It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.
This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.
We placed forward Bill Zonnon at No. 3, as he has, arguably, the highest floor of any prospect in the Penguins' organization. To be honest, the first and second spots on our list were almost a complete toss-up, but there was a very tiny degree of separation between the two.
So, at No. 2, we chose the potential franchise netminder.
No. 2: G Sergei Murashov
Many folks who cover the Penguins have the 22-year-old Murashov ranked No. 1 on their Penguins' prospects lists, which is understandable. Given that this is, according to many, a two-horse race between two organizational unicorns, he very well could have been placed first here, too.
And, well, that speaks to how dominant Murashov has been up to this point in his professional career.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound netminder went from dominating the MHL to dominating the KHL to dominating the ECHL to dominating the AHL. In fact, prior to reaching the AHL level, Murashov had never posted a save percentage below .922, at least not since he was 16 years old and in his rookie MHL season.
At the AHL level, he put up back-to-back campaigns with .912 and .919 save percentages, respectively, earning him AHL All-Rookie Honors as voted by players, coaches, and media at season's end. He even saw a brief five-game stint at the NHL level early last season.
The NHL sample was too small to really draw much conclusion from. But one of the unique, key qualities that Murashov possesses is that he's able to come up big in big moments, much like NHL probable tandem partner Arturs Silovs. And he showed that big-game dominance in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season.
in 15 games - he started all 15 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins during their playoff run to the Eastern Conference Final - he posted a 2.11 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage, which was a pretty impressive showing for a goalie who had only four previous professional playoff appearances. He kept WBS in nearly every game, even when they weren't at their best, and gave his team the best chance he could.
And so much of Murashov's game revolves around his maturity and his confidence. He is poised in net, anticipates well, is quick post-to-post, and plays the puck well, too. Most of the time, his reads are so quick that he puts himself in position to make a big save look easy that wouldn't look as such for others.
So, there is a lot to look forward to with regards to Murashov. There are some areas of weakness that still need to be ironed out, though, for him to find sustained success at the NHL level. He did improve his rebound control by quite a large margin last season, which was one of the biggest knocks on him prior. However, he still gives up a few too many soft goals, and he still sometimes gets himself in trouble when playing the puck.
The main thing for Murashov to iron out is to know when to pick his spots. He can get a bit too aggressive at times and overcommit, and that's something he's going to have to adjust to at NHL speed. He'll also need to remain wary of NHLers who can shoot top-shelf with far more accuracy than the shooters he has faced up to this point, but he already has a nice glove hand and a solid blocker side, too.
Of all the prospects on this list, Murashov is the most sure bet to be on the NHL roster next season, as Silovs re-signed but veteran Stuart Skinner walked, leaving one open NHL roster spot for him, Joel Blomqvist, Taylor Gauthier, and Gabriel D'Aigle to battle for. He also has the highest ceiling of any goaltender in their system up to this point, and unless D'Aigle takes significant strides this season, that will remain the case.
He's the one player in the Penguins' system who could end up a franchise player at his respective position, and that definitely counts for something. However, fans shouldn't necessarily expect to see that franchise-level goaltending right away.
Goaltenders are volatile. A lot can change. Some peak in the AHL, even the best ones. Some take longer to get up to NHL speed, which could happen in this case. Some need a little bit of time to work through struggles and come out the other end. The uncertain nature of his position is one of the reasons why he sits at two on this list and not one.
Things might not be perfect right away for Murashov as he adjusts to the NHL level, and he may even see 1B duties behind Silovs at first as he makes that adjustment. However, this guy has a ton of raw talent, and his quickness, athleticism, maturity, and wisdom beyond his years should serve him well in that transition.
Quite frankly, Murashov missing the NHL roster out of camp would come as a shock, and that's not a knock on the other guys. It just speaks to how high his potential is and where he's at in his development.
Franchise goaltender or not, Murashov will be one of the most exciting Penguins' prospects to watch in the next few years. The sky is the limit for him, and the future of the Penguins might rest on him finding his place somewhere among the stars.
The list so far:
- No. 20: D Chase Pietila
- No. 19: C Kale Dach
- No. 18: LW/C Ryan Miller
- No. 17: C Zam Plante
- No. 16: G Joel Blomqvist
- No. 15: C Markus Ruck
- No. 14: LW Tanner Howe
- No. 13: D Finn Harding
- No. 12: RW Avery Hayes
- No. 11: D Tomas Galvas
- No. 10: C Tristan Broz
- No. 9: RW Liam Ruck
- No. 8: D Owen Pickering
- No. 7: RW Ville Koivunen
- No. 6: LW/C Will Horcoff
- No. 5: RW Mikhail Ilyin
- No. 4: RW Rutger McGroarty
- No. 3: C/RW Bill Zonnon
- No. 2: G Sergei Murashov
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