Penguins Rolling The Dice Between The Pipes
Will Kyle Dubas' gamble on the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltenders pay off?
In under two months as the Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Ops, Kyle Dubas has instilled massive changes throughout the Penguins roster. Dubas has addressed a laundry list of issues that prevented the Penguins from reaching the postseason last year and, most importantly, goaltending.
The Penguins enter the 2023-24 season with one familiar face and one new face between the pipes, both of which are gambles on Dubas' part when addressing the most crucial position on the roster.
In Tristan Jarry, the Penguins have invested long-term in a goaltender with tremendous "boom or bust" potential. Jarry spent most of last season battling a hip injury that caused him to miss significant stretches of games.
Not only has Jarry appeared to be injury prone the past few seasons, but he is unproven in the postseason. In eight postseason contests, Jarry is 2-6 and has a dismal .891 save percentage.
However, Jarry has proven, at times, to be one of the top starting goaltenders in the league. The Penguins goaltender finished the 2021-22 season in the top ten in wins (38), save percentage (.919%), goals allowed average (2.42), and goals saved above average (21.10).
If Jarry remains healthy and plays to his potential, the Penguins will have signed the 28-year-old to an extremely team-friendly contract.
Behind Jarry, the Penguins have switched things up as Dubas gambled on former Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.
Nedeljkovic joins the Penguins with a chip on his shoulder. After signing a two-year contract with the Red Wings before the 2021-22 season, Nedeljkovic struggled to recapture the success he found in Carolina as a rookie. His time in Detroit ended with him bouncing back and forth between the AHL, and he played only 15 games at the NHL last season.
The importance of goaltending depth is becoming more evident in today's NHL. Last season, four of the eight teams that won in the first round of the playoffs utilized at least two goalies, two of which ended up playing in the Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins will need both gambles to pay off if they want to return to the postseason in 2024.
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