Top Trade Fits for Penguins' Tristan Jarry

The Pittsburgh Penguins are losing faith in Tristan Jarry, and a change of scenery might be the best option for all parties involved.

Oct 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) takes the ice to warm up against the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It’s pretty clear that the Pittsburgh Penguins have starting goalie Tristan Jarry on an extremely short leash. He all but lost his job to Alex Nedeljkovic down the stretch of the Penguins’ 2023-24 season, and his poor performances to start 2024-25 have led to the emergence of Joel Blomqvist.

Pretty soon, the Penguins will have some big decisions to make as Nedeljkovic will be returning from injury in the near future and add to the competition. If he performs even halfway decent between the pipes and Blomqvist continues to look steady, it could make Jarry the odd man out.

Will the Penguins be forced to trade Jarry? If they do, there are three possible landing spots that make sense in this early portion of the season.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche finally picked up their first win over the Anaheim Ducks after starting the year 0-4-0. The superstar skaters were pulling their weight, but the goaltending was completely letting them down.

Alexandar Georgiev has started each of the Avalanche’s first five games, and has allowed the most goals in the NHL at 20. Jarry has allowed 12 goals in three games, but this is about a change of scenery possibly waking up his best play.

Jarry clearly isn’t making it in Pittsburgh anymore, and the coaching staff seems to be losing trust in him. There’s a similar situation currently ongoing in Colorado, and it might be his perfect destination for success.

Edmonton Oilers

Another Western Conference team who got off to an extremely slow start, the Edmonton Oilers, went 0-3-0 to kick off the year. They have since picked up a pair of wins, but the goaltending still feels questionable. Stuart Skinner may have led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final last year, but he might need another big name to push him to be better.

Having another skilled goalie to jockey for the starting position with is exactly what made Jarry so good for parts of the 2023-24 season. Nedeljkovic eventually won the race, but there were parts of the season where you could argue the Penguins had one of the best goalie duos in the NHL.

Jarry might also welcome a move to western Canada and feel more at home in Edmonton. He’s a native of Surrey, British Columbia, and played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 2014, Jarry led them to a Memorial Cup Championship.

Utah Hockey Club

The newest team in the league is off to a good start, but the Utah Hockey Club hasn’t been completely safe in goal. Connor Ingram might be 3-0-1, but he’s allowed 16 goals in that time. Only Georgiev has allowed more tallies.

Utah already said that it wants to be an aggressive team in the trade market, and with its skaters clicking, its biggest target has to be in the crease.

A new team that is playing stress-free hockey is a perfect storm for Jarry. There isn’t an expectation to win this season, but to lay the groundwork for future success. With the pressure off, Jarry can play with more ease and remember what made him a two-time NHL All-Star in the first place.

Jarry is a skilled goalie. For some reason, it isn’t showing in Pittsburgh to start this year. It’s likely best for both the Penguins and Jarry to find a taker and give the netminder a fresh start.

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