!”
And off it goes, filling headlines on X and Facebook and screenshots on Instagram. Last week, such sites cut and pasted two of my stories and took the headlines to ridiculous levels. Fortunately, the only thing the sites didn’t steal was my name (AI is making it far too easy for these sites to exist, as they cut and paste into an AI generator, it makes a few changes, and tada: The death of journalism).
So, no, there are not currently any Jarry trade rumors, reports, or credible links to such actions.
Jarry Reality
However, the real life situation is far more interesting. Jarry has four more years on an affordable contract with a $5.375 million cap hit, and the Penguins have one if not two goalie prospects who have the goods to be in the big show sooner rather than later. Joel Blomqvist figures to be ready at some point this season, and Sergei Murashov could leave Russia to join Blomqvist with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the start of the season.
Murashov might be a special goalie talent. I haven’t before seen a goalie steal a Development Camp like he did. Owen Pickering called him ‘disgusting,” but in a hockey-slang good way.
Of course, it’s not just about the young goalies eventually pushing for space; it’s also about Jarry’s poorly-timed belly flops that have made fans and the organization grimace. In 2021, he followed a good season with a terrible playoff performance. The Penguins significantly outplayed the New York Islanders, but Jarry allowed numerous soft goals, costing his team the series.
He suffered a severe ankle injury in 2022 that made him unavailable for the playoffs. That’s not his fault, and he showed incredible pain tolerance and dedication to the team by playing in that fateful Game 7 against the New York Rangers. Still, he followed that brave performance with a pretty terrible 2022-23 season.
Injuries hampered him throughout that season, and his numbers were otherwise mediocre. Coach Mike Sullivan flashed a little irritation with the goalie, publicly refuting Jarry’s injury claims.
Last season, Jarry was one of the few bright spots from October to February. As the team rolled over for opponents, Jarry kept them in games, stealing more than a few points. However, his nosedive in late February and March coincided with the team giving up. A realization that Dubas was going to trade Jake Guentzel led to bad losses on the Western Canada road trip, and Jarry was part of the problem.
It wasn’t Jarry’s fault that the team essentially gave up for a few weeks, but his play mirrored the malaise, too.
Jarry has been a bit star-crossed, but his overall talent shouldn’t be overlooked because of the disappointments … at least not yet. This tweet is from last July, but it tells the story.
Tristan Jarry ➡️ Pittsburgh Penguins
5 year deal with $5.375M cap hit!Tristan Jarry going nowhere as he remains in Pittsburgh for another 5 years. He is a solid starter. pic.twitter.com/p9x0bKHTsf
— Rono (@RonoAnalyst) July 1, 2023
I bumped into an old friend Sunday who is a diehard Pittsburgh sports fan. The first thing he said was, “Hey, when are they trading Jarry?”
Scenarios for a Jarry Trade
1) They don’t trade him at all. Jarry has a strong season, the team is in the playoff chase, and Dubas sacrifices Nedeljkovic to make room for Blomqvist. Jarry and Blomqvist are the goalie duo.
2) The Penguins are outside the playoff chase at the NHL trade deadline, just as they were last season. A team ready to make a run but unsure of its goaltending makes a market-value offer. The Penguins elevate Blomqvist, who shares the net with Nedeljkovic.
3) The Penguins are in the hunt, and president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas holds his fire until the summer. Trading a goalie, especially one with several more years on his contract, is easier in the summer and generally produces a better return as more teams are interested.
Perhaps next summer, the Ottawa Senators realize they’re not going to re-sign Linus Ullmark, or things don’t go well in Buffalo or Detroit. Jarry would be a perfect option for those teams.
It’s hard to know who will be in the market for a goalie at the NHL trade deadline. Injuries, surprise ineffectiveness, or general dissatisfaction could create an opening we don’t anticipate (Colorado and Utah spring to mind). Dubas wants draft picks and young players urgently, but first, he must honor the players in the locker room by keeping the best NHL roster he can.
Trading Jarry before Blomqvist is ready is bad for the current roster and Blomqvist. The worst-case scenario for the Penguins is injuries forcing another down year, and Jarry has no trade value, which means we’ll be right back in this spot next summer, too.
