The Pittsburgh Penguins are taking a huge risk with Tristan Jarry, but the rewards might be worth it.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they re-signed Tristan Jarry to a five-year contract on the first day of free agency, there was immediate questioning.

Is Jarry the right goalie for the Penguins? Why that much money ($5.375 million annually) and why for five years? And the biggest question of them all: Can he stay healthy?

Not many people question Jarry’s skill as an NHL goalie; he’s twice been invited to the All-Star game and has great numbers to match.

The question of health does make this signing a massive gamble of the part of Kyle Dubas, but he’s confident in the deal.

If Dubas is confident, and the Penguins seem to be locked into Jarry for the next five seasons, it might be a good idea to start finding the bright side of this decision.

Heading into the free agency period, Jarry’s mix of stats and youth made him the top goalie on the market; in a way, the Penguins signed the best goalie available.

Despite nagging injuries, Jarry played more games than any of the top available goalies and had comparable, if not better numbers.

Frederik Andersen played in 34 games with a 21-11-1 record, 2.48 goals against average (GAA), and .903 save percentage (SV%).

Joonas Korpisalo appeared in 39 games with an 18-14-4 record, 2.87 GAA, and .914 SV%.

Jarry in 47 games played put up a 24-14-7 record, with a 2.9 GAA, and .909 SV%.

The skill is clearly there for Jarry, the injuries do play a role in the concern, but Dubas addressed that.

Early in his tenure in the Penguins front office, Dubas made changes to the athletic support staff.

That doesn’t mean every player will automatically play a fully healthy season, but a new outlook on rehabbing or monitoring injuries is a step in the right direction.

You may now be asking, what about all of the trade options for goalies around the NHL? Connor Hellebuyck, John Gibson, and Juuse Saros, what about them?

Well, the Penguins are trying to trade for Erik Karlsson; the organization barely has enough assets to afford Karlsson, let alone toss an elite-level goalie in the mix.

What about his playoff history? Let’s be real, Jarry doesn’t have much playoff experience.

Jarry played the deciding game in the 2020 bubble and was arguably the best player on the ice, despite the loss.

2021 was an awful run for Jarry, we’re all aware of that.

In 2022, Jarry was injured and again only appeared in the deciding game, while still dealing with a lower-body injury.

In the one full playoff series he played he wasn’t good, but that is a few seasons in the past now.

The biggest cloud following Jarry into his new contract is his injury history, but Dubas doesn’t want to put a huge spotlight on such a dilemma.

Dubas is confident that Jarry is capable of being better and healthier; and Jarry is confident in the same thing.

People weren't happy with the Jarry signing, and that's understandable; this is a huge risk to take especially for a team with an aging core looking for their last run.

But, there are positives that can be pulled, and that is where everyone should be looking.

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