Nobody involved can be happy with how things currently stand for Tristan Jarry and the Edmonton Oilers. The Olympic break was supposed to be a reset — both mentally and physically — to gear up for the stretch run and, hopefully, a push for the Stanley Cup.
That all went out the window after just one start, as Jarry was pulled in the third period of a tie game against the division rival Anaheim Ducks after giving up five goals on 25 shots. He’s since seemingly lost the net to Connor Ingram, who’s started three straight games and won two of them, though he hasn’t been perfect himself.
Concern around the newly acquired netminder was already mounting due to his performance in the games leading up to the Olympics and his first start after them. The hope is that he can get back on track sooner rather than later, though a recent report from Jason Gregor — saying Jarry was getting lit up in practice, unlike anything he’s seen in quite some time — isn’t very promising.
“I watched practice yesterday, and I know it’s only practice, but I was watching drill after drill, and Jarry was getting lit up. I haven’t seen a goalie give up that many goals in a while. Now, maybe he’s working on something else, so it’s all about positioning — not worried about making the stops at this point. We’ll see. But I think Pete Aubry, the goalie coach, you’ve got some work to do to get Jarry in a position where the team can rely on him,”
The 30-year-old Jarry has gone 6-4-1 in 11 starts as an Oiler, sporting a 3.85 goals-against average and an .864 save percentage with one shutout. This comes after going 9-3-1 with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage while posting one shutout across 13 starts with the Penguins to start the season.
He’s in year three of the five-year, $26.875 million contract extension originally signed with Pittsburgh in 2023, which includes a modified no-trade clause.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride, to say the least, for Jarry so far in Edmonton. His career has been much the same, going through plenty of highs and lows, with injury troubles along the way that have hindered him from putting it all together consistently.
If there’s any positive for the Oilers, it’s that he may be getting the rough patch out of the way now — having already dealt with an injury and now struggling with his play. There would be no better time for the two-time All-Star to rediscover that form than over the next month heading into the postseason.
Banking on that will obviously come with some risk, but GM Stan Bowman made his bed with Jarry, and by the sounds of it, he will be sticking it out with him and Ingram for at least the rest of the 2025–26 season.
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