Can Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry join Sidney Crosby and Kyle Dubas at the 4 Nations Face-off?
The NHL is preparing to host the first-ever 4 Nations Face-off tournament in February 2025 at the Bell Centre and TD Garden. This event will replace the All-Star Game for the upcoming season.
On June 28, Team Canada announced their first six players, including Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brad Marchand, and Brayden Point.
Since that initial announcement, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has been added to the management team and named director of player personnel.
It goes without saying that Pittsburgh is already well-represented no matter who else is selected to the Canadian, American, Finnish, or Swedish rosters.
So, when discussing who will start between the pipes for Canada, incumbent goalie Tristan Jarry is one of the top six options for the country, at least according to NHL Network.
Even though his captain and general manager have a lot of pull at the event, Jarry will face stiff competition to earn a spot.
Realistically, Crosby will be named captain, but McDavid has just as much influence as one of, if not the best, player in professional hockey. Since Stuart Skinner just helped McDavid reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, he may want him to be in the lineup.
Meanwhile, Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Logan Thompson have all won a Stanley Cup in the past five seasons, and Connor Ingram is the reigning Bill Masterton Trophy winner.
Although more roster announcements will not be announced until later into the 2024-25 season, here is where Jarry ranked among the six candidates the NHL Network suggested for the three Canada goalie positions.
Unless Jarry storms out of the gate and steals back his starter role from Alex Nedeljkovic, he will unlikely crack the Canada lineup even with Crosby and Dubas in leadership positions.
Unfortunately, Jarry's performance last season was the worst of his career. Because of his subpar play, he rode the bench while Nedeljkovic rallied the Penguins down the stretch, almost clinching a playoff spot.
Life in Pittsburgh won't be any easier for Jarry, whose name has popped up in the rumor mill since the ink dried on Nedeljkovic's contract extension. Moreover, the organization recently signed one of their top prospects, Sergei Murashov, an up-and-coming netminder who may spend the season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Although Jarry has four seasons left on his contract with Pittsburgh, he may not finish this time with the club.
However, if he can grab the bull by the horns to begin the regular season and push his way onto the Canadian roster at the 4 Nations Face-off, those performances and achievements will go a long way to securing his spot in the Penguin's future.
But if he continues to play like he did in 2024-25, there would be no guarantees moving forward.