The Vancouver Canucks sold high on 2025 Calder Cup MVP Arturs Silovs by trading him to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
The trade does not come as a shock to Canucks’ fans and followers, as the writing was on the wall for the 24-year-old Latvian goaltender.
The Canucks sealed Silov’s fate when they extended Thatcher Demko earlier this summer. The club signed Demko to a three-year extension worth $25.5 million. The signing created a logjam in the crease as the Canucks signed Kevin Lankinen to a five-year extension last season.
That situation meant that Demko and Lankinen would be the Canucks’ tandem for the next four seasons.
Meanwhile, Silov’s path to the NHL was blocked. So, instead of keeping Silovs as a career AHL goalie, the team traded him to the Penguins.
In return, the Canucks for former first-round pick Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick. Despite the seemingly underwhelming return, the Canucks got fair market value for Silovs.
While Silovs was outstanding in the Calder Cup playoffs, his numbers haven’t been overly impressive at the NHL level.
This past season, Silovs appeared in 10 games with the Canucks, registering a 3.65 GAA and an .861 SV%. Those are hardly earth-shattering numbers. In total, Silovs has 19 games of NHL experience in the regular season. He appeared in 10 playoff games last spring, posting a 2.91 GAA and an .898 SV%.
Silovs will likely get a shot to be the starting goaltender in Pittsburgh amid the Penguins’ issues in the crease.
Looking at the Vancouver Canucks goalie pipeline
The Vancouver Canucks could afford to part with Silovs as the club has a solid goalie pipeline. According to PuckPedia, Vancouver has five non-roster goalies under 26. The heir apparent to Silovs in Abbotsford is likely Jiri Patera. He’s entering the final year of his current deal and could become the team’s third-string goalie.
Behind Patera, Nikita Tolopilo could be in contention for the starting job in Abbotsford. Patera and Tolopilo will have a chance to prove they belong in the NHL, especially if Demko goes down with injury this upcoming season. As such, one of Patera or Tolopilo could end up backing up Lankinen.
The goalie prospect Canucks fans should keep an eye on is 17-year-old Aleksei Medvedev. The Russian netminder was Vancouver’s second-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft.
According to Elite Prospects, the 6’3” netminder played in 34 games for the London Knights, posting a 2.79 GAA and a .912 SV%. Medvedev’s ETA is still far out into the distance. So, he could become a factor for Vancouver by the time Demko and Lankinen’s contracts are up.