Tristan Jarry has turned the Oilers’ goaltending conversation on its head in a hurry.
Not long ago, he looked like the kind of contract Edmonton would have to shed and might struggle to move at all. Now the discussion sounds very different: he’s making a real push to be the starter, and if another team came calling, the Oilers would have a decision worth pausing over.
That shift has come on the back of three straight strong starts after a rough season-opening outing against Vancouver. Two of those starts ended in shutouts, and over that stretch Jarry has stopped 73 of the last 76 shots he’s seen. Since being pushed into the No. 1 role after Devon Levi’s injury, he’s answered the call.
His most recent outing came in a 4-3 shootout loss to a fast New Jersey team, but even in defeat he gave Edmonton a chance. Jarry made 31 saves and helped the Oilers earn a point, with much of the reason they stayed in the game tied directly to his performance.
That kind of run has naturally started to change how people talk about his value. Jack Nessel of Daily Faceoff Edmonton recently suggested Jarry could become a player other teams take a look at. His $5.3 million cap hit still isn’t easy to swallow based on what he’s done since arriving in Edmonton, but a longer stretch like this would force clubs to reassess.
That’s a big flip from the recent chatter around him. Not long ago, the talk was that the Oilers couldn’t move on from him without attaching a sweetener in a salary cap dump. Now the question is whether Edmonton would even entertain a deal if someone asked.
The answer, at least for the moment, seems pretty clear. The Oilers kept Jarry this summer when many expected a move, and with him now playing well - and serving as their only legitimate NHL goalie available - it’s hard to imagine them wanting to part with him.
Still, there’s always the logic of selling high. Letting a chance like this pass can come back to haunt a team if the play drops off later.
For now, though, Jarry is doing the one thing that matters most: helping Edmonton win. And with this being the second-to-late season of his current deal, the Oilers could live with a lot worse than holding onto him if the regression eventually comes.
What looked like an easy yes if a trade opportunity surfaced has become a much firmer no. A hot streak at the right time can change everything.
In Other News...
Oilers Escape With A Point In A Performance Fans Wont Love
The Oilers left New Jersey with a point after a 4-3 shootout loss, but it was the kind of night that probably felt more like a warning than a consolation. Edmonton opened the scoring, then spent much of the game chasing after the Devils swung the momentum in the second period, before the Oilers managed to drag it back to even in the third and force extra time.
Connor McDavid kept his run going with another point and assist, and Evan Bouchard continued to lead defensemen in scoring this season, but the bigger story was how much Edmonton leaned on its power play to stay afloat. Tristan Jarry finished with a .912 save percentage, and while the Oilers escaped with a point, it was hard to miss how uneven the performance looked at five-on-five. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Could Sacrifice A Familiar Piece For A Bigger Playoff Push
The Oilers have opened the season in strong fashion, but the roster that takes shape by the playoffs could look different if management decides to chase a bigger deadline upgrade. With the trade deadline still ahead, Edmonton is already being sized up as a team that may have to part with real assets to improve its chances, and that means a few familiar names could end up in the conversation as the front office weighs present needs against long-term value.
Isaac Howard, Matt Savoie and Jake Walman are among the pieces being discussed as possible trade currency, with the idea being that Edmonton could use one or more of them to land a more impactful playoff addition. There is already plenty of speculation around bigger names around the league, including Nikita Kucherov and Jake DeBrusk, but nothing is settled yet, and the real question for the Oilers is how much of their current depth they are willing to sacrifice to make a deeper run. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Have A Wing Problem At The Worst Time
Isaac Howards latest setback adds another wrinkle to a wing group that already needed some stability, with the Edmonton forward set to miss about two weeks after getting hurt early in the game against the New York Islanders. Howard had been in the lineup for 12 games this season before the knee injury, and his absence leaves the Oilers trying to keep their forward rotation steady while one of their younger options gets a break from the lineup.
Filip Hallander has been the next man up in Howards spot, giving Edmonton at least a temporary answer while the injury plays out. The timing is less than ideal for a team that would rather be building chemistry than shuffling pieces, and it puts a little more pressure on the rest of the wing group to absorb the minutes until Howard is ready to return. [Read more 🡒]