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Penguins Blog: Exploring the Jarry Trade Talk, Scenarios

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.