Recent trades have set an interesting price for goaltenders and the Penguins should capitalize.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins can't be happy with the current state of affairs in their division. Two of their rivals have made big moves to kickstart their offseasons. The New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. and the Washington Capitals acquired the polarizing Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings.

While the Penguins seek a return to the postseason, they also are navigating how to keep up with the arms race happening in the Metropolitan Division. The initial thought could be for the Pens to get in on the action and swing a trade for a big player. Kyle Dubas could opt for that, but what if he chose another approach? 

The return the Flames received for Markstrom is impressive. The Devils gave up a 23 year-old defender with NHL experience and a top-10 protected first-round draft pick in the 2025 draft. The Flames are also retaining a little over 30% of the salary remaining on his deal, meaning they'll carry a cap hit of $1.875 million for the next two seasons. He will count just under $4.2 million against the Devils' 2024 salary cap. The Devils got their new starting goaltender, but the Flames received two quality pieces in return. 

Similarly, the Dubois trade involved the Capitals' goaltender Darcy Kuemper. The deal was a one-for-one swap, with no money retained. 

Looking at these two trades, it feels like goaltenders are carrying a high trade value in the league. The Penguins have a goalie they like in Tristan Jarry who, despite inconsistencies and injuries, has a very similar resume to Jacob Markstrom. Their career save percentages are .912 and .909, respectively, and a goals against average in the 2.7's. Markstrom has 215 career wins at age 34, and Jarry has 136 at age 29. 

The biggest difference is Markstrom has two postseason series victories, where Jarry has yet to earn a series victory in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Those series wins came years apart, however, and he's never made it past the second round. 

If that makes Markstrom worth a first-round pick and an NHL player with upside, then the Penguins would be fools to not shop Tristan Jarry. He is for all intents and purposes the same caliber goaltender as Markstrom and should fetch the same price. If Dubas is serious about acquiring draft picks and younger players, the trade market is giving him a golden opportunity to get our of Jarry's contract and kickstart the Penguins' retooling. 

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