Vitals
Player: Sergei Murashov Born: April 1, 2004 (22 years old) Height: 6’2” Weight: 185 pounds Hometown: Yaroslavl, Russia Catches: Right Draft: 2022, Pittsburgh Penguins (fourth round, 118th overall) 2025-26 Statistics: Five NHL games played (1-1-2 record, .897 save percentage, 2.56 goals against average) and 38 AHL games played (24-9-8 record, .919 save percentage, 2.20 goals against average). Contract Status: Signed through the 2026-27 season at a $936,000 cap hit before hitting restricted free agency
ahead of his age-23 season.
Monthly Splits
via Yahoo!
Story of the Season
Mursahov took a few major steps toward coming the Penguins’ potential goaltender of the future this season.
Part of that involved Murashov making his NHL debut during a four-game stretch in November, followed by one appearance in mid-December.
Murashov spent most of the season in the AHL, where he ranked third in the league in both goals against average (2.2) and save percentage (.919) during the regular season.
He improved those numbers even more with a 2.11 GAA and .931 SV% in the postseason as he helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins reach the Eastern Conference Final of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Penguins general Manager Kyle Dubas said last fall he felt goaltenders had the best chance of succeeding in the NHL after putting together “a very long stretch of dominant play at the American League level.”
With Murashov having achieved that and with Stuart Skinner hitting unrestricted free agency this summer, there’s a chance Murashov could be one of the goaltenders on the Penguins’ roster to start next season.
Regular season 5v5 advanced stats
HDSV%: .800
HDGAA: 0.79
GSAA: 0.31
Shots Against/60: 22.25
Saves/60: 20.14
HD Shots Against/60: 3.97
HD Saves/60: 3.18
Rush Attempts Against/60: 1.32
Rebound Attempts Against/60: 2.38
Average shot distance: 36.31 feet
Average goal distance: 21 feet
It’s difficult to draw any major conclusions from these numbers, which took place over just five NHL games. Murashov faced 15 higher-danger shots and made 12 high-danger saves over that span.
Highlights
Questions to ponder
Kyle Dubas said at the end of the Penguins’ regular season that whether Murashov could continue taking on a heavy workload during the WBS Pens’ conference finals run would serve as a “massive test” for the goaltender.
Murashov went on to start all six games of the series for the WBS Penguins before the team was eliminated in Game 6 overtime by the Toronto Marlies.
But that run is likely not enough to secure Murashov his spot in the NHL next season. Joel Blomqvist also had a strong season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he posted a .913 SV% and 2.40 GAA in 26 games.
“My full expectation is that the two of them, Sergei and Joel, will be competing for a roster spot here this year… They both have earned, over years now, the chance to compete for that,” Dubas said in his end-of-season media availability.
The major question for Murashov next fall will be whether he is able to build on his AHL success to beat out Blomqvist, who has 15 games of NHL experience from the 2024-25 season, for a roster spot in Pittsburgh.
Ideal 2026-27
The ideal next season for Murashov could be earning a roster spot with the Penguins out of training camp and functioning as a tandem, potentially alongside a more experienced netminder, as he adjusts to the NHL.
Who that other goaltender would be remains to be seen, although Arturs Šilovs is an option should the team re-sign him in restricted free agency.
Bottom line
Murashov has already proven himself to be one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. The big question for next season will be whether he is ready to make the jump to the next level with the Penguins.
Final Grade
Murashov’s work with the Penguins arguably came over too small of a sample size for a grade at the NHL level, although the Penguins ultimately went 1-2-2 over his five appearances.
His grade at the AHL level has to be an A. Murashov was stellar throughout a campaign that led to him being named to the league’s Top Prospects Team as voted on by AHL general managers at the end of the season.
