Sergei Murashov shines in the AHL putting pressure on Kyle Dubas for NHL promotion

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been linked to multiple potential trades involving current starting goaltender Tristan Jarry.

The speculation around Jarry's future comes after top goalie prospect Sergei Murashov has taken multiple steps forward this season.

After a successful first NHL stint Murashov was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL and challenged by Kyle Dubas to dominate the league.

Now, Murashov has done just that and could be forcing Dubas to clear space in the NHL for the young Russian.

Tonight, the Penguins faced off against the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL and Murashov was stellar with a 34 save shutout including 20 saves in the first period alone.

Murashov has now played 10 AHL games and has won 8 of those contests emerging as one of the best goaltenders outside of the NHL.

With this type of production, Murashov will almost certainly be an AHL all-star and likely be in contention for other awards and honors in the AHL as well.

If the Penguins are looking to trade away Tristan Jarry before the trade deadline then Murashov will be a guaranteed call-up for the stretch run of the NHL season.

As the season continues, it will be interesting to see if Dubas feels the heat to give Murashov another NHL opportunity or if he continues to play the long game and allows him to stay in the AHL for the long haul.