#3. Tristan Jarry
Current Status: Restricted Free Agent
The Penguins have a goaltending debacle because they can only afford to keep one of their net-minders right now. It’s either going to be two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray or up-and-comer Tristan Jarry.
All signs point to the Penguins keeping Jarry, but if the right offer came it’s way, general manager Jim Rutherford has been known to shock the world. Jarry was always the better prospect than Murray but as we talked about before, Murray found lightning in a bottle and helped guide the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Jarry has all the makings of being a franchise goaltender and the Leafs should try to acquire him. At only 25-years-old, Jarry was an unbelievable junior goaltender and has been slowly working his way towards the NHL. Everyone knows that goaltenders need time to improve, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s a top-five NHL goalie in the next few years.
Although his stats aren’t any better than Andersen (.915 Sv%, 2.59 GAA), his age and potential contract is intriguing. It’s possible that you could get Jarry for less than Andersen’s price-tag on a four or five year deal since he’s an RFA this off-season. The one issue though is that the Leafs would have to trade a few assets to Pittsburgh in order to acquire him.
They already made a deal that involved Kasperi Kapanen, so someone like Nick Robertson would have to be included in this deal for it to work. It would be hard for the Leafs to acquire Jarry but if there’s a trade that works, the Leafs should make it.