The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading into another season with question marks surrounding their goaltending. As the 2023-24 season was drawing to a close, Alex Nedeljkovic essentially stole the starting role from Tristan Jarry.
That run of 13 straight starts gave him a ton of momentum in the final games of his contract with the Penguins, making him a top free agent at the goalie position. It’s not likely the Penguins will bring Nedeljkovic back, adding more questions to their goaltending situation.
Is Jarry still “the guy” in Pittsburgh? Who will his backup be? And could prospect netminder Joel Blomqvist be ready for the big show?
President of hockey operations Kyle Dubas stated that he expects Jarry to have a much better season in 2024-25. But can Jarry deliver?
In 51 games played in 2023-24, Jarry put up a 19-25-5 record with a 2.91 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. He had a tie for the league lead with six shutouts, but that didn’t help improve the Penguins much.
Expectations were high for Jarry, especially after signing a five-year extension worth over $5 million annually. Those expectations will be just as high if he continues to be the starter.
With Jarry likely slotted in, the Penguins must make a big decision for the backup role. Is Blomqvist ready, or is another veteran presence the way to go?
The Penguins wanted Blomqvist to get a lengthy playoff run in at the AHL level to see if he could handle some extra high-intensity play, but they were knocked out of the postseason in just two games.
Blomqvist put up a 25-12-6 record in 45 games at the AHL level, played in the AHL All-Star Game, and challenged the rookie wins record for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Goaltending is tough to evaluate, but Blomqvist could very well be the Penguins backup on opening night for 2024-25.
If the Penguins decide to roll with a veteran free agent, the choices of capable and affordable names will be slim. James Reimer and Martin Jones immediately come to mind, but they don’t stand out as show-stealing backups.
