On July 1, 2023, the Pittsburgh Penguins locked up starting goaltender Tristan Jarry to a five-year, $26.9 million contract. Some fans questioned this move by new general manager, Kyle Dubas, due to the injury problems Jarry has experienced and the time he missed due to these injuries. That same day, Alex Nedeljkovic was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract to be Jarry’s backup.
At that point, no one could have predicted it would be Nedeljkovic to be in the net for the final 13 games of the season in an attempt to claim one of the last playoff spots. Going 2-7-1 in his last 10 starts, Jarry forced head coach Mike Sullivan’s hand to take a chance with Nedeljkovic as the starter to end the season. As the 2024-25 season inches closer, there are many questions surrounding Jarry, and there will be more pressure put on his shoulders with the team looking set to miss the playoffs again.
Something Penguins fans had not experienced in a long time had been missing the playoffs two consecutive years, but have now experienced it as their team failed to qualify for the last two postseasons. A common theme with Jarry’s play over the last few seasons has been inconsistency when it really matters down the stretch of the regular season when a playoff spot is on the line. Even some of his playoff performances have been questionable. One performance that comes to mind is his terrible turnover in double overtime of Game 5 of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Islanders. This team still has what it takes to make a playoff push, but it will rely largely on how Jarry plays as many Eastern Conference teams have become stronger with additions they made throughout the offseason.
The consistency will need to come at the drop of the puck in game one of the season. While he was outstanding in their home opener against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks last season, stopping 32 of 35, losing five of his first seven games should not be happening. Though losses are not entirely Jarry’s fault as the Penguins need to be better defensively, he has to be better fundamentally. During the 2-5-0 stretch, there were a number of goals that were buried right over his shoulder from playing too deep into his net, allowing more open holes for a shooter to choose from. Not only that but he was getting caught out of position a few times for a player to easily tuck the puck behind him due to bad rebound control. Even shots that did not go in would lie in the crease, making things more difficult for him and his defense.
In the five losses in that stretch, he allowed 18 goals, which included three goals on nine shots and being pulled in just over 25 minutes of play against the Ottawa Senators. In his two wins in that stretch, there is no doubt Jarry played spectacular and up to his potential as he captured shutouts in both contests – one against the Washington Capitals with 19 saves and the other against the Colorado Avalanche with 31 saves.
Jarry’s numbers to end last season were not up to par with some of the top goalies in the league as his .903 save percentage (SV%) and 2.91 goals-against average (GAA) both ranked 23rd among all goalies to have played 35-plus games. His shutouts, however, told a different story as his six shutouts were tied for first with Connor Ingram, Charlie Lindgren, and Stanley Cup champion, Sergei Bobrovsky. These were both drop-offs as he ranked 20th in GAA with a 2.90 GAA and 16th with a .909 SV%. For the Penguins to make the playoffs, they will need Jarry to dig down and find his 2021-22 self again. He was great that season as he had a .919 SV% and a career-best 2.42 GAA.
Nedeljkovic struggled after being acquired by the Detroit Red Wings at the end of the 2020-21 season that sent Jonathan Bernier to the Carolina Hurricanes. In his first season with the Red Wings, Nedeljkovic put up a 3.31 GAA and a .901 SV% which were the lowest numbers he put up playing in 15 or more games. However, things got worse during his second season as he could not find his footing in the NHL, and was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) to gain confidence with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Through 15 games during the 2022-23 season, Nedeljkovic put up a career-worst 3.53 GAA and .895 SV%.
With a change of scenery and a team set up for a decent playoff run, at least should have been, he was able to come into the Penguins organization and get back to the way he was playing with the Hurricanes. Jarry’s injury in November opened the gates for Nedeljkovic to show Sullivan he is capable of being a starter, should that come to fruition. The Parma, OH native had 33 starts and put up solid backup goalie numbers with a 2.97 GAA and .902 SV%. There’s no question the goalie situation for the Penguins has been shaky, but Nedeljkovic is gaining his confidence back and could take over the number-one spot at some point this season. Though, this could push Jarry to be better, not to say he is a terrible goalie as there are worse starting goaltenders out there.
Entering the second season of his five-year contract, Jarry will have a ton of pressure on him to perform up to the standards of his contract, but he does have the ability to be one of the better goalies in the league. If the Penguins are to break their small drought and make the playoffs this season, Jarry will need to step up, especially when it gets down to the final 20 games of the season. If he is unable to step up his game, his future with the Penguins just might be talked about largely at the end of the season.
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It might have been a good thing the Chicago Bears didn’t play Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Bears might need to hide their second-year quarterback as he irons out his wrinkles in the pre-snap process and with accuracy issues. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Caleb Williams was inaccurate in the red zone against no defenders On Sunday, head coach Ben Johnson chose not to play Williams against the Dolphins in the Bears’ first preseason game. Instead, Johnson led a workout with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the workout. All of the plays were routes in the air with no defenders on the field for the scripted practice. Despite going against no defenders bringing pressure or guarding his receivers, Williams struggled to hit his targets in the red zone. "Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play," Biggs wrote. "Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run… "Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much." A closed-door problem for the Chicago Bears The throws weren’t close during routes on air… in the red zone… seriously? Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason game. For all of the flak he’s been getting from practice reports, the quarterback would have been relentlessly mocked for having these issues shown during an NFL Network broadcast. Biggs’ report is troubling, with a month to go before the season. Williams has much to improve upon, and the Bears are very much trying to do so without cameras present for a reason.
In 2024, Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis was suddenly given the keys to the offense under center after Jordan Love suffered an injury in Week 1’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Despite limited time with the Packers in the offseason, Willis managed to be a steady presence on the field, with Green Bay tailoring the offense for him. With Love reportedly undergoing a procedure on his left thumb, Willis filled in as the Packers’ QB1 during Thursday’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Willis appeared to make a good account of himself on the field, with Packers running back Josh Jacobs taking notice of the quarterback’s performance. “We know what Malik is and what we have in Malik,” Jacobs said, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ website. Jacobs also shared his confidence in Willis’ NFL outlook. “He made a few throws today that was kinda like, ‘Wow.’ Just him being more comfortable and him being the leader, I think he’s naturally a guy that he puts in the work, so I think he’s going to succeed.” Will Jordan Love be ready for the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 NFL season opener? The Packers are less than a month away from kicking off their 2025 campaign, with a date with the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field scheduled for September 7. Green Bay, however, doesn’t seem all that worried about Love’s availability for that contest. “We’ll get him back in plenty of time,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said (h/t Rob Demovsky of ESPN). “I don’t foresee this affecting him long term at all.” As for the upcoming preseason clash with the Colts and the one after that versus the Seattle Seahawks, Love can be expected to sit out both contests, with Willis possibly getting some snaps.
Pete Alonso is now the New York Mets' all-time home run king. With his opposite-field, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, Alonso clubbed the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career, moving him into sole possession of first place on the team's all-time list. He moved two home runs ahead of the previous record-holder, Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the team between the 1983 and 1990 seasons. Here is a look at his record-setting home run. Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alonso hit his 254th home run: Along with the all-time Mets home run lead, Alonso is also the Mets' single-season home run leader with 53 home runs during the 2019 season. Strawberry congratulated Alonso on breaking his record: His home runs on Tuesday were his 27th and 28th of the season. It is a big deal for Alonso because there was some doubt this past offseason if he would have a chance to actually set this record. Even though he was close, the uncertainty around his future given his free-agent status created a lot of questions about where he would play. Ultimately, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out clause following the 2025 season. That opt-out will again create some uncertainty about his future, but it is pretty clear Alonso still has a lot of power left in his bat. Whether he returns to the Mets or goes somewhere else, he will remain the franchise's greatest home run hitter for the foreseeable future. He is now on top of the record books for the single season and career.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is in peak off-season mode, enjoying his time off while staying ready for his upcoming 23rd season in the NBA, eighth with Los Angeles. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for the Lakers last season. On a separate note, his youngest son, Bryce James, is preparing for his first collegiate season with the Arizona Wildcats, where he committed early in 2025. Before this new chapter, he spent most of his high school basketball career playing for Sierra Canyon, where he won a State Division 1 title in his senior year. Meanwhile, upon Bryce's first trip back home since leaving for college, James was taken aback by his appearance. In the Lakers star's latest Instagram story, he welcomes home his youngest son after his first stint away at Arizona. Within the video, James is overcome with excitement as he points out Bryce's latest physical change to his 159 million followers: his beard. "Y'all see his beard? Oh my goodness!" said James. Born in 2007, Bryce is just 18 years old and stands 6'6 tall ahead of his first season with the Wildcats. Primarily playing the shooting guard position, he's poised for a bright future under legendary coach Tommy Lloyd, who is entering his fifth season with the team. Lloyd's 61 wins in his first two seasons with Arizona are an NCAA Division 1 record. The Wildcats will open their season on November 3 against the defending champion Florida Gators at a neutral site in Las Vegas, Nevada.