What will the Penguins do with Tristan Jarry or Matt Murray?
When it comes to forecasting the Penguins’ goaltending situation for the 2020-21 season, one thing is certain.
Casey DeSmith will probably be the backup.
As to who he’ll be a reinforcement to, that’s still being sorted out.
The Penguins have already had trade discussions with other teams with regards to pending restricted free agent goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray.
And as general manager Jim Rutherford suggested, it appears to be a foregone conclusion one of them will be wearing a different jersey whenever the 2020-21 campaign does indeed open.
One advantage Rutherford does have to work with in discussions with other general managers seeking to add depth in net is the goaltenders he has to offer are young. Murray is 26 while Jarry is 25.
Meanwhile, most of the starting-caliber goaltenders scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this upcoming offseason are in their 30s or approaching them.
“The goalie market now, you’re going to have a group of free agents that are older,” Rutherford said by phone on Tuesday. “And then you’ll you have two goalies, depending on which one goes, that are really good, young goalies. In their mid-20s and in the prime of their careers. It’s going to be a matter of how that goalie market shapes up. How many teams come calling on our goalies. That will dictate what we can get in return.”
The fact that a potential trade partner will have contract control over Jarry or Murray also enhances their trade value as well.
But whose potential departure would benefit the Penguins more?
That depends on what’s more valuable. Potential salary cap savings or an asset such as a player, prospect or draft pick?
Dealing away Murray would likely benefit the Penguins in terms of their salary cap. According to Cap Friendly, the team has $9,171,492 of salary cap space available for the 2020 season.
Considering Murray is coming off a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $3.75 million, it’s safe to assume he and his agent are seeking a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract, even if his play has slid since winning the Stanley Cup in 2016 and ‘17.
But given the underwhelming results he has offered over the past three seasons and his potential contract demands, the return a trade partner might offer could be curbed a bit.
Jarry, on the other hand, could net a return which could benefit the active roster or restore depth to a pool of future assets which has become very shallow. His trajectory is progressing much higher than Murray’s at the moment and given that his 2019-20 salary cap hit was only $675,000, his contract demands will not be as ample as Murray’s, presumably.
Presuming the Penguins do jettison Jarry or Murray, the team could be in the market to add a veteran to serve as the organization’s third goaltender, as DeSmith did during the 2019-20 season.
“We’re very comfortable with DeSmith,” Rutherford said. “If we’re adding a third goalie, it would be more of a depth guy that would play in Wilkes-Barre.”
Ultimately, the Penguins’ “win now” modus operandi will overlap any other priority such as restocking a cache of prospects or draft picks.
Dealing away Murray and retaining Jarry, if for no other reason than to benefit the 2020-21 salary cap figure, would be inline with that overlying pursuit.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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