Why Penguins Not Retaining Jarry’s Contract Should Be A Dealbreaker For Oilers

The state of the Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending is such that trade rumors connecting potential trade acquisitions should be believed.

Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire, and the smoking ruins of the Oilers’ many defeats this season give Edmonton GM Stan Bowman good reason to shake the trees in the trade market and see what goalies could be available to change things up between the pipes for his team.

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On Sportsnet’s ‘Saturday Headlines,’ Elliotte Friedman indicated there’s interest from Edmonton in Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry. But what’s likely an obstacle to this trade being consummated is Pittsburgh’s unwillingness to retain salary on Jarry’s current contract.

The 30-year-old’s salary of $5.375 million runs for an additional two seasons after this one, and acquiring him would be a huge commitment given his roller-coaster performances in previous seasons.

Jarry’s individual numbers this season, including a .913 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average in 12 appearances, are significantly better than current Oilers starter Stuart Skinner’s .889 SP and 2.86 GAA in 21 starts.

Based on goaltending statistics today, Jarry would be an upgrade on Skinner. But the real question is – are the Oilers really in a position to take on Jarry’s full contract, or is that a dealbreaker for Bowman?

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To answer, Edmonton should not take on Jarry’s full contract, and it should be a dealbreaker for Bowman and the Oilers that the Penguins don’t want to retain his salary.

The Oilers presently have only $159,167 in salary cap space. That means they’re going to have to move out money to make space for Jarry’s salary.

If Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas was willing to retain some salary, it would be far easier for Bowman to clear out a retained amount of cap space to gamble on Jarry, rather than taking on his full cap hit.

Bowman would have to move out roster players and weaken their offensive or defensive depth, or both. All that for a goaltender who has been inconsistent in the past.

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Edmonton’s recent history of making bad investments in net – Jack Campbell as one example – makes the Oilers gun-shy to risk Jarry falling flat and being stuck with him for another two seasons.

They’ve already brought in Connor Ingram, and he’s struggling at the AHL level. So the thought of trading for Jarry, then shortly thereafter regretting it and being stuck with another potential buyout situation for years to come, could haunt Edmonton’s front office.

Indeed, rather than pursuing Jarry and being responsible for his full contract, it’s probably better to stay with Skinner. He’s in the final season of his contract that pays him $2.6 million, which gives the Oilers some freedom in how they’d like to handle Skinner.

Not to mention, he has been between the pipes in both of Edmonton’s runs to the Stanley Cup final in the last two years.

NHL Hot Seat Radar: Oilers’ Stuart Skinner Steps Up The NHL Hot Seat Radar series highlights which NHL figures are under serious pressure to improve. The Edmonton Oilers had much better goaltending this past week, while the Flames and Kings still have scoring issues.

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Besides, even if Skinner continues to struggle this season, it’s not as if Jarry is going to be the only goalie available via trade. As the year unfolds and there’s some separation in the standings, there’s likely to be other options for the Oilers in net.

Regardless of what other options are out there, it makes sense for Bowman to be more patient and see what trade opportunities bubble up between now and the March 6 trade deadline.

If the Penguins are dead-set against salary retention for Jarry, the Oilers should move on and take their chances either with Skinner or someone else who isn’t as big a risk of failing.

Edmonton is on the clock when it comes to superstar Connor McDavid, so there should be a sense of urgency when it comes to the Oilers’ goaltending. But Jarry’s rebound season is still in its infancy, and the last thing Edmonton should want is a reclamation project that’s still in its early stages.

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Bowman has to balance the needs of the moment with Edmonton’s long-term needs, and that means either finding a veteran goalie who isn’t as much of a long-term risk or sticking with Skinner and letting the chips fall where they may, then possibly moving on from Skinner when he becomes a UFA in the summer.

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