01/15/25 02:12:00
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01/15 14:10 CST Struggling Penguins place 2-time All-Star goaltender Tristan
Jarry on waivers
Struggling Penguins place 2-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- The Pittsburgh Penguins ran out of patience waiting for
two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry to emerge from a slump, placing him
on waivers Wednesday ahead of a pivotal seven-game road trip that could
determine the course of the rest of their season.
The 29-year-old Jarry is 8-7-4 with a 3.32 goals against average and a .886
save percentage this season for Pittsburgh, which is on the fringe of the
playoff race in the Eastern Conference due in large part to subpar play in net.
The Penguins have allowed an NHL-high 173 goals, with neither Jarry nor Alex
Nedeljkovic establishing themselves behind a defense prone to lapses.
The Penguins will call up promising rookie Joel Blomqvist to join Nedeljkovic
on the road trip, which starts on Friday in Buffalo. Blomqvist went 3-5 with a
3.60 goals against average and a .904 save percentage during a stint in
Pittsburgh earlier in the season.
It seems unlikely a team would be willing to claim Jarry and pick up his
salary, meaning Jarry will be reassigned to the Penguins' American Hockey
League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton once he clears waivers.
"At this point, (I) just feel it's best in the long run for the team and for
Tristan to allow Joel to come up here," Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas
said Wednesday. "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."
The decision comes 18 months after Dubas signed Jarry to a five-year deal with
an average annual value of $5.375 million. Jarry was an All-Star in 2020 and
2022 but has struggled most of the last two seasons.
"He's continued to come in here, put the work in and that's not been a question
at all," Dubas said. "That just hasn't materialized the way we would like it to
on the ice. At this level, you get to the point where you have to do what's
right ... for him and for us."
Jarry ceded the starting job to Nedeljkovic last spring. While he reclaimed his
spot atop the depth chart coming out of training camp, he stumbled out of the
gate and was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a lengthy conditioning stint.
While there was a brief uptick in his play after he returned, Jarry has lost
five straight starts and continues to struggle early in games. He's allowed a
goal on an opponent's first shot six times this season and allowed a
shorthanded goal on Seattle's second shot in a 4-2 defeat to the Kraken on
Tuesday.
"When you lose, this is the kind of stuff that can happen," Penguins captain
Sidney Crosby said Wednesday. "A goaltender already has a ton of pressure, and
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. I think that's the tough part."
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, who took his team to task for defensive
letdowns in the third period against the Kraken that opened up the door for
Seattle's comeback, believes there's a chance Jarry will make his way back at
some point.
"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," Sullivan said.
"So, I know that Tristan has it. I believe to my core that he's an NHL
goaltender."
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
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