Ron Hextall has stood behind his number one goaltender Tristan Jarry since Matt Murray's departure, indicating that he would get back to full strength. The 26-year-old had a decent regular season, but in the playoffs he fell off the map. He finished the playoffs with a dismal 3.18 GAA and a staggering .888 save percentage.
Despite this setback, which took a heavy toll on the Penguins' second round pick in 2013, Hextall is confident that his masked man will come back strong: "When you're a goalie, and I've been there, there are disappointments that you have to overcome and bounce back from. I'm confident that Tristan will bounce back and be a very good goalie for us throughout the year!"
The Pens' general manager is doing the right thing by getting behind his young goalie, but is he dreaming big by doing so? I mean, is Jarry really the solution in front of the Pittsburgh Penguins' net? Personally, I was wondering about that even before his playoff collapse. He's good, Jarry. He's not bad, far from it, but he reminds me more of Jake Allen or Jaroslav Halak. Not in his style, but in his endurance.
But hey, Hextall made sure to give Jarry the tools by firing Mike Buckley and replacing him with development coach Andy Chiodo to work more on his mental side: "Andy's job now is, primarily, the two big team guys. So hopefully we can make some small adjustments. The mental aspect of the game for a goalie is an integral part of it. Andy is well aware of that."
In short, let's hope the scenario plays out the way Hextall wrote it...if it doesn't, he'll have to opt for another solution!
