CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have an appreciation for Tristan Jarry.
The 30-year-old had been part of the organization since being selected in the second round (No. 44) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He was with the Penguins for 10 seasons, debuting in 2017 and eventually replacing Matt Murray, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, as the No. 1 goalie.
On Friday, that didn’t suddenly change. A lot did, though.
Jarry and forward Sam Poulin were traded to the Edmonton Oilers for goalie Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round draft pick in 2029, a move that was simply logical to Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas.
“With where we're at, this and the opportunity to bring in a goalie that has deep experience in ‘Stu,’ plus the draft pick, it just made sense for us to do it at this time,” Dubas said. “I think Tristan is, as everyone here has seen, is extremely talented. And it'll be a great opportunity for him in Edmonton, where he's had success in junior with the (Edmonton) Oil Kings (of the Western Hockey League) and they made their homes there. So, I'm happy for him."
Jarry has been resurgent this season. He is 9-3-1 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .909 save percentage after being placed on waivers Jan. 15 and spending two stints with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last season.
That’s helped the Penguins (14-8-7) think of a possible return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing the past three seasons, but wasn’t enough for a team trying to make the most of Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang at age 38, Evgeni Malkin at 39 and Erik Karlsson at 35.
Enter Skinner, who hasn’t matched Jarry this season at 11-8-4 with a 2.83 GAA and .891 save percentage, but has competed with the Oilers in each of the past two Stanley Cup Finals.
“You can't put a price on that type of experience,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “Two years in a row, too. It's a lot of it. So, yeah, excited for him and the opportunity here. I think the playoffs are so hard.
“To have been there and to have been through it and to be through that kind of a grind and to be able to learn from it, like, yeah, that experience, you don't have that in every single locker room. So, it's another guy here now coming in that has that."
It’s one thing Jarry lacks. A two-time NHL All-Star (2020, 2022), he is 2-6 with a 3.00 GAA and .891 save percentage in the postseason, having lost each of his three series.
Skinner’s numbers are almost identical. The 27-year-old has a 2.99 GAA and .893 save percentage in the playoffs, but 50 starts – and 26 wins -- in six seasons compared to Jarry’s eight in 10.
“The message to the room is that Stu Skinner has had a very good run in Edmonton as well,” Dubas said. “I know this year didn't start off the way that he or the team would have wanted it to, but I think, especially of late, he's been back playing his game to the level that he's expected.
“That'll be up to Stu and (goalie coach) Andy Chiodo and our performance staff and coaching staff and our whole group to support him, have him come in and play well. Obviously, I think if you're in his shoes, it's a lot to prove. I mean, they’ve made the move to go away from him, and we'll give him the best opportunity we can to be at his best.”
Skinner, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, is expected to join a tandem with Arturs Silovs, who is 4-4-5 with a 2.98 GAA and .897 save percentage after being acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks on July 13.
Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist are currently competing in the AHL with a chance of being the future No. 1 in Pittsburgh.
Murashov is 1-1-1 in four games (three starts) in the NHL this season. The 21-year-old is 8-2-0 with a 1.56 GAA and .943 save percentage with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Blomqvist was 4-9-1 with a 3.81 GAA and .885 save percentage in Pittsburgh last season. The 23-year-old is 4-1-0 with a 1.93 GAA and .930 save percentage in the AHL this season.
“It opens the door wide open for competition between these goaltenders to earn NHL spots,” Dubas said. “That would include the four guys we've talked about here. So, there's a lot of incentive there in a number of regards. So, we'll see who can climb to the top and take it and run with it."
It also presents a dramatic shift.
"As long as I've been here, [Jarry has] always been our No. 1 goalie,” forward Rickard Rakell said. “He's been the backbone of winning us hockey games. ... He's been really important for our organization, for our team, for a long time.”
Dubas knew that when he was hired on June 1, 2023.
A visit to Jarry in Edmonton came shortly after. The goalie just finished playing the final season of a three-year, $10.5 million contract agreed to under former Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford on Oct. 3, 2020.
Dubas could have looked elsewhere. Instead, Jarry was signed to a five-year, $26.88 million contract on July 1, 2023.
“With the goaltending, it comes with a certain sense of volatility,” Dubas said. “There's very few goalies in the League that have that linear progression night after night. ... It's a very tough profession, and I don't think we've, at times, made it the easiest position to play with our play in front of him over the years. And I think, in his case, I would say that this year, he probably had been working out as intended. I mean, he'd steadied himself.”
Jarry had repeatedly said he wanted to stay.
For the Penguins, looking to supplement a surprising start, that just wasn’t in the cards.
“I think we’re capable of more than we’ve shown,” Dubas said. “That’s my expectation every day. Everyone in the room here has seen it when we’re at our best that we can not only play but carry play against the very best teams in the League. We’ve left points on the table that I think everyone in the room regrets and laments. ... My expectation is we continue to get better and push. The races are wide open, both divisionally and within the conference.”
