The Pittsburgh Penguins have to change up their goaltending strategy this summer.

One of the glaring weaknesses of the Pittsburgh Penguins this season has been their goaltending. Tristan Jarry missed six weeks between January and February this season and has yet to return to form since returning to the lineup on February 20th. 

Casey DeSmith has shown that while he may be a capable backup for the Penguins, he can't handle the added responsibility of being a starter or even a 1B goaltender. 

Pair that with the performance, or even presence, of this duo in the playoffs the previous two seasons, and you have all the reason you need to make changes to that area.

Jarry has likely cost himself a chunk of money this summer with his issues over the previous three weeks. His contract expires after the season, but the Penguins lack options for capable replacements as the free-agent goaltending market lacks difference-making netminders.

The Penguins should avoid overpaying older goaltenders like Jonathan Quick, Semyon Varlamov, and Jonathan Bernier. Frederik Anderson is the best available goalie, outside of Jarry, but carries similar baggage with his health issues and a lacking playoff resume.

So what can they do without being forced to find a trade partner?

The best answer for that comes from the New Jersey Devils last summer. With a struggling young goaltender in Mackenzie Blackwood, they went after a relatively inexperienced 1B in Vitek Vanecek. While neither is playing at a Vezina caliber, the competition has improved their collective performance and pushed New Jersey into contention in the East this season.

The Penguins could do something similar with Jarry. Re-sign him to another "show me" contract and bring in another relatively cheap goaltender to push him for the starting position. 

The best available option for that is Boston Bruins backup Jeremy Swayman. The 24-year-old netminder is a restricted free agent this summer but could become a cap casualty due to the amount of Bruins free agents coming up this summer.

In 71 games played over the past two seasons, Swayman has a .916 save percentage and 2.32 goals allowed average as the 1B to Vezina favorite Linus Ullmark. Swayman's presence will push Jarry to either perform or lose his net, a position that yielded positive results in the latter stages of the Sidney Crosby era.

The Penguins must change their approach in net after this season, and a Tristan Jarry-Jeremy Swayman duo could be the best option.

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