Penguins Recall Jarry, Send Nieto to WBS; What’s Next?

It worked out as something of an exchange, but the moves the Pittsburgh Penguins made on Saturday have deeper implications. They recalled goaltender Tristan Jarry from his conditioning loan with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and assigned forward Matt Nieto to WBS for a conditioning loan.

Jarry was 4-1-0 with a 2.16 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in five games after he was loaned to WBS to work on his game and try to regain the form that made him a former NHL All-Star. He remained there the maximum allowed 14 days. The loss came Friday in his last start for the AHL Penguins, when he made 15 saves on 19 shots in a 5-3 loss against Lehigh Valley.

Before his AHL stint, Jarry was 1-1-0 with a 5.47 goals-against average and an .836 save percentage in three starts. Not what the Penguins need or expect from a goalie who carries a $5.375 million salary cap hit.

The big question now is what the Penguins do with their goalies at the NHL level. It appears they might ride with three, at least for now.

Alex Nedeljkovic is not likely going anywhere and could slot in as the No. 1 for the time being — although the Penguins might well want to get Jarry in to games quickly to evaluate his level of play. Nedeljkovic is 2-3-2 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .883 save percentage in seven starts.

Then there is rookie Joel Blomqvist. He is 3-4-0 in his first seven games, six of them starts, with a 3.25 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Friday, he stopped 32 of 34 shots in the Penguins’ 4-2 win in Washington.

The Penguins next play Monday when the Dallas Stars visit. They had a day off from practice Saturday.

Nieto, meanwhile, has been working his way back from knee surgery. He last played Nov. 30, 2023, so while he has been a full participant recently at Penguins practice, a conditioning stint in the AHL is no surprise.