The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team in transition. On April 28 they parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan after ten seasons. General manager Kyle Dubas has his work cut out for him this offseason. Even though the Penguins have missed the playoffs the last three years in a row, Dubas is not necessarily rushing a postseason return. He understands there are more than a few areas that need attention and that might take a while.
Penguins Need Work In Key Areas This Summer
One of the things Dubas needs to address this summer is goaltending. Starting goaltender Tristan Jarry was sent down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, twice this season, and backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic struggled to pick up the slack. After his second return from the AHL in early March, Jarry went 8-4-2 and made a case for why the Penguins should keep him around.
Jarry’s biggest struggle has always been with consistency. His play at the end of the season was light years better than it was at the beginning. However, can the Penguins trust that? He has three years left on his $5.375 million contract, so moving him will probably be difficult. When he returned to Pittsburgh in March, he proved that he still has the ability to play like a first-string goalie. That doesn’t mean his issues have all been fixed, and the team should put all their trust in him. A trade is not out of the question, but it would almost definitely require Pittsburgh to retain some of his salary.
