Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now poured cold water on the trade rumors circulating around Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry. The 29-year-old Jarry has seen his name being floated in trade rumors since he sat on the bench for the final 13 games of the regular season. Jarry had an uneven season in Pittsburgh after he signed a five-year $26.875MM contract last summer and eventually lost the net to backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.
Many expected the Penguins to try and trade Jarry this summer, but a deal never came to fruition. Jarry’s trade value isn’t particularly high at the moment and the Penguins have a likely goalie of the future in the AHL in Joel Blomqvist. The Athletics’ goaltender rankings don’t look too kindly on Pittsburgh’s goaltending situation, and at nearly $8MM annually for Jarry and Nedeljkovic for the next two seasons, it’s easy to see why the trade rumors around Jarry have been so popular.
In other news around the league:
- Wes Gilbertson of The Calgary Herald wonders if the Calgary Flames will be a contender when their new arena opens. The Flames are going through a dramatic roster overhaul that has seen them move Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, and Jacob Markstrom out for future assets. The Flames haven’t gone through a change like this since the early 2010s when they moved on from veterans Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester and they seem better equipped for this rebuild off the ice as they have a larger management team and development staff than they had a decade ago.
- Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov sat down with RG.org’s Daria Tuboltseva to discuss free agency and his move to the Eastern Conference. Zadorov said that returning to the Vancouver Canucks was his first choice in free agency, but ultimately, he went to Boston because it gave him the best chance to win and the best situation for his family. Zadorov also revealed that the Canucks and Bruins made offers and one of his former teams, the Colorado Avalanche entered the fray as well. Zadorov signed a six-year $30MM deal with the Bruins on July 1st and figures to play in their top four alongside either Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo.
Makes for a fun question… Bigger albatross contract: Jarry in Pitt, or Zadorov in Boston?
Big Z brings things that cannot be taught. He needs structure around him. I believe fans of the hockey team from Boston will be very happy with him.
Definitely not Jarry. The injury concerns are real, but when he’s healthy he’s a top 10 goalie in the league. Factoring in the health he’s probably still top 15.
He really isn’t overpaid all things considered, he’s just also a goalie you’d look to upgrade from if given the chance. Jarry is currently the 13th highest paid goalie in the league, and soon to be lower with Ullmark, Oettinger, and Hill about to get big raises. So it’s looking like by next season he’ll be the 16th highest paid goalie at a minimum, and could be lower if a couple others sign extensions.
In seasons where he stays healthy he’ll actually be a bargain. The Penguins are only open to trading him because they have Blomqvist about ready to take over in the next year or so.