Tristan-Jarry

The Penguins placed Tristan Jarry on waivers on the afternoon of Jan. 15. If he clears, the goaltender will be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and Kyle Dubas said Joel Blomqvist will receive an opportunity in Pittsburgh alongside Alex Nedeljkovic.

“At this point, just feel it's best in the long run for the team and for Tristan to allow Joel to come up here,” said the Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM. “We think over the past year and a half, with his play in Wilkes-Barre and when he's been up here with us, he's earned the right to have a go at it, and we get a chance to see what he can do in a prolonged look."

Dubas explained what led to this decision, first acknowledging that Jarry, a two-time NHL All-Star, reported to training camp in terrific shape after the team challenged him to have a strong summer following an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign.

But a difficult start, where Jarry went 1-1 before getting pulled in the third game and posted a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage, led to a two-week conditioning assignment in WBS.

The Penguins hoped it would serve as a reset, and Jarry did do well, winning four of five games against good competition. When he returned to Pittsburgh, Dubas said they committed to giving Jarry “some good runway” before a seven-game, 15-day swing that begins on Friday in Buffalo.

“From my view of it, it was just be patient, see the way that it unfolded as we got through this date in mind, with it being important for us because we're about to go on the road for a couple weeks. We felt that would be enough time to measure it,” Dubas continued.

He started 17 of 29 games in that time since, and while Jarry worked hard to build his game, for whatever reason, the inconsistency continued as the Penguins have struggled to find results. They went 1-3-1 on a five-game homestand and are 2-5-3 since coming back from the holiday break.

“I think throughout this whole stretch, he's continued to come in here, put the work in and that's not been a question at all. That just hasn't materialized the way we would like it to on the ice,” Dubas said. “At this level, you get to the point where you have to do what's right in the long run, for him and for us."

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      Dubas speaks to the media.

      Head Coach Mike Sullivan said the mood was what you’d expect it to be in the room today with a tough loss last night followed by the news of Jarry’s departure. The 29-year-old netminder has been part of this organization since the Penguins traded up to draft him in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft, and he’s put together a solid body of work in the years since. Jarry is also a great teammate, with a wicked sense of humor that flies under the radar, and is loved in the room.

      “Tristan is a really good person, first and foremost, and we care about all of our guys in here. They’re human beings and these types of decisions are hard,” Sullivan said. “The reality is Tristan is a legitimate NHL goaltender, and he’s played a lot of good hockey here in Pittsburgh. I don’t think you make the All-Star team twice if you don’t have a certain level of talent and you’re not capable of making timely saves.

      “I know that Tristan has it. I believe, to my core, that he’s an NHL goaltender. He’s gone through a bit of a challenge here over this last little while. We’re trying to do everything we can to help him. But this is the reality of the business. It’s performance-based.”

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          Sullivan speaks to the media.

          That being said, he went on to say that it’s a collective effort and everyone – the coaches included – have to take ownership for where the team’s at and where they go moving forward. The players echoed that sentiment, saying their performance as a whole isn’t where it needs to be, and the feeling in the room is that they let Jarry down.

          “I think a goaltender already has a ton of pressure, and I think it’s difficult for us because we feel like as a team we’re responsible if we don’t give our goalies enough help sometimes,” Sidney Crosby said. “I think that’s the tough part.”

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              Crosby speaks to the media.

              “It’s always hard, because it's a team game. It's not all about one guy. It’s a 22-man roster, and we could have done a lot better in front of him, that's for sure,” Kris Letang agreed. “Just look at the goals we gave up all the time, the Grade A’s. He's not alone in this, and kind of sucks because he's been around for a long time. He's played tremendous hockey for this organization.”

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                  Letang speaks to the media.

                  Nedeljkovic went through an almost identical situation during his time in Detroit following a tremendous rookie season in Carolina, where he was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, saying it was frustrating and hard to accept in the moment. But he focused on controlling the controllables and was able to rediscover his game here in Pittsburgh.

                  “I’m a huge supporter of his and believe in him,” Nedeljkovic said. “I think he's a great goalie. He's been a great teammate, a great friend this last year and a half. So, just hope he bounces back from it.”

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                      Nedeljkovic speaks to the media.

                      Moving forward, Sullivan said they’re hopeful that Nedeljkovic and Blomqvist can give them timely saves that will give the team a chance to win – and the players in front of them are determined to be better.

                      “We can’t give up breakaways or quality chances the way we are and expect them to be able to fight that off every night. It’s up to us to be better in front of them,” Crosby said.

                      "We have a lot of confidence in whoever's in there,” Bryan Rust said. “I think a lot of it stems from our game, too. I think we have to do a whole lot better job playing defense in front of our goalies, and I think that's going to set them up a lot better for success."