The Penguins acquired goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Canucks in exchange for forward prospect Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Silovs, 24, has one year remaining on a contract that carries an $850,000 cap hit. He'll be a restricted free agent next summer.
Silovs is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound native of Latvia who is coming off of a career year in the Canucks' system. He split last season between the NHL and the Canucks' AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, recording a 3.65 goals-against average and a .861 save percentage in 10 NHL games, and a 2.41 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 21 AHL games.
Silovs was Abbotsford's No. 1 goaltender on the road to a Calder Cup championship this spring, recording a 2.01 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and five shutouts. He won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Calder Cup playoff MVP.
Injuries forced Silovs into an NHL starting role in the playoffs for Vancouver in 2024, and he posted a 2.91 goals-against average, an .898 save percentage and one shutout in 10 games. He went 2-1 to close out the first round and eliminate the Predators, then went 3-3-1 in the second round as the Canucks were eliminated by the eventual-conference champion Oilers.
Silovs previously represented Latvia in the 2023 World Championship, where he carried Latvia to bronze, was named tournament MVP and the tournament's best goaltender for recording a 2.20 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and one shutout in 10 games.
The reason for the trade on the Canucks' end is simple: They had Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen already under contract, and Silovs becomes waivers-eligible next season. If they didn't carry three goaltenders, they would have likely lost him to waivers. He wasn't their only young goaltending prospect in the system, either, making him expendable.
“We wanted to give him an opportunity elsewhere as we feel we are very well positioned in goal at the NHL, AHL and developmental level," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said of the trade."
For the Penguins, they didn't give up much: A fourth-round pick two drafts away has little value. Stillman, acquired last season in the Cody Glass deal, is coming off of a rough season. He had three goals and six assists in 46 games with the AHL's Utica Comets prior to the trade, and only had one goal and two assists in 19 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after the trade. He's still young at 22, but with the Penguins deep with forward prospects, he was way too low in the depth chart to have a real shot at moving up.
The Penguins, of course, have two pretty good goaltending prospects as it is in Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov, as well as Filip Larsson as depth in the AHL and Taylor Gauthier back on an AHL deal. Before this trade, and after the Penguins created an opening in the NHL by moving Alex Nedeljkovic out, it likely would have been Blomqvist and Murashov battling in camp for the NHL job. Silovs is now just in that mix. He's still young himself at 24, might be more NHL-ready given his experience, and could have a higher ceiling than one of the Penguins' existing goaltending prospects. If he wins the NHL job in camp, then it was because he was the better goaltender. If he doesn't, then they didn't give up much to get him, and could potentially flip him again if desired.
The Penguins didn't need to add a third young goaltender. But if this one happens to be the new leader of that group, then that's a good thing. It might bump Blomqvist or Murashov down on the depth chart, but a team doesn't get bonus points for its talent being home-grown.
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THE ASYLUM
Goaltender Silovs acquired
The Penguins acquired goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Canucks in exchange for forward prospect Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Silovs, 24, has one year remaining on a contract that carries an $850,000 cap hit. He'll be a restricted free agent next summer.
Silovs is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound native of Latvia who is coming off of a career year in the Canucks' system. He split last season between the NHL and the Canucks' AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, recording a 3.65 goals-against average and a .861 save percentage in 10 NHL games, and a 2.41 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 21 AHL games.
Silovs was Abbotsford's No. 1 goaltender on the road to a Calder Cup championship this spring, recording a 2.01 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and five shutouts. He won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the Calder Cup playoff MVP.
Injuries forced Silovs into an NHL starting role in the playoffs for Vancouver in 2024, and he posted a 2.91 goals-against average, an .898 save percentage and one shutout in 10 games. He went 2-1 to close out the first round and eliminate the Predators, then went 3-3-1 in the second round as the Canucks were eliminated by the eventual-conference champion Oilers.
Silovs previously represented Latvia in the 2023 World Championship, where he carried Latvia to bronze, was named tournament MVP and the tournament's best goaltender for recording a 2.20 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and one shutout in 10 games.
The reason for the trade on the Canucks' end is simple: They had Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen already under contract, and Silovs becomes waivers-eligible next season. If they didn't carry three goaltenders, they would have likely lost him to waivers. He wasn't their only young goaltending prospect in the system, either, making him expendable.
“We wanted to give him an opportunity elsewhere as we feel we are very well positioned in goal at the NHL, AHL and developmental level," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said of the trade."
For the Penguins, they didn't give up much: A fourth-round pick two drafts away has little value. Stillman, acquired last season in the Cody Glass deal, is coming off of a rough season. He had three goals and six assists in 46 games with the AHL's Utica Comets prior to the trade, and only had one goal and two assists in 19 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after the trade. He's still young at 22, but with the Penguins deep with forward prospects, he was way too low in the depth chart to have a real shot at moving up.
The Penguins, of course, have two pretty good goaltending prospects as it is in Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov, as well as Filip Larsson as depth in the AHL and Taylor Gauthier back on an AHL deal. Before this trade, and after the Penguins created an opening in the NHL by moving Alex Nedeljkovic out, it likely would have been Blomqvist and Murashov battling in camp for the NHL job. Silovs is now just in that mix. He's still young himself at 24, might be more NHL-ready given his experience, and could have a higher ceiling than one of the Penguins' existing goaltending prospects. If he wins the NHL job in camp, then it was because he was the better goaltender. If he doesn't, then they didn't give up much to get him, and could potentially flip him again if desired.
The Penguins didn't need to add a third young goaltender. But if this one happens to be the new leader of that group, then that's a good thing. It might bump Blomqvist or Murashov down on the depth chart, but a team doesn't get bonus points for its talent being home-grown.
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