PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Former NHL goalies and mentors of Tristan Jarry have already reached out to him. Offering their advice after allowing 21 goals in six postseason games including a game changing pass up the middle to cost the team in overtime.
Jarry says its encouraging having that big hockey family and it will help him get through and motivate him in the future.
"It didn't go the way I wanted," Jarry said plainly. "It's just learning from it and getting better. Being able to learn from that experience, that was my first time playing postseason games consecutively."
"I think just being able to learn from that. Learn from the goals I let in, learn from the mistakes that I had. I think it will make me a better person and a better goalie. I think those are experiences that you can hold with you for a lifetime and just learn from. I think that's something I will reflect on over the summer and come back better next year from."
Will Jarry be back with the Penguins next year? Will they bring in another veteran goalie for potentially a more intense competition?
"That's their decision," Jarry said Friday. "It's out of my control. There's nothing I can do about that. It's up to them. It's up to management. I think just having a good summer, pushing myself and just coming back as the best version of myself is all I can do."
The 26-year-old started a career-high 39 games this season, winning 25 with a 2.75 goals against average and .909 save percentage. Jarry is signed for two more years at $3.5 million next season and $4.5 million in 2022-23.
"It was a bit of an up-and-down year for me playing the games I did," Jarry said. "I guess I had a bit of a rough start at the beginning of the year. I was able to pick it up and play a lot of good hockey."
"This was a big year of growth for me. This was the first year I was able to start a lot of games and play a lot of games consecutively. I think it was just a lot of learning. A lot of stuff I can improve on and work on. I think that will help me this summer, having an idea of what I need to improve on and what I need to do better next year."
Through all of this, especially the criticism coming at him from every angle. Has he lost any confidence?
"No," Jarry said. "I don't think so. I've played a lot of good hockey this year. I played a lot of games. Went through a lot of learning and teaching moments. I think that will make me a better person and a better player."
"You learn from those experiences. Those experiences are something that you hold with you and take with you. It's something that will push you to be better."
"I will be better next year."
