PITTSBURGH — Everyone has a theory about where the Pittsburgh Penguins should go from here.There’s the “full rebuild” crowd. There’s the “go for it now for Sid and Geno” crowd. There’s the “keep doing what you’ve been doing during the past two years and see what happens” crowd.Six or seven other paths have developed some steam as the Penguins try mightily to remove themselves from the mushy middle. And make no mistake, that’s where they are. In the past five seasons, respectively, this is where they’ve finished in the NHL’s overall standings:2021-22: 12th
2022-23: 19th
2023-24: 19th
2024-25: 24th
2025-26: 10thThe prevailing sentiment is this: Kyle Dubas is doing a very good job, the minor-league system is finally rolling, they were way better than expected last season, and yet the Penguins are still almost certainly many years away from being legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.And by the time they are, Sidney Crosby will probably be done.What happens next is anyone’s guess, but it’s very clear the Penguins need a young star. Crosby is still great, yes, but he’s almost 39, and while he remains a marvel, it’s not prudent to build around a player of his age. The Penguins did enjoy a wonderful 2025-26 campaign, but examine it a little closer, and you’ll note that among their best players were Crosby (38), Erik Karlsson (36), Evgeni Malkin (39), Bryan Rust (34), Rickard Rakell (33) and Anthony Mantha (31, unrestricted free agent). Thus, one could argue that the Penguins are not necessarily on an upward trajectory, but rather, enjoyed one last great season before sunset. And great as it was, it resulted in a mere two postseason wins.So, where’s the hope? Where’s the young star?If you were paying attention to the AHL playoffs, you may have gotten a glimpse of him.Some say it’s not fair to compare Sergei Murashov with past Penguins greats because he’s young and unproven, and has a tendency to allow the occasional bad goal. My opinion is that it’s OK to dream a little bit, and Murashov becoming a star is rooted in more reality than you might think.I base this opinion on many factors.For one, it’s very clear his talent and athleticism are rare. Dubas, and especially Dan Muse, can’t stand it when someone asks them about a “player’s ceiling.” To answer the question, I suppose, is placing a ceiling on a player where it doesn’t belong. Understood.But Murashov absolutely has a higher ceiling as an NHL goaltender than anyone the Penguins have employed since (a healthy) Matt Murray. Tristan Jarry had serious talent, but even at 31, he doesn’t have the mental strength Murashov has now. Mental strength is every bit as important as physical talent for a goaltender. When you’re around Murashov for a few minutes, you realize immediately that there is something different about him. There is a maturity and a drive that you don’t often see in anyone, let alone a 22-year-old. But it’s there.I always find gauging goaltenders to be a different sport. It’s not my forte. I don’t think it’s anybody’s forte. Many a general manager has lost his job because he couldn’t do it. When I want to know about a goaltender, I ask the players who face him regularly, the guys who practice against him every day.I asked Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes about him recently. Their eyes just get big.Before then, when Murashov was making a cameo appearance in Pittsburgh, I asked some of the Penguins at the NHL level. The response is universal, and it is passionate. Everyone thinks Murashov is on the fast track to being a superstar.I had a conversation with Kevin Hayes, a longtime NHL veteran, when Murashov was joining the Penguins in Sweden back in November. Hayes has been around, and I love chatting with him on and off the record, because he doesn’t sugarcoat things. There is also no hyperbole, but rather, an honest opinion from a guy who’s been in the NHL for more than a decade. He’s played with Henrik Lundqvist in New York, with Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg, Jordan Binnington in St. Louis, Carter Hart in Philadelphia and briefly with Igor Shesterkin in New York.Sitting there in his locker stall in Sweden, Hayes just shook his head.“Sergei,” he said, “is special.”The Penguins have handled him quite well. He got some time in Wheeling (ECHL), then some time in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before this season. Save for that cameo NHL appearance this past season, Murashov received the bulk of the work in Wilkes-Barre before leading the Penguins’ AHL affiliate on a lengthy playoff run that ended Sunday night in the conference finals.He wasn’t perfect in the postseason. You’ll notice Murashov still occasionally gives up fluky goals, as in Games 2 and 4 against the Toronto Marlies during the conference finals. He is not what he will be a few years from now. But isn’t that true of every 22-year-old goaltender this side of Patrick Roy?Murashov allowed a handful of bad goals during this postseason, and his save percentage was still .931.There was particular symbolism in Sunday’s Game 6, when Wilkes-Barre finally fell to the Marlies 2-1 deep into the first overtime period. Toronto was the better team in this game, is the more experienced team overall and clearly outplayed Wilkes-Barre during the final two games. A Marlies victory felt inevitable in overtime, but it didn’t happen quickly because Murashov wouldn’t allow it. He made one save after another, twice denying two-on-one rushes. Midway through the overtime period, the Wilkes-Barre crowd erupted in a “Ser-Gei” chant. It was pure theater.Murashov and Wilkes-Barre didn’t get the win, the playoff run falling short. Many of the Penguins’ prized prospects aren’t quite ready, and Murashov, despite his maturity and steely focus, remains a work in progress.But he’s a spectacular work in progress. You can’t teach that athleticism, that glove hand, that ability to anticipate plays, nor that competitive spirit.I don’t know what the future holds for Murashov. The NHL has a way of humbling even the most gifted goaltenders. But there is something different about him in the way he plays, the way he moves, the way he behaves away from the rink.The Penguins still have issues and still need to find a couple of impactful young skaters before they can consider themselves real contenders. We all know this.But moving forward, I think they have their goalie.
