Will the Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Tristan Jarry and if not, Where will he Go?
Goaltender Tristan Jarry was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins and he was primed to be the goaltender of the future at the time. They thought this was going to be the case of how athletic Jarry is and he also had the capability to be a shutdown goalie at the NHL level.
However, Goaltender Matt Murray came through first and helped them win two Stanley Cup titles in the past three years. Murray is 24 years old and is the goalie of the now and the future for this team.
With Tristan Jarry set to become a restricted free agent come July 1, will the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to keep him around as a backup role or will they let him walk? Well, 26-year-old Casey DeSmith, played in 14 games last season. His record was 6-4-1 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA, along with one shutout.
The Pittsburgh Penguins felt like he did a good enough job that they will be able to keep him around and force Tristan Jarry out the door. In 26 games played last season, Jarry's record was 14-6-2 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.77 GAA, along with two shutouts.
In 16 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Jarry's record was 9-5 with a .901 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA. He is just 23 years old and Jarry is ready to be a starter in the NHL today.
What teams could use his services right now?
The first team that comes to mind is the Carolina Hurricanes. I don't know if they have anyone really ready in their farm system right now and goaltender Cam Ward intends on signing with the Chicago Blackhawks come July 1.
The second team that comes to mind is the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot is already 30 years old and the Oilers think he won't fit in for the long run. Al Montaya isn't much better either and he is 33 years old. At just 23 years old, the Oilers would get a young and talented netminder in Tristan Jarry and he could bail them out from time-to-time.
The third team that comes to mind is the New York Islanders. With Jaroslav Halak set to be an unrestricted free agent, I don't think they intend to re-sign him. Thomas Greiss is under contract for now and he isn't the answer. If Linus Soderstrom or Ilya Sorkoin come from overseas this upcoming season, Jarry would be a good for the New York Islanders between the pipes. He's a better goalie than Thomas Greiss is.
The fourth team that comes to mind is the Ottawa Senators. The Senators are in rebuild mode and that might include trading Craig Anderson. The other goalie on the roster is Mike Condon. He's good, but not capable of start 60 plus games in a season. Jarry would be a good fit in Ottawa because they are rebuilding. There goalie of the future is most likely Filip Gustavsson, but he needs a couple of more years polishing.
I wouldn't be surprised if he came back to the Pittsburgh Penguins for another year or two, but I think Carolina or Edmonton is a real possibility for Tristan Jarry.