PITTSBURGH — A third straight April without playoff hockey is underway in Pittsburgh. Soon, the Penguins will head into another offseason in which they lack clarity in the crease.

Two summers ago, Kyle Dubas stepped in and immediately re-signed Tristan Jarry.

Last year, Dubas considered trading Jarry or letting Alex Nedeljkovic leave in free agency to make way for Joel Blomqvist, ultimately opting to go with the status quo.

Now, Dubas must sift through the rubble of one of the NHL's worst puck-stopping platoons in 2024-25 and determine what the Penguins can salvage at the position.

Even with average goaltending, they likely would not have been a playoff team this season. But they would at least still be in the race right now. Instead, the Penguins are closing in on their worst record since Sidney Crosby's rookie year in 2005-06.

Collectively, the Penguins are 31st in the NHL in goals-against average and goals saved above expected, per Sportlogiq. Their goalies rank in the bottom three in total save percentage and save percentage on shots from the slot. They have just one shutout, which coincidentally came in their last game, a 1-0 overtime win against Ottawa.

Individually, each of the three goalies who have played in net for them performed below Pittsburgh's expectations and are question marks heading into next season.

Jarring Jarry

The most glaring one is Jarry. Will he still be on this team three months from now?

He let in the very first shot of the season, starting the troubling trend of first-shot goals given up by the Penguins. Twice he was sent to the American Hockey League. And after he strung together a few quality outings following his recall last month, Jarry got pulled from two games last week, basically bringing him back to square one.

The Penguins seem determined to play the former All-Star as much as possible the rest of the way, which makes sense. If he plays well, it might slightly improve his trade value. And if the Penguins lose, it can only improve their draft lottery odds.

To his credit, Jarry has carried himself like a pro in an incredibly difficult season for him. And he has said all the right things since rejoining the Penguins in March. He wants to stay in Pittsburgh but knows he is auditioning for 31 other teams, too.

That said, it feels like Jarry and the Penguins are headed toward a split this summer.

Given his subpar play the last two seasons, the lingering memory of his first-round meltdown four years ago and his injury history, Jarry is likely viewed as a negative trade asset across the league. That is not to say that some teams don't think he can rebound. A few likely do. However, the problem here is the contract, not the player.

Jarry has three more years left on the deal Dubas gave him at a $5,375,000 cap hit.

Dubas previously stated that he is not a proponent of using contract buyouts to get an unwanted salary off the books. But at least in theory, a buyout is one option.

Practically speaking, a Jarry buyout would not really impact their cap picture one way or another. The Penguins would get cap relief this offseason, when cap space is not a worry for them. There would be just minimal savings for the following two seasons, per PuckPedia. A little dead money would remain on the books until 2031.

However, from a hockey standpoint, buying Jarry out would allow the Penguins to turn the page in goal while also giving him a chance to reboot his career elsewhere.

Another potential pathway here is Dubas and the Penguins swapping Jarry and his salary for another team's unwanted contract. That's what Jim Rutherford did when he traded Patric Hornqvist for Mike Matheson — a move that ultimately benefited both the Penguins and Florida Panthers while working out well for both players.

Prospects between the pipes

Nedeljkovic, who has one season left on his deal, is the better bet to stick around.

Across the board, his statistics were a tick or two better than Jarry's. But despite spurts of strong play, Nedeljkovic was unable to take the No. 1 job and run with it.

His overall body of work in the NHL says that Nedeljkovic is a solid backup — and there is no shame in that. Teammates and coaches love his competitive spirit and affable personality off the ice, too. He is a fine veteran to pair with a young goalie.

But will either of Pittsburgh's top prospects be ready to fill a full-time NHL role?

This winter, the Penguins gave Blomqvist an opportunity to seize a NHL spot. But the 23-year-old former second-rounder regressed as he played behind one of the league's leakiest defensive teams. He was sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, got injured and is now watching their other young goalie post stellar stats in the AHL.

The organization is pumped about Sergei Murashov, one of a few promising picks made by the Ron Hextall regime. Murashov has made steady progress throughout his first year in North America. And the 21-year-old Russian reeled off 11 straight wins for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, for which he recently set a new franchise mark.

However, Murashov has made just 12 starts at the AHL level. It is not impossible that he pushes for an NHL job in the fall. But the Penguins certainly can't bank on it.

What's the play?

So what could Dubas and the Penguins do to address the position this offseason?

That depends on whether they actually intend to push for the playoffs in 2025-26.

Dubas has indicated that he does not plan to take any shortcuts just to simply try to get the Penguins back to the playoffs. He wants to rebuild the Penguins back up to being true contenders. And Fenway Sports Group is fully on board with his plan.

That makes it unlikely that we will see them make a splashy addition this summer.

That said, the status quo does not make much sense for the Penguins. They cannot count on Jarry going forward, nor can they rely on Nedeljkovic to make 50 starts.

But they also can't assume Blomqvist or Murashov will be ready to replace one of them in the fall. So if they do move on from Jarry, they may need to add a stopgap.

It is a complicated situation for the Penguins to sort out. And Dubas' track record with this critical position — both here and Toronto — will not inspire much confidence.

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