When the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice at the Scotiabank Saddledome tonight against the undefeated (in regulation) Calgary Flames, Tristan Jarry will be in the press box for the second consecutive game.
Since his opening night 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers, the highest-paid goalie on the Penguins roster has played just 71:33 in the past six games.
On the second night of a back-to-back to begin the campaign, Jarry was on the bench while Joel Blomqvist made his NHL debut, picking up a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Ultimately, Blomqvist got the start because Alex Nedeljkovic suffered an injury in the pre-season.
After picking up his first win, the Finnish netminder got the call against the Maple Leafs, which was a surprise move for a marquee Saturday night contest, in which the Penguins lost 4-2.
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However, Jarry got a second shot against Montreal and earned a 6-3 victory despite blowing a 2-0 lead. He seemed to right the ship, or so everyone thought.
Earning a second consecutive start against the Buffalo Sabres two nights later, it was a disastrous performance that lasted just 11:33 with three goals on five shots.
It was the last time Jarry saw any action.
Blomqvist got the call for the contest against the Carolina Hurricanes, a 4-1 loss, before serving as a backup during Nedeljkovic’s season debut on the weekend.
Now, with the healthy Nedeljkovic getting the start against the Flames, head coach Mike Sullivan has opted to keep Blomqvist in the backup role.
Many wonder why Jarry, making $5.3 million, is sitting in the press box. And what’s the team’s next move?
Of course, trading Jarry is an option, but his price is at an all-time low, so waiving him down to the AHL seems like the only option—the one least talked about.
Other former number-one goalies, like Jack Campbell and Ville Husso, have already gone through the process, so it’s not like this has never happened.
All three goalies are on the Western Canada road trip, but it is anyone’s guess if or when Jarry will get the call to be uniform again or if we’ve seen his last performance in a Penguins jersey.
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