Kyle Dubas spent much of his summer reshaping the Penguins’ skater group, but the biggest question hanging over this team may be the one in net.
The organization has moved on from veteran Stuart Skinner and is leaning on a young trio that comes with upside, volatility, and very little margin for error. The expected tandem is 25-year-old Arturs Šilovs and 22-year-old Sergei Murashov, with 25-year-old Joel Blomqvist waiting in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton if needed.
Šilovs has already shown he can rise to the moment. He was especially sharp in the 2024 postseason with the Canucks and again with the Penguins last spring, then added another major feather to his cap by winning MVP honors while helping AHL Abbotsford capture the Calder Cup in ’25.
At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, Šilovs has the size, athleticism and compete level to look the part. The issue is consistency. Rebound control remains a problem, and shootouts have been a well-known weak spot.
Murashov brings a lot of the same appeal. Many view him as a future star, and his quickness and reflexes stand out in a way that invites the inevitable Fleury comparison. But he, too, has had trouble with rebound control, which could leave Pittsburgh’s revamped defense doing plenty of cleanup work.
Blomqvist might actually be the most NHL-ready of the group. He is described as a calmer, more controlled goalie who leans on positioning more than raw athleticism, and his rebound control is considered better than that of his teammates.
The numbers, though, don’t offer much comfort. The three goalies’ NHL regular-season results are limited, but the sample that exists is not exactly reassuring.
Murashov has appeared in five games and posted a 2.56 goals-against average, .897 save percentage and .250 quality start percentage. Šilovs has 58 games under his belt with a 3.09 GAA, .885 save percentage and .482 quality start percentage.
Blomqvist has played 15 games and put up a 3.81 GAA, .885 save percentage and .417 quality start percentage.
MoneyPuck’s 5-on-5 goals saved above expected numbers also paint a tough picture. Last season, Murashov ranked 55th out of 98 NHL goalies at -1.2, while Šilovs sat 90th at -10.8. The season before, Blomqvist ranked 93rd out of 108 goalies with a 5-on-5 GSAE of -6.8.
There had been some talk that the Penguins might look for a veteran safety net, with Connor Ingram mentioned as a possible addition. The 29-year-old was productive not long ago, putting together back-to-back .907 save percentages for the Coyotes from ’22-24 before his play tailed off over the last two seasons. Last year, he ranked 66th in 5-on-5 GSAE at -3.4.
For now, though, the Penguins are betting on youth in goal. All three options have work to do, and if this team wants to get back into the playoff picture, the improvement has to come fast.
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Former Sabres Forward Closes The Book On A Journeyman Career
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Dea finished with the DEL's Eisbren Berlin after spending most of his pro life grinding in the AHL, where he piled up 153 goals and 341 points in 517 games. He also logged 5 goals and 7 points in 37 NHL games, a reminder of how close he stayed to the top level even as his career became defined by persistence, movement and the steady reality of life as a veteran depth forward. [Read more 🡒]