Have the Penguins Found the Next Great Russian Goaltender?

While he wasn’t tested all that much, the 21-year-old looked comfortable throughout, making all 21 stops look relatively easy thanks to his poise and positional play. Combine that with his elite athleticism, which wasn’t really needed in this game, and you can understand why he’s garnering such excitement.

We can’t get too far ahead of things here, but it’s hard not to draw comparisons to fellow Russian netminders Igor Shesterkin (4th round, 118th overall, 2014) and Ilya Sorokin (3rd round, 78th overall, 2014), who were mid-round draft picks themselves.

A much larger sample size is needed for the Penguins to figure out whether Murashov is truly ready for prime time, but the eye test shows, and the stats don’t lie; Pittsburgh might have something special on its hands.

Could Murashov Push Tristan Jarry Out Of the Picture?

While Murashov was called up to Pittsburgh because of an injury to Jarry, if he continues to show he’s ready for the big leagues, decisions will have to be made by Kyle Dubas and company.

Jarry was actually off to a strong start in 2025-26, but with newly acquired Arturs Silovs and Murashov looking like the future in net, moving on from the veteran starter sooner than later might be the way to go.

There will always be teams around the league in search of goaltending, and right now, it’s the Edmonton Oilers who could make a lot of sense should they find a way to squeeze it under the salary cap. The Penguins have a plethora of cap space to take on a contract or even retain some money should it reach that point.

Jarry spent his WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and could join in tandem with Stuart Skinner on a true Stanley Cup contender that better suits his timeline now 30 years old.

How Murashov performs in the coming weeks will be the ultimate factor in all of this, but there’s no reason to think he won’t continue to thrive, so it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on.