The collection of goalies Kyle Dubas has assembled in his first season running the Penguins is an eclectic mix of shapes, sizes, and puck-stopping styles.
The six contracted goalies who took the ice at Saturday’s training camp practice in Cranberry range from a towering Swede to a scrappy backup who might need to stand on his tiptoes to grab his mask from the top of his locker stall.
There is a career-long Penguin in Tristan Jarry and two career journeymen.
A few were early NHL draft picks, and one didn’t hear his name called at all.
Their ages range from 21 to 32. One guy snatches pucks with his right hand.
One thing they do all have in common? The color of their pads — mostly white. That includes Jarry, who wore black with a bit of yellow the last two years.
What was the symbolism there? Was Jarry maybe looking for a change after two injury-marred years? What about a clean slate with his new contract?
“They wanted us to wear white. So we’re all wearing white,” shrugged Jarry, saying that the decision was made by Dubas and the new management team.
Yeah, Dubas has been heavily invested in Pittsburgh’s goaltending situation since he was hired as president of hockey operations in June. He surprisingly committed long term to Jarry. He shipped out Casey DeSmith and brought in three others with NHL experience. He hired Jon Elkin as director of goaltending.
Perhaps none of that will matter if Jarry is unable to stay healthy. But Dubas, who with Toronto was never able to find the right answers between the pipes, certainly has spent a lot of time trying to improve Pittsburgh’s goalie situation.
“When you look at the evolution of the NHL and the demand of the workload of the goaltender position, [depth is] almost required if you want to make a deep run,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Look at Vegas. I think they used four goalies.”
Jarry and free-agent pickup Alex Nedeljkovic are projected to be the top tandem when the season opens on Oct. 10. The Penguins also signed Magnus Hellberg to push Nedeljkovic and provide quality depth. Garret Sparks — and his long blonde locks — are here, too, on an American Hockey League contract.
Rounding out the overhauled depth chart are youngsters Joel Blomqvist and Taylor Gauthier. Blomqvist, just 21, is Pittsburgh’s top goalie prospect. He was awesome against his peers in last weekend’s Buffalo Prospects Challenge.
Likely, Blomqvist will only play in Pittsburgh this season if there are injuries.
And that brings us back to Jarry, who says he is feeling more like himself after he was nagged by injuries last season, leading to a decline in performance.
“I wasn’t healthy,” Jarry said. “And that was a big thing for me, getting healthy and getting back to where I want to be, to be at the level I want to play at.”
Dubas and Pittsburgh’s medical staff obviously felt comfortable enough with Jarry’s health status to sign him to a five-year, $26.9 million contract. That was, by a wide margin, the most money handed out to a goalie in NHL free agency.
Jarry suggested that his uncertain contract status distracted him last season.
“It’s good [to have re-signed]. It’s a relief,” he said. “It’s obviously hard playing when you have that burden on your shoulders, with a lot of unknowns. And just to have that done and over with is nice. You can just focus on playing.”
Excuses eliminated, the two-time All-Star will likely need to experience a return to form to help the Penguins get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs. And if they do get there, questions about his ability to handle that pressure persist.
For now, the most important thing, Sullivan said, is that Jarry “feels strong.” The Penguins will try to keep it that way by better managing the goalie’s workload. That was difficult the last three years due to DeSmith’s inconsistency.
Enter Nedeljkovic. He arrives here after two disappointing years with Detroit.
Nedeljkovic, who grew up outside Cleveland, is similar in size to DeSmith at 6-foot and 208 pounds. He was a Calder Trophy finalist for Carolina after posting a .932 save percentage and a 1.90 goals-against average in 2021. But his stats cratered after he left that stingy squad for the rebuilding Red Wings.
After spending a sizable chunk of last season in the AHL, Nedeljkovic is excited to get a fresh start with the Penguins, who inked him to a one-year deal.
“Ned’s a guy that brings real good energy to the rink every day. … We think he’s very capable. I think he’s going to be a great fit for us,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes a change of scenery for a player can make all the difference in the world in giving certain players opportunity to kind of hit the reset button.”
Nedeljkovic has looked sharp through three days of camp. On Friday, he earned a roar of applause from teammates after a series of spectacular saves.
But if he struggles, the Penguins have a well-traveled fallback plan in Hellberg.
Last season alone, the 6-foot-6 goalie was claimed off waivers three times and suited up for a trio of NHL teams — the last one being Detroit. His meandering pro career includes stops in Sweden, Russia, China, and the ECHL.
He has a career save percentage of just .886 in 23 NHL games. But he feels he is a better goalie now after four years in the Kontinental Hockey League.
“There’s a lot of good goalies [in camp]. Obviously, I want to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I know a lot of other goalies want to do that, as well,” he said. “So I’m just going to enjoy my time, work my ass off here and show what I can do. Then it’s up to management and coaches to make the decision.”
If the Penguins indeed choose Nedeljkovic as the No. 2 out of camp, Hellberg will be sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which could roster three goalies at times. One will be Blomqvist, who needs to play to continue his development.
Sparks, a bit of a throwback with standup tendencies, and southpaw Gauthier are also in the mix. Gauthier, a Ron Hextall acquisition, is on an NHL deal.
“The depth that we have right now, with the caliber of the goaltenders that we have, just makes us that much more of a formidable opponent,” Sullivan said.
