The Penguins Goalie Debate Part 3

Sorry, but I have to add some more fuel to the fire over Rick B’s Great Goalie Debate. No preamble here, as is my wont. I will just jump straight into it.

This is the perfect time to trade Tristan Jarry. He actually has some value right now, and the team may be able to find someone willing to take on his $5.375 million for 5-year (4 more after this season) contract.

Historically, Jarry has become a zero down the stretch run, Yes, he has played a couple of decent games, getting a Shutout (SO) against a New York Islanders team that only managed 22 Shots on Goal (SOG), and then another victory (4 – 2) against a tired St. Louis Blues team that lost to the Colorado Avalanche the night before 2 – 1, a team that again managed less than 30 SOG (27).

Alex Nedeljkovic is out playing Jarry (turning away 37 of 38 SOG last game against a rested Islander team that should have been bent on revenge). Moreover, Nedeljkovic is only getting $1.5 million.

The near $2 million savings could give tons of Cap wiggle room and keep Jeff Carter on the bench once Bryan Rust gets back.

Also, if you take a squint down the Pittsburgh Penguins organization you will see that although our favorite flightless fowl don’t have much in the way of Forward or Defensive prospects, they do have some really good young Goalies buried down on the farm.

The Wilkes Barre – Scranton Penguins, the black-and-gold’s top farm team, is being backstopped by Joel Blomqvist. Blomqvist’s 9-4-2 record is far better than the underperforming veteran Magnus Hellburg’s 5-5-0 record. Blomqvist’s 0.915 Save Percentage (Sv%) is tenth in the AHL. Furthermore, with Hellberg’s record considerably lower than Blomqvist and the highest scoring baby Penguin, Rem Pitlick only capable of being tied for 41^st in the league, the team for whom the young Finn is plying his trade is tied for 5^th (of 8) in Atlantic Division of the AHL.

The Penguins also have a kid named Taylor Gauthier who is dominating the ECHL for our boys of winter affiliate in that AHL feeder league, the Wheeling Nailers. Gauthier’s 2.06 Goals Against Average (GAA) and 0.932 Sv% lead the ECHL. The free agent signing out of the WHL, from a couple of years back is also tied for the lead in SOs (2).

Lastly, if Russian President Vladimir Putin ever turns into something other than a tyrant, Kyle Dubas has a kid playing in the Russian junior hockey league, the MHL, by the name of Sergei Murashov. Murashov is 8^th in the MHL in Sv% (0.932) and has a 17-3-1 record and 4 SOs.

That $5.375 million for 5-years deal that Jarry signed could easily become a millstone really quick.

The point is, if Mike Sullivan’s Seafaring Sphenisciformes’ Skaters have to expend that much energy protecting a Goalie, they may as well save money and protect a young Goalie. And just as important, Dubas might just be able to either shore up a weak spot in the roster or get back some prospects for the future.

Jarry is a luxury that some other NHL team needs, not our Penguins.