With yet another disappointing end to their season in the books, the Edmonton Oilers will look to regroup next season after their second straight Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers.
And a big story was – once again – goaltending.
For both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, it was very much a Jekyll and Hyde act – a wild card in terms of which version was going to show up on a nightly basis.
Skinner ended up with an .889 save percentage in the playoffs – including five performances surrendering five or more goals and nine of his 15 appearances coming in at a sub-.900 save percentage – and Pickard ended the playoffs at .886 with seven of his 10 appearances clocking in at sub-.900.
The Oilers are in need of change between the pipes. And so are the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins happen to have a goaltender in 30-year-old Tristan Jarry whose contract they would be wise to unload due to a plethora of goaltending prospect talent waiting in the wings in their system. Between waivers and inconsistency, 2024-25 certainly wasn’t an ideal campaign for Jarry, as he ended the season 16-12-6 with an .893 save percentage.
But there are several reasons why he might still be a good fit for the Oilers should they pursue a change in goaltending personnel.
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1. He has an All-Star pedigree
Despite his inconsistency – and outright poor performance – over the past season-plus, the capacity for Jarry to perform at a very high level is there.
The veteran netminder has made two All-Star appearances – in 2020 and 2022 – and was decent down the final stretch of the 2024-25 season for the Penguins. It’s very possible that the pressure of the Penguins’ situation – and the team playing so poorly in front of him – have been large factors for his lapses in overall play.
Jarry is capable of reaching a higher level, as he still has a career .909 save percentage despite horrid stretches last season. A change of scenery – and a better team in front of him – should, conceivably, help that.
2. His AAV isn’t terrible
At the end of the day, the going prices for starting goaltenders in the NHL is rising more and more by year, much like the cap itself. What seemed like a bad contract as recently as last season may not look so bad as soon as next season.
Jarry is slated to make $5.375 million for the next three seasons. While that number is not ideal if a goaltender is struggling, it’s certainly not the end of the world if he’s performing at around a league-average clip.
In addition, the Penguins have all three of their retention slots available, so it stands to reason that they could retain a pretty big chunk of Jarry’s contract as a sweetener.
3. He has some history with Edmonton
Jarry spent some significant time in Edmonton during his junior days, as he suited up for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL for four consecutive seasons from 2011-15. During his tenure, he led his team to the Memorial Cup in 2014, posting a 44-14-3 record that season to pair with a .914 save percentage.
Perhaps the guy who has been there, done that with a team in Edmonton may be able to find a little mojo with a change of scenery to a familiar place.
4. The Oilers need to act while their window is open
Again, the elephant in the room for the Oilers is that their goaltending simply has not gotten the job done for them over the past several years.
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There was a goaltending battle in the Stanley Cup Final between Skinner and Pickard, something one does not typically see at that late a stage in the playoffs. Simply put, that cannot happen.
Jarry is still unproven in the playoffs with just 8 total games and at an .891 save percentage, but – with a shortage of high-quality netminders available right now – he may just be one of their best options to bank on a bounceback.
5. They should get another piece back in a trade
Honestly, the Penguins would probably need to send an asset along with Jarry in order for a team to take him. If this happens – in addition to retention – what’s the real harm in banking on a rebound performance?
As mentioned before, the cap is going up significantly for the next three years, year-by-year. And the contract itself soon won’t look all that bad. So, if the Oilers are desperate to find a solution and goal – and they want to maximize what they’d get out of taking on Jarry’s contract – now is the time to bite.
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