VANCOUVER — The Tristan Jarry saga became a little clearer Saturday when Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas provided some explanations and a timeline for upcoming decisions. It’s clear we’re early in the process, as Dubas hasn’t committed to taking any action, but has cleared up Jarry’s mysterious departure from Calgary on Wednesday.

Dubas replied to an email submitted by several Penguins journalists, including Pittsburgh Hockey Now. The email responded to four questions written and submitted collectively by reporters covering the Penguins on the current road trip, including PHN.

Penguins rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist faced 50 shots on Friday as the Penguins were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 at Rogers Place. Blomqvist stopped 46 shots and was praised for his work, even though the team submitted a mediocre effort. Blomqvist also supported the Penguins’ 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on October 18.

Alex Nedeljkovic started both matches between the two. Jarry hasn’t started or played since Oct. 16, when he allowed three goals in 11:33 against the Buffalo Sabres. The Penguins rallied to win 6-5 in overtime when Blomqvist replaced Jarry

Q: What prompted the decision to grant Tristan a conditional loan and what are the expectations for him during this period?

A: The decision was based solely on what we believe is the best way to allow Tristan to get back into shape and have enough action to transfer the work he is doing on the ice with our goaltending team and off the ice in games. The expectations for him when he is there is to play every game for Wilkes-Barre over the next 14 days and has set his sights on returning to Pittsburgh confident and in good shape.

Q: Why did Tristan travel with the team to Canada, play two games, then get sent back to Pittsburgh?

A: Tristan traveled to Winnipeg and Calgary with the team so he could get 3 solid days of training with Andy Chiodo. On the day off – Wednesday – he returned to Pittsburgh, given that we had limited practice time with back-to-back games coming up and knowing that he would report to Wilkes-Barre to play today. He continued to work with Jon Elkin and traveled to Wilkes from Pittsburgh (a much shorter and more direct trip than Edmonton or Vancouver to Wilkes-Barre). As the traveling media knows, bringing someone from Western Canada back to Pennsylvania takes an entire day. This was all discussed and planned with Tristan last week. The goal was to maximize practice, use days off as efficiently as possible and reduce travel time to Wilkes-Barre before playing today.

Q: Is Tristan suffering from an injury or illness?

A: No.

Q: What is the goaltending plan at the NHL level when Tristan returns to Pittsburgh?

A: We have seven games over the next 14 nights with Pittsburgh and five with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This provides all of our goalkeepers with a tremendous opportunity. We will evaluate where they all stand after this stretch and make the best decision for the Penguins.