The Pittsburgh Penguins made an interesting move on Wednesday, signing a pair of prospect goalies -- Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray -- to entry-level contracts.
Jarry, 18, was Pittsburgh’s first selection (44th overall) at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The former WHL Edmonton standout was the second goalie off the board, behind Montreal’s Zach Fucale (36th overall).
Murray, 19, was Pittsburgh’s third-round selection (83rd overall) at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and the 10th goalie taken overall after a solid campaign with OHL Sault Ste. Marie.
Though they’re years away from making an impact at the NHL level, both Jarry and Murray will be prospects to keep an eye on, as the Pens have a rather interesting scenario developing in goal.
Tomas Vokoun, 37, has one year left on his deal while Marc-Andre Fleury, 28, has two years left on his.
Down in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, goaltending duties were split last season between Jeff Zatkoff (a 26-year-old with one year left on his deal) and Brad Thiessen, now playing in Finland.
The club also has former Quinnipiac University standout and Hobey Baker finalist Eric Hartzell in the mix. Hartzell, 24, was an undrafted free agent that signed with the Pens in July.
Of note: prior to Jarry and Murray, the Pens hadn’t drafted a goalie since 2008, when they took Alexandre Pechurskiy and Patrick Killeen in the fifth and sixth round.
Both are no longer with the organization.