A lack of long-term consistent goaltending has been a major issue for the Pittsburgh Penguins ever since Marc-Andre Fleury was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 Expansion Draft. The Penguins thought they had a future after Fleury in Matt Murray after he showcased signs of a solid number one in their playoff runs from 2015 to 2018, but were ultimately left in disbelief when the young goaltender’s play went downhill. It dipped due to injuries and the death of his father during the 2018-19 season. After having consistently been an above .905 save percentage (SV%) goaltender with the Penguins, his play went south quickly as he had a 2.87 goals-against average (GAA) and a .899 SV% in the 2019-20 season. He was ultimately traded to the Ottawa Senators for Jonathan Gruden and a 2020 second-round pick, which led to the Penguins taking goaltender Joel Blomqvist. Blomqvist could be the answer to the Penguins’ goaltending problems, but it will take some time.
Related: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Tristan Jarry Will Be Under Pressure This Season
Since Murray was traded, the Penguins have relied heavily on Tristan Jarry to take the reins and help get the Penguins another Stanley Cup. Things have not gone that way, however. His play has not been terrible as he has kept below a 3.00 GAA and above a .905 SV%, but it is starting to dip, largely due to injuries and an aging team. If things do continue to fall for Jarry, they will not be able to do much with the trade market as it is very rare for goalies to get traded during the season. They do have Alex Nedeljkovic, who down the stretch last season showed he could be a number one, but they could give Blomqvist a chance sooner, depending on where they are in the standings.
Great Start to Blomqvist’s American Hockey League Career
In his rookie season and first season as a starting goaltender with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Blomqvist was stellar. His 45 games played throughout the 2023-24 regular season was fourth most among all goalies in the American Hockey League (AHL) – one game less than third and six games less than first and second. He held the third-best GAA with a 2.16 and his .912 SV% was fifth-best. For a rookie goalie in the AHL who has only played two games in the prior two years, that is an incredible start. Not to mention, he had to get acclimated to the smaller ice surface as he played in Finland prior to coming to North America. While it may not be entirely plausible he earns a permanent spot at some point this season, he is surely a good candidate to be the guy that gets called upon should an injury happen to Jarry or Nedeljkovic.
Though the team fell short of the ultimate goal of winning the Calder Cup, Blomqvist’s season was capped off by individual awards. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game for the Atlantic Division, as well as the AHL All-Rookie Team and AHL Second All-Star Team. A complete 180 from his regular season, Blomqvist did struggle in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Wilkes-Barre were swept in the best-of-three series with Blomqvist having a 3.49 GAA and a .894 SV%.
Both games were tight one-goal games, but Game 2 was make or break for Blomqvist. After stopping 30-of-32 in Game 1, he allowed five goals on 34 shots in Game 2, with the Phantoms scoring four of the five total goals between the third period and overtime. Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas wanted Blomqvist to “assert himself” during the Calder Cup Playoffs and if he did, his shot at an NHL roster spot for the upcoming season would have been there. He now has the opportunity to continue his development with Wilkes-Barre and chase after the Calder Cup Trophy before entering the next chapter of his career.
Adding Blomqvist During a Rebuild Causes Less Pressure
Let’s face it, the Penguins are heading towards a rebuild more and more each season. Now, it will not be while they still have the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Kris Letang, but it will more than likely happen once one, or a couple of them, are no longer with the team. Malkin and Letang both signed multi-year contract extensions with the Penguins in 2022, with Malkin having two years left and Letang with four. Crosby is in the last year of his current contract and has yet to sign an extension, though it should happen before the end of the season. Should the Penguins be headed towards a full rebuild, bringing in Blomqvist as a backup to Jarry prior to the potential rebuild, should Jarry still be the starter, would be beneficial to him and the team.
This scenario would allow Blomqvist to watch and learn from a good goaltender in Jarry, as well as goaltending coach Andy Chiodo. There would be no added pressure on the Penguins to rush getting Blomqvist to full NHL starter right off the bat, and can work with him slowly to get his development right. Having him start as a backup would create less of an opportunity to shatter his confidence, seeing that is the most important thing for any player to have, especially for goalies.
The start of the 2024-25 AHL season for Blomqvist will be crucial. If he can continue his hot performance early in the season, it could catch the eye of the Penguins’ front office, and maybe claim him a spot on the roster as soon as next season. The Penguins are in a similar position as the Dallas Stars were a few years ago with a young goalie, and now they have one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL in Jake Oettinger. If the Penguins can develop Blomqvist in a similar way that the Stars did with Oettinger, they should be solid in the goalie position for a long time.
