The NHL goaltending situation for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2025-26 already figures to be an interesting one.

With the acquisition of Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks earlier this summer, he and Tristan Jarry will likely be the frontrunners for the starting and backup positions. Rookie Joel Blomqvist may have a legitimate shot at the NHL roster out of camp as well. 

But perhaps even more interesting is the battle that will take place at the AHL level this season for the Penguins.

Even though Pittsburgh may have some uncertainty ahead, one certain thing is their goaltending depth. Beyond Blomqvist, there are a handful of others who all deserve to be starting AHL games: Sergei Murashov, Filip Larsson, and Taylor Gauthier. The problem is that – akin to the situation with the NHL roster – the WBS Penguins will more than likely keep just two goaltenders on their roster.

Alas, there is quite the conundrum down on the farm for the WBS Penguins. Here is the case for each of the four goaltenders who will, presumably, be competing for the AHL starting workload.

The case for Joel Blomqvist

Blomqvist, 23, has more to prove this season than any of the other candidates for the job.

As mentioned before, he will probably get a fair shot at beating out Silovs for the second NHL job, assuming Jarry stays put. Blomqvist did have two stints in the NHL last season with the Penguins – the first went very well, while the second was a bit of a struggle – but Silovs may have the slight advantage because of his prior success in the NHL playoffs and his upside. 

So, if Blomqvist does happen to miss out on the NHL roster, there is no doubt that he should get a fair share of the split at the AHL level. The Penguins and Blomqvist have reached a point where they need to see what they have in him and if he figures to be part of the organization’s future plans. 

For that reason, he’s pretty much a lock to be in the AHL if he’s not on the NHL roster come Oct. 7. 

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The case for Sergei Murashov

The case for the 21-year-old Murashov is quite simple: He is, by most accounts, the Penguins’ best goaltending prospect. 

And he proved last season that he is capable of dominance.

After some injuries in the second half of the season, Murashov was called up from the ECHL – where he put up a 17-7-1 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average – to the AHL. And, during that stint, he set a new rookie franchise record with 11 consecutive wins and tied the general franchise record for consecutive wins. 

His ECHL playoffs didn’t go as planned, and there is still very much a rawness to his game that needs refinement and some fine-tuning. But the talent and the athleticism is there – dating back to his days in the KHL – and the Penguins know it. 

If they’re serious about contending again “as urgently as possible,” Murashov should be playing a full season in the AHL. He has not only proven he’s ready for the jump, he’s also a key piece of the Penguins’ future and represents their best chance at having a legitimate star goaltender at the NHL level. 

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The case for Filip Larsson

For a large chunk of the season last year, there was a strong case that Larsson, 27, was the organization’s best-performing goaltender. Signed to a two-year contract worth $775,000 annually last summer, he was excellent to start the AHL season and actually saw the bulk of the workload in the first half.

But an injury in the second half of the season thwarted him a bit, and his performance fell off upon his return. He still managed to put up a .910 save percentage on the season and a 2.84 goals-against average on the season, though, and he is more refined than his two younger counterparts. 

This is likely Larsson’s last shot at cracking an NHL roster sometime in the future, and he did enough to earn his spot last season. It would be a tough break for him to get stuck behind both Murashov and Blomqvist, so with a strong training camp, there is a chance he could beat out Murashov for the other AHL job – or force the team’s hand into rostering three goaltenders, however unlikely.

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The case for Taylor Gauthier

The unfortunate thing for Gauthier, 24, is that he is blocked by three other goaltenders in the system. Because, by all means, he absolutely deserves to be starting AHL games. 

Gauthier played in one AHL game last season and posted a 32-save shutout. He has a career .908 save percentage at the AHL level, and his past two seasons in the ECHL have been nothing short of spectacular. 

After being named ECHL Goaltender of the Year in 2023-24 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a 923 save percentage, Gauthier somehow followed that up with a better 2024-25 campaign, posting a 2.06 goals-against average along with a .928 save percentage in 30 games for the Wheeling Nailers.

Like Larsson, Gauthier – who signed an AHL contract with WBS this summer – will need to have a very strong camp in order to beat out Murashov. But his chances are about level with Larsson’s, so it would be quite the story to see Gauthier earn an AHL spot for good out of camp.

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