Despite a disappointing debut, Edmonton may double down on Tristan Jarry rather than paying a premium to dump his contract, banking on the netminder’s ability to rebound.
During a recent interview, Oilers Now host and color analyst Bob Stauffer suggested that the Edmonton Oilers will likely not move on from goaltender Tristan Jarry. Despite the GM admitting that the trade to acquire Jarry didn't work out, Stauffer is under the impression Edmonton is willing to give him another shot.
Fans will have mixed reactions to the report, but the news might make some since given the options available to replace him.
Speaking with the 100% Hockey show , Stauffer said:
“They’re going to have to find a way carrying forward here with Tristan Jarry. Under the assumption that he’s in Edmonton next year, they got to work with them, just like they got to work with (forward Trent) Frederic, right? Like they got to work with those guys and get it out of them. And again, I think Jarry is a superior puck handler. He’s got a great glove hand.”
Granted, this isn't a definitive report that Jarry is staying. Bowman will explore every option available, and if the Oilers can find a taker for his contract, they'll likely try.
At the same time, it is believed that not trading Jarry might be the wiser decision. The Oilers certainly don't appear ready to add a ton of assets or sweeteners to the deal to make it happen.
Jarry has two years left on a deal that pays him $5.375 million per year. It's a contract Bowman wanted when he made the trade. No one should be surprised if he gives it a little more time before acknowledging that he was wrong to invest in the netminder because he had term.
Will Tristan Jarry stick withthe Edmonton Oilers? Credit: Imagn ImagesStauffer also isn't sold that Connor Ingram's return is a given. Taking him on as a bit of a project, the former Utah Mammoth backstop was a pleasant surprise for Edmonton.
“I think Ingram gave them about as much as he could, but he didn’t steal a game in the playoffs.” He added, “We got to see what happens with Ingram. But I think they may have to look at going outside the organization to address this trend forward. And maybe they need to target a younger goaltender in an organization that’s deep with goaltending prospects… They got a lot of goaltending prospects themselves. But they’re years away, you know, three to four years away.”
As for who Stauffer was talking about inside the Oilers organization, the most likely option is Oilers prospect Connor Ungar. There were several good things said about the netminder and his numbers in the AHL were solid.
There is no clear and obvious fix for the Oilers in goal. The free agent market isn't ripe with options -- Sergei Bobrovsky being the biggest name -- and the trade market potentially offers up names like Jordan Binnington or Joonas Korpisalo.
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