Tristan Jarry’s journey comes full circle as the Oilers bet on catching him

TORONTO — Was it inevitable that Tristan Jarry would play again in Edmonton?

Like, who plays junior in a town, gets drafted by an American team 3,400 kilometers away, but buys a house outside of Edmonton anyway?

Jerry could set up his family anywhere he wanted, but he chose an acre of land near Edmonton to call home every summer — and now in the winter, too.

“Just my time there playing with the Oil Kings, I had a lot of fun,” Jerry said Saturday morning, hours before the Edmonton Oilers made their first start of the Tristan Jerry era. “I have a lot of friends there, and I grew up there, so when I had the opportunity to buy a house, that’s where I decided to put down roots.”

Jerry’s wife is from Detroit, and together they have an eight-month-old son.

Now, after a decade in Pittsburgh, they’ll raise this boy in oil country as hockey comes full circle for Jerry at age 30.

“I always thought Edmonton was special. It was where I really enjoyed growing up as a junior,” he said. “It’s close to family (his folks live in Vancouver), so it’s an easy flight for them. I really like my time there and my wife really enjoys it (at the Acre).

“We are quiet people, we like to stay away from the action.”

And next weekend, when the Oilers return from this five-game road trip, Jarvis will find out just how valuable a little peace and quiet can be, arriving home to take the coveted job of National Hockey League goalie in a competitive Canadian market.

Jerry was the key ingredient in a blockbuster deal for Edmonton on Friday morning, with goalie Stewart Skinner and defenseman Brett Kulik going to the Penguins for a second-round pick (in 2029) for Jerry and minor leaguer Samuel Polian.

It is a one-sided affair, and J The topic of conversation in Edmonton this weekend will be whether or not the trade actually makes the Oilers better.

Or is it more of the same in purpose, with Jerry — a second-echelon NHL starter below Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Ottinger and Sergei Shasterkin — and a bona fide No. 2 in Calvin Pickard manning the Oilers’ pipes.

“We feel like we’ve made some improvements to our team,” said head coach Chris Knobloch, “and we’re excited about our next chapter.”

What can’t be argued, though, is that general manager Stan Bowman shook things up in his dressing room ahead of tonight’s Hockey Night in Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a separate deal, he brought in left-shot defenseman Spencer Stashny, who will take Kulik’s old spot next to righty Ty Emberson on the third pairing tonight.

They say you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet, and Bowman has his chef’s hat on Friday.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Stanley Cup champion, a runner-up, or a team that just missed the playoffs, you always need some element of change. Whether it’s a big change, a minor change, everybody’s trying to get better and make small improvements,” Knobloch said. “With our players, our team, we’re always looking at what’s best for our run.”

“There are friendships, and it’s hard to lose a team that you’ve been with for those playoff runs. But I think in the long run, everybody’s looking at how we can make our team better.”

Despite his early season struggles this year, Kulik has been a steady force. As the pressure mounted in May and June, so did Kulik’s level of play, a beacon that quietly guides every other player through the playoff fog.

“Coley was a really good player for us. We’re going to miss him,” Connor McDavid offered on Saturday.

“He should be remembered for leading the way to two Cup finals, two exciting runs that got him back,” McDavid said. “He was a good fellow, always treated people well. That’s important.”

Today, however, the Oilers’ crease belongs to the former Memorial Cup-winning goalie, who willingly accepts the mission he’s been assigned: the big team, now, trying to get to one place.

“It’s good, it’s an opportunity, and I’m fully embracing it,” Jerry said of the task ahead of him. “Being able to be at the top of the game – that’s where you always want to be.

“To have that opportunity — to be on this team, and to be able to do that — it’s going to be special.”