As we head into the final month and a half of the NHL regular season, this season is one to throw out the window for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They find themselves four points out from being at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with the Buffalo Sabres having four games in hand to make that happen. In contention for a lottery pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, there has been a lot of talk amongst fans on Penguins X surrounding the goaltending on the team. While it is understandable why the Penguins made the moves they did with the goaltending, it is not benefiting one of their younger goalies who has a ton of potential.
Related: Penguins’ Joel Blomqvist Needs to Seize Big Opportunity in Front of Him
Joel Blomqvist is one of the top two goaltending prospects in the Penguins’ system, with the other being Sergei Murashov, who has been phenomenal in the ECHL. Blomqvist has had his bright spots this season but has also had some lows through his two stints in the NHL. He is not completely at fault for that, however. The time sat on the Penguins’ bench between said starts has played a huge factor. With that issue looming, should the Penguins look to bring Tristan Jarry back to the NHL to allow Blomqvist guaranteed game time in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (WBS)?
Sending Blomqvist Down Due to Lack of Game Time Would Be Beneficial
As the Penguins seem to be leaning on Alex Nedeljkovic to get the majority of the starts, Blomqvist’s only chance of getting starts consistently to continue developing his game would be with WBS. Since being recalled to the Penguins for a second stint on Jan. 16, his time in the net has been minimal – getting four starts in 13 games while coming on in relief for another two games. For a team that is looking to develop their prospects for the future, they are not doing well with the most important role on a successful team.
The time between starts in the NHL for Blomqvist has been no less than a week. A week of just sitting on the bench with no real practice time makes it more difficult for goalies to be game-ready, especially for younger goalies such as Blomqvist. Rather than helping his progression and development, the Penguins are hindering it by sitting him. Though there could be a reason for it, such as not wanting to break his confidence, trying to get Nedeljkovic’s trade value up (not going to happen), or just not wanting to overwork him. Whether it is due to one of those three reasons or even a different reason, it is not good enough to keep him out of games with the team knowing a playoff spot is not likely to happen this season.
Tristan Jarry Could Be the Backup to Alex Nedeljkovic
Now, this will be a complete surprise that someone is saying this, but Jarry should be back in the NHL to be the backup goalie to Nedeljkovic if head coach Mike Sullivan is not going to consider giving Blomqvist more starts this season. Sending Jarry down to the AHL to begin with was a smart move, as things were not working out well for him with Pittsburgh. That, and it was still early enough in the season where the team could have put themselves in a good spot to get back into the playoffs after missing out on them the last two seasons. However, the team is now not poised for a playoff run, which would clear Jarry of any expectations to turn the season around like some would have wanted. Rather than putting more pressure on himself by worrying about playing a perfect game night in and night out, playing a backup role would allow him to be more relaxed and get back to the basics to re-learn and grow.
Blomqvist Needs to Stay in the NHL and Be Given More Starts
As the season comes close to ending, the Penguins need to give Blomqvist a majority of the starts. He has proven himself time and time again that he can take the reins, but he has done so when he has played more than a game every other week. The potential he has can be seen, but Sullivan and the Penguins’ management are not doing him any favors with whatever tactic they are trying to use. While it is known they will not have another Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes for some time (we shall wait to see how Murashov develops), they do have a young goaltender who has what it takes to backstop this team to a playoff spot in a few seasons. Sullivan needs to show Blomqvist he trusts him to back-stop this team to success, and it needs to start soon, before he begins to lose all confidence in his game.
