It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of the Pittsburgh Penguins trading away Tristan Jarry (specifically, his odious contract) was ludicrous. The team put him on waivers, no team claimed him, and he ended up playing in the AHL. He carried negative value around the league, thus the Penguins still having him to start the 2025-26 season.
However, Jarry will now start to pique the interest of teams looking to change their goaltending situation. He had a respectable finish to the 2025-26 season going .904 after his call up in March. He has followed it up by being one of the better goalies in the league this year. Now, there might be some NHL teams interested.
A great start to 2025-26 for Jarry
The Penguins have had a surprising (to most) start to the 2025-26 season. They are currently in a playoff spot at the time of American Thanksgiving. One of the driving forces for this happening has been goaltending. Tristan Jarry has been one of the driving forces of this success
Jarry has a .914 overall save percentage this season which is also his 5v5 save percentage. He has been one of the league’s better goalies at saving high-danger chances. His HDSV% at 5v5 is .872.
He is also one of the league’s better goalies in goals above expected per Advanced Hockey Stats
There’s no doubt about it. Jarry has been a #1 goalie through 25% of the current season. Whether or not he can maintain some semblance of consistency has been his bugaboo throughout his career. He’s been here before.
A potential homecoming
Tristan Jarry is a former Edmonton Oil King from his junior hockey days. During his time in Edmonton he helped the Oil Kings to win the 2014 Memorial Cup. He is no stranger to Edmonton. Jarry does have a potential 12 team no trade list, but given his background he might be amenable to a trade to Edmonton. This is pretty relevant because the rumors going around at the moment have the Oilers looking hard.
Meanwhile. here’s the scuttlebut around the Oilers and Jarry:
As you can see this is starting to pick up traction
What could a potential Jarry trade look like?
The crazy part of this situation is that the Penguins actually have leverage, here. It would have been a completely laughable suggestion only months ago, but they do. The goalie market is not great and the Oilers are up against it because Stuart Skinner continues to fail them.
Desperation is a stinky cologne and everybody in the league can smell it on the Oilers. The Oilers are realistically running the risk of running Connor McDavid out of town due to the front office’s negligence. They have to do something in goal. They do not have the option to sit back and hope their goaltending situation solves itself with Skinner. Not again.
Years of bad decisions have led to this moment for the Oilers and as a consequence now they have to seriously entertain overpaying the Penguins for the inconsistent Tristan Jarry. This is a wonderful development for the Penguins.
Weaponize desperation
Consequently, the Penguins should weaponize their current cap and roster flexibility with the Oilers panic. Pittsburgh has the ability to take on salary and retain salary. Two things that are very valuable to the cap strapped Oilers (only have 149k in space). Pittsburgh can retain salary on Jarry, they can take on Skinner’s cap hit, and perhaps take on another contract like Andrew Mangiapane.
Because the Penguins can do all that and the Oilers are desperate you are looking at a situation where the Penguins can realistically get a first round pick out of Tristan Jarry. The Oilers don’t have a 2026 first round pick so it would come in 2027 or beyond. The Oilers also have a second round pick in each of the next three drafts.
The Penguins aren’t going to do the Oilers a favor for free. It is going to cost Edmonton because of their desperation and it is going to come at a cost previously thought unattainable.
The Oilers are between a rock and a hard place before a potential Tristan Jarry trade and they would be between a rock and a hard place after a potential Tristan Jarry trade. The best part is it doesn’t matter. The Oilers literally have to do something. They are watching the sands of the Connor McDavid era disappear in real time. The Penguins are the ones with the asset and cap flexibility to make a goalie deal happen for them.
The Oilers despair has turned Tristan Jarry into a trade piece with legitimate value. Do it or don’t, Edmonton. The Penguins aren’t the ones in danger of losing their franchise icon after not winning any championships.
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