Oilers Passed Up Opportunity to Acquire Their Goalie Coach's Prodigy

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Liam McCormick
October 27, 2024 (6:35 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers have had the same goaltending coach in Dustin Schwartz for nearly 10 years, but the team recently passed up an opportunity to take on his so-called prodigy.

According to a recent report from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, the Pittsburgh Penguins floated Tristan Jarry in trade talks this offseason. Despite the Oilers need in net and his familiarity with goalie coach Dustin Schwartz, the Oilers obviously passed on Jarry.

Jarry has struggled brutally to start this season, and has now been sent to the AHL, so it was clearly the right move to pass on him.

Dustin Schwartz was an incredibly influential goalie coach for Tristan Jarry, beginning with their time together on the Edmonton Oil Kings. Still to this day, Jarry trains with Schwartz in the offseason. Stuart Skinner joins them as well, although the Oilers starter has hired an outside goalie coach too.

Oilers fans have been incredibly critical of Dustin Schwartz's effect on Edmonton's goalies, often observing that goaltenders tend to actually get worse in their time with Schwartz, and improve when they depart. Like with many goalies in Edmonton, even Tristan Jarry is starting to see the same effect. After peaking for three years between 2019 and 2022, Jarry's save percentage has decreased for three straight years including this one - so far, he's at an unplayable .836 save percentage.

Despite a trend of goalies everywhere struggling after working with Schwartz, Edmonton seems committed to keeping him on as goalie coach. If he was going to be moved out, it likely would've been when Jeff Jackson or Kris Knoblauch took over. Knoblauch and Schwartz actually played together for the University of Alberta, so they're close old friends.

Oilers fans have booed Schwartz this year and many years in the past, but as of next month, he'll have been the Edmonton Goalie Coach for the last 10 years.