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Penguins Facing Major Dilemma With NHL-Ready Star Prospect Joel Blomqvist
Photo credit: Edit from Sports Illustrated
The Penguins need to figure out how they plan to manage their crease going forward, as they have a surplus of goaltenders, and Joel Blomqvist is front and center.
Joel Blomqvist has been Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's best goaltender, garnering AHL All-Star accolades in 2023-24 and coming close to Marc-Andre Fleury's rookie win record with a 25-12-6 season last year.
As well as he's played in the AHL this year too, Blomqvist has an uphill climb for NHL minutes, both currently and in the near future. The Pittsburgh Penguins have their NHL tandem cemented.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing a dilemma with Joel Blomqvist because they have an NHL-ready goaltending prospect, but no clear path to give him a regular role due to existing contracts with veteran goalies.
Jarry and Nedeljkovic are locked up for several years
Tristan Jarry is under contract until the 2027-28 season with a full no-move clause for the first three years, so he is stapled in the crease despite an uneven 2024-25 season.
Alex Nedeljkovic has also signed a new contract, nailing down his position and making limited space for internal promotions available for Blomqvist.
Recently out with an unspecified injury since a rough start against Toronto on March 2, Blomqvist has just re-entered Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's rotation in goal on April 12th.
Now that he's back to full health, he'll be fighting for playing time with veteran Filip Larsson and 21-year-old prospect Sergei Murashov, who's turned heads since joining the AHL roster full-time in March after dominating the ECHL.
Finding that developmental balance between Blomqvist, Murashov, and veteran Larsson, a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton staple this entire season, has been tricky.
With the NHL route blocked and the AHL crease jammed, meaningful minutes for Blomqvist are harder to find, and his future moves with the organization are far from cut-and-dried.
It will be interesting to keep an eye on Kyle Dubas this summer to see how he navigates this and what the future has in store for Blomqvist.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 14 | 205 ANSWERS Penguins Facing Major Dilemma With NHL-Ready Star Prospect Joel Blomqvist What should Pittsburgh do with Joel Blomqvist? | ||
| Play him in the NHL | 90 | 43.9 % |
| Play him in the AHL | 59 | 28.8 % |
| Trade him | 56 | 27.3 % |
| List of polls | ||