Unexpected trade the Detroit Red Wings can make with Penguins in the 2024 offseason

There are quite a few players the Pittsburgh Penguins could send elsewhere as they try to find a way to put together a short-term solution led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, who have been part of the team’s ‘Big Three’ for most of the 21st century. And wow, that’s an impressive run, but for the Detroit Red Wings, this means there could be some talent leaving the Steel City via trade, one of which could interest general manager Steve Yzerman. 

That player is goaltender Tristan Jarry, and yeah, I know, another article regarding a potential trade for a goaltender. But he’s been the subject of trade rumors, and even after re-signing key restricted free agents like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, a trade involving Jarry and the $6.4 million he’s due this year could still work.  

One reason is that, per Cap Friendly, the Red Wings have over $29 million in available cap space, and Spotrac isn’t too far off that number, projecting the Wings with $26.5 million. So, while that number will surely trend south, it’s not like the Red Wings will be cash-strapped for Jarry, but the issue is, would he be worth the risk?

Would a Tristan Jarry trade make sense for the Detroit Red Wings?

Something that might deter Steve Yzerman in a potential trade for Tristan Jarry is recent history, considering how short Ville Husso has fallen. But when Jarry is on, he literally looks like a Vezina contender, something we saw this season when he posted six shutouts and an amazing 0.604 quality starts percentage. 

But the inconsistencies make him look like a borderline AHL talent, and it’s why the Penguins rolled with a 1B and a No. 2 goaltender last year, with the 1B being Jarry and the No. 2 goaltender being a familiar face in Alex Nedeljkovic. Of course, trading for Jarry, even the version that we saw this season where inconsistency from game to game was his only consistency, may still be an upgrade over Husso. 

Overall, it’s up in the air as to whether general manager Kyle Dubas trades Jarry to create enough cap space to build a “few-year team” around the Big Three. Even if he does, there are better options out there than Jarry, and it would be a shocker to see Yzerman take another risk on trading for a goaltender. 

But just about everyone in the NHL knows the Wings need better options in the crease, and Jarry is better than what they currently have. 

(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)