Penguins Eyeing Rookie Goalie for NHL Role
The Pittsburgh Penguins desire for youth may include the goaltending position.
For the second consecutive offseason, goaltending is one of the biggest questions the Pittsburgh Penguins must answer. Penguins President and General Manager Kyle Dubas offered a small look into the organization's thoughts on the position last week.
Part of the Penguins' direction will be decided in the coming weeks by 22-year-old netminder Joel Blomqvist. Blomqvist leads the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins into the Calder Cup playoffs, coming off a stellar rookie season in the AHL.
Dubas and the Penguins will monitor how Blomqvist handles his first taste of playoff action in North America.
"How does Joel play? Can he assert himself at that level?" Dubas said. "Then we will have more information on how we want to go ahead with our goaltending."
Blomqvist's emergence puts into question the future of Alex Nedeljkovic. A pending free agent, Nedeljkovic backstopped the Penguins' resurgent run towards a playoff spot late this season, starting the final 13 games with an 8-1-3 record.
Nedeljkovic will be an attractive candidate for several teams around the league, and his performance may warrant a raise or a multi-year deal this summer. If that's the case, the Penguins may elect to move on and move forward with Tristan Jarry and Blomqvist next season.
However, that duo provides little comfort for a team hoping to compete for a Stanley Cup in 2024-25. Blomqvist has had success this season and might be ready for more responsibility, but hasn't faced a single shot at the NHL level before. On the other side, Jarry's tendency to fall off after the All-Star Break continues to be a crucial issue.
There is plenty of time before those decisions, but a tandem of Jarry and Blomqvist may leave the Penguins in a precarious position in a must-win year.
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