Penguins' Goalie Depth Tested Early with Nedeljkovic Injury

Pictured above: Tristan Jarry (left) and Joel Blomqvist (right)

At the start of training camp, Mike Sullivan talked about how Kyle Dubas has prioritized building goalie depth so the Penguins always have a push from within, and they’re ready for any injuries they’re dealt.

“It’s arguably the most important position in sports,” Sullivan said. “If you think about it, that position has more of an impact on a team's ability to win, night in and night out, than any position in any sport. Maybe, I guess, you could argue a pitcher in baseball.

“So, to establish, develop and work at creating depth at that position, I think is really important as an organization if we want to stay competitive. I think that's something that will constantly be a point of emphasis for our hockey operations.”

That depth is already being tested here at Training Camp presented by UPMC, as the Penguins announced on Wednesday (Oct. 2) that Alex Nedeljkovic is week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained in a preseason game on Monday (Sep. 30) in Detroit.

Nedeljkovic had earned a two-year extension this offseason after he proved himself during a ‘prove-it season.’ Dubas called the 28-year-old netminder a “great person with a great work ethic, great motor… he competed his butt off for the year.” It was capped off with Nedeljkovic seizing his opportunity down the stretch while Tristan Jarry dealt with an illness, starting the final 13 games and posting an 8-1-3 record.

While Dubas praised the job that Nedeljkovic did, he reiterated this summer that nothing would be given to anyone, and he expected all of their signed goaltenders to push. Now, with Nedeljkovic out for the foreseeable future, it looks like Jarry and 2020 second-round pick Joel Blomqvist could be Pittsburgh’s tandem to start the year. The Penguins open with a back-to-back, hosting the Rangers on Oct. 9 before playing in Detroit the following night.

"It's unfortunate anytime a teammate gets injured, but that's the times where opportunities come for other guys,” Blomqvist said. “So, take it day by day and do my best if the opportunity comes."

“He's been awesome,” Jarry said. “He’s a great goalie, and we're obviously excited. It's never good when someone goes down, but I think Joel's ready, and it'll be exciting.”

The 22-year-old is entering his second season of professional hockey in North America after playing in his native Finland. Blomqvist is coming off a tremendous rookie campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, getting named an AHL All-Star.

“His game really evolved over the course of that season,” Sullivan said of the 6-foot-3 netminder. “My observation of him is I think he's technically pretty sound, and he has good size. He’s tall, he’s rangy. By nature of that, he takes up a lot of net. So, when you combine some of his technical game and how sound he is with his size and his physical stature, I think it really sets him up for success. So, obviously he had a really good year for Wilkes-Barre last year. We're hopeful that he'll build on it, and we think the sky's the limit for him.”

Blomqvist came into training camp feeling a little more comfortable in his surroundings, and intending to push for a spot in Pittsburgh. “I think that's the only goal you should have,” he said. His preseason got off to a tough start in Buffalo against a Sabres roster loaded with NHL talent, but the Penguins couldn’t be happier with how Blomqvist responded. He’s since allowed just one goal on 32 shots in two appearances.

“As a young player, when it doesn't go the way you want, sometimes that can affect your overall confidence and in turn affect your future performance. That hasn't been the case,” Sullivan said. “He put it behind him, went back to work and he controls that which he can control. When he went back in the net, he did a terrific job. I think that says a lot about his maturity, I think it says a lot about his resilience.”

Speaking of resilience, the Penguins are looking for Jarry – Pittsburgh’s 2013 second-round pick, entering the second season of a five-year deal – to bounce back after a year of ups and downs. Jarry was tied for the NHL lead with six shutouts and became the first goalie in Penguins history to score a goal, but struggled with consistency.

“I want to be better,” said the two-time NHL All-Star in 2020 and ’22. “I think the two seasons prior to last, I was good, but I think I could be better. And I think even last year, I had some stretches where I was good and I had some stretches where I could have improved. I think just being more consistent will help the team and help us generate more wins.”

Dubas called this summer inflection point in Jarry’s career, saying it would be up to Jarry to decide how he responded following the doubt and questions that came as a result of the ups and downs. “I think Jars would’ve liked to have had the net a little bit more than he did. I'm sure that's motivated him,” Sullivan said.

Jarry adjusted his programming this summer to better fit his needs, saying he just really focused on his body. “I think that was a big thing for me this summer, what works for me, what’s going to keep me healthy, and what’s going to put me in the best shape possible,” he said. “So, I think just learning that and being able to adapt that into my summer just really helped, and it’s helped me come into camp.”

Sullivan has reiterated that Jarry has reported in the best shape of his Penguins life, and has done a good job of setting himself up for success.

“Jars is a proud guy. He's a competitive guy, and he's a quality goalie, and I think he has a certain mindset that he wants to come in and he wants to prove that he’s the quality goalie that we all expect him to be,” Sullivan said.

“That will play itself out in due time. But we believe in Jars, and we believe he's capable of another level to his game. And when I say another level, a lot of that is more in the consistency of his game. Because when Jars is on top of his game, he's a really solid goaltender. So, if Jars can bring that a bit more consistently throughout the course of the season, I think we got something.”