Pittsburgh Penguins send Tristan Jarry to the AHL: future is unknown

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a big roster shake-up by demoting Tristan Jarry to the AHL in what the team is calling a conditioning loan. His future is unknown.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been off to a frustrating start this season in the NHL, and goaltending has been a major factor in why that's been the case. Tristan Jarry was once thought to be a reliable netminder and a two-time All-Star; he has had a less-than-stellar performance in the early games. The Penguins are hopeful for a deep playoff run in what likely represents the final years of the Sidney Crosby- Evgeni Malkin era, but recent play has called into question whether Jarry can help lead the team to success.

In just three appearances, Jarry has allowed 12 goals on 61 shots, leading to an abysmal .836 save percentage and a 5.47 goals-against average. Such numbers are far from what the Penguins need from their starting goalie. In an attempt to sort this out, the team has announced that they are sending Jarry to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for a conditioning stint. This will give Jarry the opportunity to get back into the rhythm and regain some of the lost confidence. According to the terms of the conditioning stint, Jarry will stay in the AHL for no more than 14 days.

This move comes at a time when the Penguins are juggling their goaltending situation. The team briefly carried three goalies on their Western Canada road trip, including Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, who returned from injury not long ago, and top prospect Joel Blomqvist. Though Jarry has struggled, Blomqvist has seized the opportunity and taken advantage of it, playing 288 minutes across five starts. Though he has a record of 2-3-0, Blomqvist has shown flashes of promise with his .911 save percentage and 3.34 goals-against average. For his part, Nedeljkovic still tries to get his footing back after missing the start of this season, but his games have been all over the place.

The struggles of Jarry are nothing new. At the close of the 2023-24 season, he had lost his starting position to Nedeljkovic, who started the final 13 games of that season. Now, it seems Blomqvist is following in those footsteps as he's started to take on a much bigger role on the team while Jarry fights his way back. The Penguins have invested big money into Jarry with him being in just the second year of a five-year, $5.375 million annual contract, but they are running out of time and patience for him to turn things around.

The Penguins' goaltending situation serves as the only significant speed bump between the franchise and yet another Stanley Cup hoist. The conditioning stint for Tristan Jarry in the AHL represented a last-ditch effort to save not just his season but, quite possibly, his future with the club. If the Penguins are to get the most out of that remaining championship window with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the goal would be for Jarry to bounce back. Without a reliable goalie, their dreams of one final Cup run may quickly fade away.

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