Does anybody think the Penguins should run back Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith as their goaltending tandem in 2023-24? I didn’t think so. Goaltending is an area which has let the team down in recent years due to injuries and subpar play. League average goaltending is probably not going to be good enough for a team with an aging core if they want to make noise in the playoffs.

The problem is there are very few sure bets in the sport at the position. Sometimes even the sure guys underperform. Sometimes a depth guy leads a team to the Stanley Cup Final. It is an endlessly frustrating position to navigate. The best a team can do is increase the odds of getting quality play. One of those goaltenders is available for trade and has been solid for many years. It is Connor Hellebuyck.



You can’t argue with his resume. He has played a lot and his results have been among the best in the league. In 2020 won the Vezina Trophy. In the short term he would almost single handedly solve the Penguins goaltending issues. The long term? Well, he will be 30 at the start of next season and has led the league in games played four out of the past six seasons. The other two seasons he didn’t lead the league he still played 63 and 66 games. How much juice does he have left is a very valid question to ask. If you trade for him you will be trading for a pending UFA and one that will be expecting a decent extension into his thirties.

For the Penguins it would be one of those trades where they would be pushing their chips into the middle of the table. You would have to invest both the assets to acquire and then the risky contract afterwards. If they could get three solid Hellebuyck years I think it is the kind of gamble that can really change the makeup of the team. We’re also talking about goaltending so nothing is a guarantee. It really is the most volatile type of gambling you can do with your roster.

As for cost of acquisition it might actually be feasible.

Idk about the other two but I keep jumping up and down over here telling ppl Hellebuyck is not as expensive as some would think

— Chad DeDominicis (@CMDeDominicis) June 8, 2023

I trust Chad’s assessment. He does an excellent job covering the Sabres which includes nailing down rumors and speculation like Hellebuyck’s market value.

If Dubas is willing to use 14 then they can probably get themselves in the conversation.

— Chad DeDominicis (@CMDeDominicis) June 8, 2023

It should come as no surprise the #14 overall pick would be at the center of discussion. You can make an argument that perhaps using the #14 pick and then some is a lot to gamble on a 30-year-old pending UFA goaltender. What shouldn’t be argued is the Penguins using the #14 overall pick on an established player. Using the pick at the draft is a non-starter for me. They need to use it in a meaningful trade to help the current roster. This is the bed they’ve made.

The #14 overall pick is one of the best trade assets the Penguins have. They need to make the most of it. It seems like fixing their goaltender situation is near the top of the to do list this summer. This might be the place to use it.

Thanks for reading!

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