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Mar 15, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs (31) handles the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Penguins See Starter Potential In New Goalie

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the few teams not seen as a potential playoff team entering the 2025-2026 season. It’s a fair assessment for the aging squad that hasn't made the postseason in three years after a run of being there for nearly two decades straight.

While the Penguins undergo their rebuilding process, they are seeking the next wave of players who can step up in the biggest moments. Heading into the coming campaign, they believe they have one of those players in recently acquired goaltender Arturs Silovs.

The Penguins’ big move of the summer was trading for the 24-year-old former Vancouver Canucks goalie earlier in the offseason. In exchange, the organization sent a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and minor-league forward Chase Stillman to Vancouver. Silovs is now one of several goalies jockeying for the starting role and a permanent role on an NHL club.

That’s exactly what the Penguins general manager, Kyle Dubas, believes Silovs can achieve in Pittsburgh. He recently spoke about how impressive Silov’s ability to play better in the biggest moments is and factored into the Pens trading for him.

”He just shows the ability to rise in those moments,” Dubas told The Hockey PDOcast.

It’s true that Silovs has already bullt a reputation of showing up when it matters the most. His first real taste of NHL action came during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Canucks were stricken with multiple injuries at the goalie position. Thrown into the fire during the first-round, Silovs recorded a 28-save shutout, his first ever in the NHL, to help the Canucks clinch a series victory.

This past season was another feather in his cap. While he wasn’t able to break through at the NHL level, he was a star for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Abbottsford Canucks. As the starter for the AHL Canucks, he led them to a Calder Cup win. He was named MVP of the postseason after going 16-7-2 in 24 starts with a 2.01 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts.

He’s also shown an ability to impress at the international level. During the 2023 World Championships, he helped his native country of Latvia earn a bronze medal for the first time ever. Unsurprisingly, he was named the tournament MVP for his performance as well.

It all adds up to a starting goalie, according to Dubas. He believes that giving him a longer leash at the NHL level could be what solidifies him in the role the Penguins envision him to assume. But what’s for sure is that he’s been through so many high-stress and important moments in his young career, the team believes it’s only a matter of time before he brings that to the NHL level.

“Because of where we’re at versus what the Canucks are at, we’re going to have more of an opportunity and runway for him to kind of live through the ups and downs a little bit,” he continued. “For us, knowing that he’s been able to step up and pull through in difficult moments in the playoffs and World Championships in his career, it’s hard to find goalies who have that same thing.”

The Penguins open training camp with five goalies on NHL contracts, according to Penguins.com. Silovs is competing against other puck-stoppers like Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist, who both started games for the Pens last season, as well as rising talents like Filip Larsson and Sergei Murashov. It will be an open competition, but it's also another big moment that Silovs has the opportunity to take advantage of.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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