Tristan Jarry Placed on Waivers: Explanation and Reaction

The Penguins placed Tristan Jarry on waivers on the afternoon of Jan. 15. If he clears, the goaltender will be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and Kyle Dubas said Joel Blomqvist will receive an opportunity in Pittsburgh alongside Alex Nedeljkovic.

“At this point, just feel it’s best in the long run for the team and for Tristan to allow Joel to come up here,” said the Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM. “We think over the past year and a half, with his play in Wilkes-Barre and when he’s been up here with us, he’s earned the right to have a go at it, and we get a chance to see what he can do in a prolonged look.”

Dubas explained what led to this decision, first acknowledging that Jarry, a two-time NHL All-Star, reported to training camp in terrific shape after the team challenged him to have a strong summer following an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign.

But a difficult start, where Jarry went 1-1 before getting pulled in the third game and posted a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage, led to a two-week conditioning assignment in WBS.

The Penguins hoped it would serve as a reset, and Jarry did do well, winning four of five games against good competition. When he returned to Pittsburgh, Dubas said they committed to giving Jarry “some good runway” before a seven-game, 15-day swing that begins on Friday in Buffalo.

“From my view of it, it was just be patient, see the way that it unfolded as we got through this date in mind, with it being important for us because we’re about to go on the road for a couple weeks. We felt that would be enough time to measure it,” Dubas continued.

He started 17 of 29 games in that time since, and while Jarry worked hard to build his game, for whatever reason, the inconsistency continued as the Penguins have struggled to find results. They went 1-3-1 on a five-game homestand and are 2-5-3 since coming back from the holiday break.

“I think throughout this whole stretch, he’s continued to come in here, put the work in and that’s not been a question at all. That just hasn’t materialized the way we would like it to on the ice,” Dubas said. “At this level, you get to the point where you have to do what’s right in the long run, for him and for us.”