THE Pittsburgh Penguins the goaltending saga took another turn on Saturday.

Tristan Jarry has been assigned to AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditional loan, the team announced via social media.

The Penguins have transferred goaltender Tristan Jarry to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) on a conditional loan. pic.twitter.com/tRCiuivpBz

– Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 26, 2024

Jarry accompanied the team on a road trip to Canada last Sunday, but was left out for two games before returning to Pittsburgh following the Penguins’ loss to the Penguins. Flames in Calgary Tuesday evening. Coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday After training in Edmonton, Jarry was no longer on the trip so he could work with the team’s director of goaltending, Jon Elkin.

Jarry can be loaned to the AHL for conditioning purposes without the need for a waiver. In accordance with the collective agreement between the NHL and the Players’ Association, a player must accept a loan; it has a maximum of 14 days; and the player’s salary and cap number remain the same as if the player were in the NHL.

He hasn’t played for the Penguins since allowing three goals on five shots against the Buffalo swords on October 16. This game was only his third start this season; he allowed nine goals on 68 shots on other shots, including a 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers during the Penguins’ home opener on October 9.

Jarry only started this game because Alex Nedeljkovicre-signed to a two-year contract over the summer, was injured during training camp. Nedeljkovic started the Penguins’ final 13 games last season and was ticketed to open this season as the starter.

That Jarry wasn’t clearly the number one goalie coming out of camp was a story in itself. He signed a long, lucrative extension (five years, $26.88 million) in July 2023 – one of Kyle Dubas’ first major decisions as president of hockey operations.

Jarry was 28 years old at the time and generally considered the best goaltender available on the open market, although his preference was to remain with the Penguins despite his free agent status.

A second-round pick in 2013, Jarry was selected to the NHL All-Star Game in 2020 and 2022. He finished in the top 10 for shutouts three times and twice each for goals against average and save percentage.

However, the Penguins have not won a Stanley Cup playoff series since Jarry supplanted Matt Murray as the go-to goaltender for the 2020-21 season, and they have missed the playoffs in two of his four years as a starter.

Jarry’s second-half struggles last season — he went 5-11-1 with an .880 SV% and 3.82 ERA over his last 18 appearances — carried over into this one. here. He is 1-1-0 with an .836 SV% and 5.47 GAA over three starts and was moved up the depth chart by a rookie. Joel Blomqvist.

The Penguins attempted to trade Jarry during the offseason, but found no takers. His contract allows him to submit a list of 12 teams to which he could approve a trade.

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(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)