Penguins A to Z: Casey DeSmith proved reliable as backup when healthy

With the Penguins’ 2021-22 season coming to a quick ending in the first round of the playoffs, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 54 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until the 2022-23 season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.

Casey DeSmith

Position: Goaltender

Catches: Left

Age: 30

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 181 pounds

2021-22 NHL statistics: 26 games, 11-6-5 record, 2.79 goals against average, .914 save percentage, three shutouts

Contract: In the final year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.25 million. Pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

Acquired: Undrafted free-agent signing, July 1, 2015

Last season: There was a before and after to Casey DeSmith’s 2021-22 campaign.

And Jan. 21 was essentially the fulcrum of how his season unfolded.

That night, in a 5-2 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, DeSmith — who just recovered from a bout with covid-19 — got the start but was pulled following the first period after he allowed two goals on 12 shots.

Including that lackluster performance, DeSmith had largely struggled to that point of the season. In nine games, he had a 3-3-1 record, a 3.58 goals against average, an .886 save percentage and one shutout.

After squaring away some issues with his skates as well as his mechanics, DeSmith leveled off his game, starting with a spirited effort in a 3-2 home shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 28 in which he made 30 saves on 32 shots in regulation and overtime.

Over his final 17 games, he had an 8-3-4 record, a 2.40 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and three shutouts.

When starter Tristan Jarry was sidelined due to a right foot ailment on April 15, DeSmith was anointed as the team’s top goaltender and was in net for Game 1 of a first-round series against the New York Rangers on May 3.

DeSmith’s postseason came to an end that night when he left the game in the second overtime due to a core muscle injury that eventually required surgery to correct. He was replaced by Louis Domingue who steered the Penguins to a 4-3 win in the third overtime.

After the Penguins were eliminated by the Rangers, DeSmith revealed he had been dealing with a groin injury for roughly a month.

The future: The Penguins’ biggest free agent questions this offseason involve franchise pillars Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

An argument could be made that DeSmith is third — albeit a distant third — on that list.

He has been a fairly cheap and moderately reliable backup for three of the past four seasons. At least when he’s been healthy.

For the past two postseasons, groin injuries have disrupted his availability to some degree.

Given that history and his age — he turns 31 in August — should the Penguins re-sign him?

There are pros and cons to that debate.

Bringing him back on a contract with a similar cap hit would be helpful in terms of allowing management to direct its salary cap space to other quadrants of the roster.

And none of the organization’s goaltending prospects are on the verge of making the jump to the NHL by next season.

That said, finding a more talented goaltender than DeSmith who could present a better challenge to Jarry for playing time wouldn’t be difficult. There are plenty of quality goaltenders scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 13. But many of them would command a fairly heavy cap hit.

The Penguins know what they have with DeSmith. But they might need more, even if it costs more.

Follow the Penguins all season long.