Penguins Organization Adds Promising Goalie Via Free Agency

The Pittsburgh Penguins struggled mightily in net last season, with both Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic struggling to find any consistency in net, with some big changes expected over the off-season.

With two young names in Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov coming through the organization, at this point in time, the expectation is that one of those names will push for a role in the NHL at some point in 2025/26, whether that be before the season or during the year.

Now, they've realized their need for added depth, and on Tuesday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced the free agency signing of a talented 22-year old on social media.

According to the post, the WBS Penguins have signed young goaltender Maxim Pavlenko out of Russia, with the 22-year old putting up solid numbers in the VHL in Russia this past season, posting a 2.81 GAA and a .901 in just seven games played.

Standing at 6-foot-4, it's easy to see why the Penguins would take a flier on him, but hopefully the expectations aren't too high, as he has much more development before he can become a dominant force even at the AHL level.

Ultimately though, goaltending is something the Penguins needed to address this off-season, and while many more moves are expected to come from Kyle Dubas, this is a solid first step, as they landed a young goaltender that could become a major talent in the next few years.