When the rumours first started that the Edmonton Oilers and general manager Stan Bowman were exploring a trade for goaltender Tristan Jarry, there were a number of issues that people pointed to.
There are of course typical issues like the cost of acquiring Jarry or the risks that it could pose to team chemistry and the like. This is bound to happen whenever there is the threat of player movements and this is bound to happen with change.
However, these were different. The first was his contract, specifically the cost against the NHL salary cap with Jarry costing $5.375 million per season until 2027. The next was the risk that Jarry would not be much of an upgrade over Stuart Skinner.
After figuring out the first issue as the club acquired Jarry on Friday, we are now left to see how the second one plays out but the early signs are promising.
Jarry impressed in debut
Not only does Jarry have a solid body of work with over half a decade as a bonafide NHLer, he has been good recently, especially in his Oilers debut. In his first taste of action with his new club, Jarry faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, stopping 25 of 28 shots with an .893 save percentage.
These numbers are not eye-popping but his underlying numbers are impressive. According to moneypuck.com, the Leafs compiled over four expected goals, meaning that Jarry finished the game with a goals saved above expected of one.
In fact, according to Moneypuck, the Leafs were expected to win the entire game based on their performance, meaning Jarry stole the game for the Oilers.
Since retaining a full-time NHL role in 2019-20, Jarry has only one season below a .900 save percentage coming in 2024-25 where he posted an .893 in 36 games on the basement dwelling Pittsburgh Penguins.
Leon Draisaitl on the cusp of 1000th NHL point
Amidst the excitement in what was a lopsided 6-3 victory over the Maple Leafs, Oilers star Leon Draisaitl recorded three assists in the game, helping to boost his production this season and his career.
So far this season, he has 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points through 32 games, putting him fifth league wide. More importantly, his performance inched him even closer to a much bigger career milestone.
He currently sits having played 822 career NHL games, having scored 416 goals and 583 assists for 999 regular season points, putting him just one shy of the illustrious 1000 point mark. He has the chance to hit that milestone on Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens, making him the fifth Oiler to do so.