Kyle Dubas' Next Move May Have Secured the Penguins a New Franchise Goalie of the Future
Kyle Dubas may have just found himself a diamond in the rough when it comes to Penguins goalie prospect Sergei Murashov.
Drafting and developing goaltenders in the NHL is often a bit random.
Highly-touted prospects often fizzle out after a year or two in the show while guys taken late in the draft or undrafted goalies altogether often develop into NHL all-stars.
Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins may have just found one of those late-round steals during the 2022 draft.
That year, the team selected Russian netminder Sergei Murashov in the 4th round, 118th overall.
Apparently, the organization is very high on the 20-year-old, who has put up fantastic numbers since being drafted.
A member of the Penguins organization told me last week: 'That kid is an absolute stud. His ceiling is incredibly high.'"
This season, Murashov has spent most of the year in the ECHL where he has a 15-3-1 record, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.41 goals-against-average.
In four games at the AHL level his numbers are even better. He is a perfect 4-0-0 with a .950 save percentage and a measly 1.50 GAA.
He las a long track record of putting up fantastic numbers as well. Last season he had a .925 save percentage in six games at the KHL level and a .930 in 34 games playing in the Russian junior league.
In his draft season he had an even better .948 save percentage in 37 games along with a 1.53 GAA.
The only thing working against Murashov is his size. At 6'0" he would be one of the shortest goalies in the NHL. Furthermore, he catches with his right hand, which is a rarity in the world's best league.
If he continues to put up numbers like these though, neither of those factors will inhibit his path to the NHL. Eventually he will get his due and right now, he is certainly looking like the starting goalie of the future for Pittsburgh.
