Enough is enough.
The Tristan Jarry era in Pittsburgh theoretically has at least four seasons remaining because that’s what his contract says. That contract, however, was a bad idea. It would also be a bad idea for Jarry to stand between the Penguins’ pipes anytime soon.
Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena was one of the most fascinating nights in franchise history. Sidney Crosby reached a remarkable milestone. So too did Evgeni Malkin. The duo turned back time and took over a game that looked like a loss while making the Penguins look like a team that might be better than expected. It was a classic Penguins game in every sense.
I also wonder if the game permanently changed the franchise’s relationship with Jarry. It probably should have. Jarry seems like a broken goaltender, and continuing to play him wouldn’t be in the Penguins’ best interest. The object is to win games, and a daunting stretch awaits for the suddenly surging Penguins.
Here are the simple facts:
• Jarry’s save percentage this season is .833.
• Jarry’s goals against average is 5.47.
• He has allowed 12 goals in fewer than seven periods.
• He has allowed the opposition to score on the first shot of the game in two of his three appearances.
• He’s been yanked in three of his past six starts at PPG Paints Arena.
• He’s been pulled in four of his past 17 outings.
• In his past 17 outings, his save percentage is .867.
• His save percentage is under .900 in each of his past eight appearances.
• His goals against averages and save percentages since 2021-22 are as follows:
|
Season
|
Starts
|
GAA
|
Save pct.
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
2021-22
|
56
|
2.42
|
.919
|
|
2022-23
|
47
|
2.90
|
.909
|
|
2023-24
|
48
|
2.91
|
.903
|
|
2024-25
|
3
|
5.47
|
.833
|
• He lost his job to Alex Nedeljkovic last season, and then the Penguins went on a tear.
• The Penguins are 6-9-2 in his past 17 appearances.
• The Penguins have never won a playoff series with Jarry as their goaltender and have failed to qualify for the playoffs in the past two seasons.
• Jarry has been statistically outplayed by Casey DeSmith, Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist (admittedly the sample size is small) in recent seasons.
So, what am I missing here?
Jarry is a physically gifted goaltender. You don’t reach the NHL All-Star Game twice without physical skill, and he’s got loads of that. But will the Penguins ever win a championship with him as their goaltender? In my opinion, the answer is a thunderous no. I don’t know if they’ll ever do anything in the postseason with him as their goaltender. He doesn’t thrive under the pressure. The biggest knock on Jarry is that you can’t trust him when the game is on the line.
The Penguins are below average — some might say bad — on defense. Playing goal behind their blue line is a daunting task. The defense was atrocious Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres, who started odd-man rushes at will. I’m not sure what star defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang were doing most of the evening, and I’m not sure I want to know. They were uninterested in playing responsible hockey.
Sometimes, though, you need a goaltender to overcome that. To make big saves to keep your team in a game. Blomqvist entered the game and promptly stopped three breakaways. Three!
We can, have and will romanticize the moment Malkin scored his 500th goal from the seat of his pants and when Crosby won the game in overtime. Those memories wouldn’t be as powerful if not for Blomqvist going above and beyond.
When was the last time Jarry did anything like that?
When was the last time he looked even average?
It’s been a while.
A perceived lack of professionalism has followed Jarry for a decade. The perception reared its ugly head again in the first period against Buffalo, when Jarry strolled behind the net to retrieve the puck, looked one way and then another before Tage Thompson stripped Jarry of the puck. Jarry didn’t show much urgency in returning to the vacant net, and Thompson beat him there.
That kind of moment can lose a hockey team. The Penguins will say all the right things, of course, but it’s painfully evident they’re more confident playing in front of the guy with three games of NHL experience.
And don’t forget about Nedeljkovic. He’s finally healthy and is going to get some work at AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the next few days. I suspect he’ll be ready to play an NHL game in less than a week, presumably at some point on the Penguins’ venture through Western Canada. There is no reason for Jarry to play before then.
His numbers are atrocious, his body language is even worse and it’s not like the Penguins are without capable replacements. Nedeljkovic is no star, but you can count on him. He’s solid. He keeps the Penguins in games. For Penguins fans of a certain age, he reminds me a lot of Ken Wregget, who played in Pittsburgh for parts of seven seasons from 1992 to 1998. I don’t think you’re ever winning a championship with Nedeljkovic as your No. 1 goaltender, but he’ll get you to the playoffs. He will be respectable. That would be a big step in a better direction.
And then there’s Blomqvist. He’s played only three games, so I would caution everyone from letting expectations soar. That said, he’s been good. The talent is real. I don’t know if he’s the Penguins’ goalie of the future, but he might be.
There’s not much reason to think that about Jarry anymore, contract be damned. He’ll turn 30 in April, and yet we’re still talking about his need for more professionalism, maturity and focus. The coaches were delighted Jarry arrived at training camp in such wonderful condition. Great. Why hasn’t he done that every other season?
Jarry isn’t a bad guy, and he cares far more than his laid-back persona suggests.
He’s a perfect candidate to get a fresh start elsewhere. The Penguins aren’t going to win with him.
His contract is likely unmovable. That’s not on Jarry. That’s on Kyle Dubas. But the Penguins’ front-office boss and his staff aren’t powerless. They can put him on waivers and send him to Wilkes-Barre, where he can work on his game. His cap hit in that circumstance would be reduced by $1.15 million, giving the Penguins more flexibility at the NHL level while letting Nedeljkovic and Blomqvist run the show. If necessary, they can buy him out next summer.
It’s probably the best move for everyone at this point.
Maybe Jarry will find his form. He has the talent to do so. What a story that would be. In this scenario, though, I just don’t believe it’s going to happen.
Crosby and Malkin deserve more stability in net in their later years. It would have summed up the past few years if the franchise icons set major milestones on a night when Jarry was benched in a Penguins loss. The stars’ brilliance earned the Penguins two points anyway. But Crosby and Malkin are almost 40. They need help to power the Penguins to the playoffs, let alone do something significant once there.
Jarry is not part of the solution. Time is running out on the Crosby era. If he, Malkin and Letang start another run this season or in the next few years, can you imagine Jarry as the goaltender behind it all?
Me neither.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
