FRIBOURG, Switzerland — Jason Spezza is a busy man these days, filling roles as Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins general manager and Team Canada co-general at the IIHF World Championship.While in Switzerland with Team Canada — Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is here, too — Spezza has one eye on Wilkes-Barre at all times, even in the middle of the night.The Penguins’ AHL affiliate leads Springfield 2-1 in a best-of-five series played six hours behind Switzerland’s time zone.“Last night I got up to watch two periods,” Spezza said with a laugh, noting the game started at roughly 1 a.m. in Bern, Switzerland. “I have been trying to watch the games in the morning when I’m here, trying to get acclimated to the time difference. It’s working nicely, because it’s not like I’m always in Wilkes-Barre, so Kirk (McDonald, Wilkes/Barre coach) and I are used to doing this. We talk all the time.”They have plenty to talk about.First and foremost is the progress of goaltender Sergei Murashov, who has been spectacular in this postseason. He stopped 27 of 28 Springfield shots in the Game 3 victory on Tuesday. For the postseason, Murashov is 5-2 with a 1.80 GAA and a .942 save percentage.Is he ready for the NHL?“The players tells when they’re ready,” Spezza said.Well, the numbers say he is. But is he?“The goal is to have Sergei take us on a run this spring,” Spezza said. “We want him to get on a run at that level. That’s what we want to see. So far, so good. The defense around him has been pretty good, but he’s also made timely saves, which is exactly what you want to see from your goaltender. He’s just got a determination about him. To me, there is absolutely no cap on the ceiling for him and what he can do moving forward.”Spezza, himself an awfully accomplished offensive player at the NHL level, always looks for holes in goaltenders when he’s watching them in his current role. He doesn’t see any glaring weaknesses in Murashov’s game.“You’re looking for exposures,” he said. “His athleticism jumps off the charts. It always has. It’s one of the things that has the goalie people in our organization so excited about him. The way he moves, the way he catches pucks, it’s impressive. He’ll need to still refine his game a bit in certain ways, certain things around the net. The NHL has a way of exposing any weakness that a goalie may have. But this is incredible practice for him, an incredible opportunity. You want to see a goalie’s game look good in the biggest moments of a season, and that’s exactly what he’s done so far in the playoffs. It’s great to see, and we just want him to keep playing the way he has for longer this spring.”The Penguins have had their eye on Murashov for quite a while. They’ve only had their eyes on Bill Zonnon in a Penguins uniform for three games.
Penguins AGM Jason Spezza excited about implications of AHL Wilkes-Barre’s playoff run
While in Switzerland for worlds, Spezza assessed the progress of many of the Penguins' best prospects.













