What I'm hearing about the Penguins' goaltender of the future and the NHL trade deadline

SALT LAKE CITY Many Penguins fans are excited to see Joel Blomqvist back with the NHL team, and theres no question that the young goaltender could have a very bright future in the league.

He hasnt been spectacular, but hes been very solid in his NHL cup of coffee.

He has a mental toughness that will serve him well.

He looks like a keeper.

Advertisement Several people in the organization, however, have told me they dont think hes the goaltender in the Penguins system with the highest ceiling.

That would be Sergei Murashov.

The goaltender from Yaroslavl, Russia, doesnt turn 21 until April Fools Day, but his talent is no joke.

He has dominated at every level of his hockey career.

He has played junior hockey in Russia, professionally in Russia, for ECHL Wheeling and for AHL Wilkes-Barre.

This is a list of his GAA per season: The sample size is small, as those numbers comprise only a total of 155 games over the past five seasons.

Still, they are staggering.

The save percentage numbers during each of his seasons are just as stunning: He hasnt put up those numbers in the NHL and only a handful of these games have come at the AHL level.

So, Murashov has much to prove.

But ...

A member of the Penguins organization told me last week: That kid is an absolute stud.

His ceiling is incredibly high.

Still, we should keep in mind that Murashov is raw.

I dont think hell be ready next season.

My guess is that, in the 2025-26 season, the Penguins will go with Blomqvist and Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes, unless Nedeljkovic is traded, which isnt unimaginable.

Still, Nedeljkovic is the perfect personality to have around a young goaltender.

Murashov should get a season being the guy in Wilkes-Barre.

Hes young, hes raw, and it doesnt seem wise to have a young goaltender play behind these Penguins.

In terms of pure physical talent, though, the Penguins believe Murashov is special.

Between Murashov and Blomqvist, the Penguins employ two young, talented goaltenders.

Theyre hopeful that at least one of them can become a bonafide No.

1 goaltender at the NHL level.

If they both emerge as No.

1 caliber guys, even better.

Theyll both be given a chance.

Advertisement Blomqvist is the more polished and experienced of the two, but Murashovs athleticism is special.

The expectations for him in the Penguins organization are very high.

Youll note that I didnt mention Tristan Jarry in the goaltending plans for next season.

Training camp is eight months away.

Any number of things could happen between now and then.

Maybe Jarry finds his game in Wilkes-Barre, has a great training camp and makes the team.

Maybe hell be traded.

Maybe hell be bought out.

Maybe hell stay in Wilkes-Barre.

These are all possibilities.

But as long as Blomqvist and Nedeljkovic are healthy and in the organization, its difficult for me to imagine seeing Jarry in a Penguins uniform at the NHL level again.

If a Penguins goaltender gets injured, I suppose it would become a possibility.

As for trade deadline talk, not much has changed.

Kyle Dubas wants to aggressively sell.

He might not entirely get his wish until this summer simply because its a great unknown whether this will be a busy trade deadline around the league.

In recent years, the week between the NHL Draft and the July 1 free agency opening has produced the most fireworks around the league.

Much of this is because of Covid.

The salary cap has barely risen in years because of a lack of NHL revenue when Covid hit, which has handcuffed many teams in-season, as players had been signed to lucrative contracts in previous years with the expectation that the salary cap would be higher than it is.

Dubas prefers to land young NHL players or prospects over draft picks.

But, make no mistake, the Penguins are still perfectly agreeable to add picks.

Marcus Pettersson is still the most likely member of the Penguins to be traded.

And he knows it.

Its not the first time my name has been out there, he said.

You have to try and not let it bother you, and not let it have an effect on how youre performing on the ice.

Im doing my best.

Advertisement I have seen several people on social media spewing venom toward coach Mike Sullivan because Owen Pickering was sent back to Wilkes-Barre.

He hates young players! Grrr! Sullivan doesnt hate Pickering.

Far from it.

He likes him as a player and as a person.

The Penguins coaching staff saw what it believed to be minor regression in his game recently, so it decided to keep him out of the lineup for a bit.

After discussing the situation with Dubas and the Penguins braintrust, it was determined that sending him down to Wilkes-Barre where he can play heavy minutes nightly is much more sensible than having him sit in the press box for any length of time.

Feel free to disagree with that approach.

Maybe its best for Pickerings growth, maybe it isnt.

But the Penguins are hardly down on him.

In fact, his stock has significantly risen in their eyes, and they view him as a very clear part of their future.

My guess is that well see Pickering again soon, probably at the conclusion of the 4 Nations Face-Off or thereabout.

Erik Karlsson detractors will very quickly remind you hes never won anything because he doesnt play winning hockey.

Thats not particularly fair to Karlsson, who has played on some pretty mediocre rosters throughout his career.

Sure, he plays a reckless style that isnt exactly pleasing to most coaches.

During most of his time in Pittsburgh, hes been disappointing.

Facts are facts.

But hes still a great player, and anyone who suggests he doesnt care about winning is misguided.

I spoke with Karlsson in Anaheim last week after practice, and he practically whispered when analyzing the Pittsburgh portion of his career.

Its been two years now, and I havent really been able to get anything going, he said.

Its frustrating.

Karlsson has played better in recent weeks, relatively speaking, but has never been the dynamic presence the Penguins were expecting when they traded for him 18 months ago.

He has scored only 15 goals in 134 games after scoring 25 in his final season with the San Jose Sharks .

Advertisement The losing is taking a toll on Karlsson, who has never played in a Stanley Cup Final in his 16-year NHL career.

Hes reached the conference final only once, dispatched by Chris Kunitz and the Penguins in double overtime of Game 7 in 2017.

Weve been a very volatile team, Karlsson said.

Weve got to get something going.

And now the problem is, other teams around us or ahead of us in the standings have started winning.

I know the potential is there.

We just have to keep going.

(Photo of Sergei Murashov: Maksim Konstantinov / Associated Press).

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