The Pittsburgh Penguins may have to utilize a few goalies thanks to the Tristan Jarry injury.
The injury luck of the Pittsburgh Penguins continued to trend downward when Tristan Jarry was forced out of the Winter Classic in the first period with a lower-body injury.
Casey DeSmith stepped in to complete the game, but it’s possible the Penguins have to look into their depth options in net.
Pittsburgh fans have become far too familiar with backup and third string goalies over the past few seasons, but it’s always good to know who is waiting in line at the position.
One step behind Jarry is obviously DeSmith and if the injury is nothing major, this is a solid short-term option.
DeSmith always looks to play an aggressive, but confident style in the net that has earned him a solid role as the Penguins backup for so many years.
For the entirety of his Penguins tenure, DeSmith has played in 109 games and holds a 47-35-13 record.
DeSmith has been counted on to step in as short-term replacement before and, as any backup goalie would say, he’s ready to take over if called upon.
Following DeSmith, however, is where things can get murky for the Penguins; last season the torch was handed to Louis Domingue, the year before that it was Maxime Lagace.
This year, the role of third string goalie is being handed to veteran journeyman Dustin Tokarski.
The Penguins called him up to the NHL roster without any official update on Jarry.
Tokarski began his NHL story in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and has had a scattered history with the league ever since.
While he’s appeared in NHL games for five different teams, Tokarski has also spent times with 10 clubs in the AHL.
Tokarski was never seen as a viable NHL option as starter, or even backup, until the 2021-22 season with the Buffalo Sabres; he was one of six goalies deployed by the Sabres last year and appeared in 29 games.
While the Penguins current tandem in net looks like DeSmith and Tokarski, what if one of them goes down?
Assuming there are no trades or moves, the next option after Tokarski would be prospect Filip Lindberg.
The 23-year-old goalie is in the midst of his second season in professional hockey and has been the WBS backup for the 2022-23 season.
In 11 games played, Lindberg has recorded a 5-3-1 record with a .915 save percentage.
The Penguins are fond of Lindberg and believe he can become a viable option in net at the NHL level some day.
Pulling him up to the NHL would only be in case of emergency, however, as Lindberg and the rest of the goalies in the system could be considered prospects in the pipeline.
Lindberg, Taylor Gauthier in the AHL, and Joel Blomqvist in Europe are all under the age of 24 and could have futures as NHL regulars.
The Penguins won’t want to mess with their development unless the situation becomes dire.
For now, a simple call-up for Tokarski should suffice, and the Penguins won’t need to dig deep for netminders.
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