Arturs Silovs Is Now The Penguins’ Starter

A quick glance at Arturs Silovs’ numbers might make you think he was an average-to-below-average goaltender during his brief tenure with the Penguins, but a deeper dive tells a different story. Silovs wasn’t great last year, posting below-average numbers in many statistical categories, with an .888 SV% and a 3.07 GAA in 39 games. This season, his traditional metrics are slightly better, with a 2.98 GAA and an .889 SV% in nine games, but his underlying numbers are much better. According to MoneyPuck, Silovs’ goals saved above expected last year were -11.9, while this year he is +2.5. That improvement is also quite obvious when you watch him play, as the Penguins give up a ton of high-danger chances, and Silovs has kept them in quite a few games this season. Entering this year, Sergei Murashov was expected to become the starter at some point, but given the start he’s had this season, Silovs is going to have some say in how that plays out and could be the starter as the season wears on.

The Penguins acquired Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks for a song (a 2027 fourth-round pick and Chase Stillman) during the summer of 2025. While the deal went under the radar, many Penguins fans were excited by Silovs’ recent run to the Calder Cup championship and playoff MVP award. The Riga, Latvia native went 16-7 with a 2.01 GAA and a .931 SV% and dominated as the Abbotsford Canucks cruised to the title.

On the heels of that run, Vancouver faced a tough decision because they already had Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko at the NHL level, and Silovs was now waiver-eligible, meaning the Canucks stood to lose him for nothing if they didn’t keep him in the NHL. The Canucks elected to get something rather than nothing and made the swap with the Penguins. That deal could be a massive win for the Penguins and has arguably already produced value because it cost them little to acquire him.

Now, the competition in Pittsburgh has hardly been fierce given that Silovs has had to compete with two inconsistent veterans in Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner, as well as a rookie in Sergei Murashov. Silovs has managed to outshine and take the net from all of these goalies, with this time representing a massive chance for Silovs to establish himself and then cash in next summer.

Silovs signed a one-year, $2.8MM contract this past summer, hoping he could compete with Murashov for the starting role. So far, though, it hasn’t been much of a competition: Murashov has shown glimpses but has had some rough starts, while Silovs has kept the Penguins in nearly every game he’s played. And that is to be expected in Pittsburgh, a franchise that has historically played spotty defense at best. The Penguins are in an unusual transition period right now that lacks a solid identity, but that’s also an opportunity for Silovs.

Murashov is currently the Penguins’ future netminder, with Joel Blomqvist as a possibility. And while Murashov is Pittsburgh’s most intriguing prospect, he hasn’t played well at the NHL level yet. It’s hard to fault him because the Penguins defense has been porous in front of him, and it’s about time the Penguins looked to get him some AHL starts on a regular basis rather than throwing him to the wolves every three or four games. That’s probably best for the Penguins right now, and for the future as well. Ride Silovs, let Murashov be the starter in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and find a backup for the NHL level or perhaps give Blomqvist a shot. That timeline would work best for all parties involved, especially Silovs, who would own the net for the time being and could build himself up to show he is an NHL starter.

It’s far from a guarantee that Silovs is the starter or even an average NHL goaltender over a long enough period of time, but it’s time for him and the Penguins to find out for certain, which is something we simply don’t know right now.

There are a lot of concerns with Silovs at the moment. He has a sub .900 career save percentage, and even his underlying numbers aren’t great. He still leaks a lot of rebounds, can be prone to a bad goal or two, and has some injury concerns as well. But for right now, it only makes sense to see if he can be the guy, and if he can, great, he gives Pittsburgh a starter or potentially a trade chip if they decide to go full-blown rebuild in the next year or two. If he falters, the Penguins end up a lottery team, which is a very real possibility given their uneven roster construction and aging roster. There is no real downside for Pittsburgh in trying to run Silovs out there for 50 games this season and see what he is. It’s a strategy that the Penguins should probably be trying to utilize for many of their young players, but one they have had to avoid due to the plethora of aging veterans on their roster.