The Pittsburgh Penguins have been in the news often this offseason regarding goaltenders. Pittsburgh signed Goalie Sergei Murashov to a three-year entry-level deal with the franchise. This is huge news for the organization because scouts think he has a very high ceiling for the future.
Murashov is only 20 years old. Many Russian goalies have been successful at the NHL level. Some of the top Russian goalies in the NHL now are Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lighting.
Russia is no stranger to producing goaltending talent, and Sergei Murashov is the latest example. He is only 20 years old. Sergei Murashov was a fourth-round selection (118th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. In the KHL last season, he only played in six games. His record was 3-1-2 with a .925 save percentage and a 1.84 GAA, along with one shutout.
Sergei Murashov also played in the MHL last season. In 34 games, he had a 24-4-5 record with a .930 save percentage and a 2.03 GAA, along with four shutouts. These numbers bode well for him in the future. He was always at the top of his game in those leagues.
It is huge that general manager Kyle Dubas was able to sign him to an entry-level deal now. Murashov is going to be someone Pittsburgh keeps a very close eye on during training camp this year. Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Joel Blomqvist will be some of the other goalies to watch during camp.
Jarry has four years remaining on his contract with this team. It is very unlikely that he will not be on this roster four years from now. The projected future goaltending tandem for the Penguins could very well be Blomqvist and Murashov.
The AHL Team Will Be Good
Is it outrageous to say that the AHL team for goalies will be better than the NHL team? Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist can very well be the goaltending tandem for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season.
This is the best goaltending tandem in the minors since they had Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry. There were also times when former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith was also in the mix down in the minors. It is very important to have goaltending depth in the minors.
Jarry appears to be past his prime and is always injured. Nedeljkovic will eventually be the top goalie for the Penguins in 2024-2025. Some teams could call and see if he is available in trade talks. Tristan Jarry has yet to win a playoff series as a goalie.
Jarry will not be performing well again this year. It will make the fans call for either Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov to be called up from the minors at some point. The minor league team will be good because of the goalies. They could also add Brayden Yager to the team this season. He should be at camp again this year for Pittsburgh.
It is very hard to win a Stanley Cup title without elite goaltending. Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray have won cups as the goalies in the past for this franchise. They won’t sniff a title with Jarry as the goalie. Sergei Murashov and Blomqvist have a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup. They have a lot of hope and optimism for the future. All eyes will be on the Russian goalie this season because of how talented he could become in the minors and also in the NHL.
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