Penguins GM Kyle Dubas Expects An 'All Out Battle' at Camp

If they weren't before, the Pittsburgh Penguins are finally resigned to the fact that they will not be a playoff team this season. GM Kyle Dubas is already giving thought to what the summer and then training camp might hold for his roster. In particular, he expects the scrap for jobs between the pipes to be "an all-out battle."

On the 100% Hockey podcast, Dubas told John Shannon and Darren Millard that he fully expects the competition at the goaltending position to be a real scrap.

My view of it is that the five guys right now–with their play or with their history or with their pedigree–have earned the right to come into camp for an all-out battle for the position... Collectively, we need that position to continue to improve for us.

Those 'five' include Alex Nedeljkovic, Joel Blomqvist, Filip Larsson, top goalie prospect Sergie Murashov, and, yes, beleaguered veteran Tristan Jarry is expected to be back, too — no, a buyout is not in the cards.

Jarry still has three years to go on his contract at a $5.375 cap hit. He spent chunks of this season going up and down to the AHL, but is back now. And although he was pulled in two recent games, overall, he has fared much better upon his return, with a .907 save percentage in nine appearances with the Penguins in March.

"It couldn’t have been easy on him to start with us (at the NHL level), go down to (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) once, come back up, (then) back down to Wilkes full-time before coming back again to Pittsburgh. Especially as a guy that’s been a two-time All-Star in the league,” said Dubas.

"I think he's handled it very well. We hope he can have a strong finish to the year and that can propel him into a great summer and a great start to next season."

Overall, Jarry has an .891 Sv% and a 3.21 GAA this campaign, while Nedeljkovic has an .892 Sv% and a 3.19 GAA.

Murashov, 21, has been the star of the bunch, posting an 11-1-0 record with a .916 save percentage at Wilkes-Barre.