Even if Tristan Jarry clears waivers and remains in the Penguins organization after this current 24-hour period expires, he'll be headed to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Joel Blomqvist will be heading on the upcoming road trip with the NHL team. 

Kyle Dubas confirmed Wednesday that Jarry will go back to the AHL and have to "earn his way back up," while Blomqvist will get to show what he can do in getting a "prolonged look." 

"It's so circumstantial with this," Dubas said at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex of the situation regarding Jarry. "One injury, a prolonged solid stretch from him would be great, but the other part is we've got Filip Larsson down there and he's also played well, we've got Sergei Murashov, who has put together a great year in the ECHL, so we have to be mindful because for the long run of the organization, that's vitally important." 

The Penguins showed patience with Jarry following an early-season conditioning stint with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He showed some positive signs, including a stretch at the end of November and into December in which he won four consecutive games. But his overall struggles have ultimately led to this decision, as he's put together an 8-8 record with a 3.31 goals against average and .886 save percentage through 22 games and 21 starts. 

Dejan Kovacevic detailed Jarry's struggles following the Penguins' latest loss to the Kraken Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. 

"Throughout this whole stretch, he's continued to come in here, put the work in, and that's not been a question at all," Dubas said. "That just hasn't materialized the way we would like it to on the ice. At this level, you get to the point where you have to do what's right in the long run for him and for us."

Mike Sullivan informed the team of Jarry's status on the ice prior to practice Wednesday and said the mood in the locker room is what one would expect it to be. He said this is the "hard part of the business" and that the reality is performance matters. 

"Having said that, it's also a team sport, and it doesn't fall on any one, two or three guys," Sullivan said. "It's a collective effort, and all of us have to take ownership, coaching staff included, for where we're at and potentially where we go moving forward." 

As for what the goaltender tandem of Alex Nedeljkovic and Blomqvist can provide, Sullivan said the hope is that the two will deliver with timely saves and give the team a chance. Nedeljkovic is 7-7 with a 3.40 GAA and .886 save percentage through 19 appearances and 18 starts. He's appeared in just three games this month and was pulled Saturday after allowing five goals on 17 shots in a loss to the Senators. Blomqvist has a .912 save percentage, 2.93 goals against average and one shutout in 12 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He posted a .904 save percentage with a 3.60 GAA in eight NHL games from Oct. 10-Nov. 11. 

"I know Joel's played extremely well throughout the course of the season here," Sullivan said. "He's had some good games up here in Pittsburgh. He's played well at the American League level, and he's going to get an opportunity to try to help this team win with everything going on."