With one game left in the 2024-25 regular season, the wheels continue to turn for our Penguins.
The team summoned defenseman Filip Král from the Baby Penguins in advance of the season finale against the Capitals on Thursday. Curious timing, to say the least.
However, Mike Sullivan was extremely unhappy with his defense in the wake of Sunday’s sloppy, flat-line loss to the Bruins.
To make room, forward Joona Koppanen was placed on waivers.
A fifth-round pick of Toronto in 2018, Král appears to have “Kyle Dubas special” written all over him. The rangy 6’2” 198-pounder spent three seasons in the Leafs’ system, skating in two games with the big club in 2022-23 before excelling in the SM-liiga last season.
This season, the 25-year-old portsider paced the Baby Pens’ defense with seven goals while totaling 29 points in 59 games. He’s also a team-worst minus-14.
Again, an odd play if you’re trying to shore up your defense, especially against a physical Caps’ squad. (Spoiler alert: Král isn’t known for his muscle.)
But things get even curiouser.
The Pens shuffled goaltending wunderkind Sergei Murashov (pictured), winner of his first 11 starts in Wilkes, off to Wheeling and promoted silly-sider Taylor Gauthier in his stead.
Joel Blomqvist, generally regarded as the Baby Pens’ No. 1 netminder when healthy, recently came off IR and won his start on Saturday night against Springfield in impressive fashion.
This has to come as a bit of a blow to Murashov, who proved without a doubt he belonged in the AHL during his 16 appearances with the club (.913 save percentage). However, common sense suggests the Pens’ brass wants both of their prized goalie prospects to see plenty of action come the postseason.
Rick,
The interesting thing about Kral is that with his 29 Points, on a team that has a +29 Goal Differential, the kid is a -14, worst on the WBS roster (most of Sillman’s -18 came in Utica). This move was more of a smoke and mirrors to hide the man behind the curtain of these last 3 seasons of futility. Bringing up the player from WBS with the worst +/- is not the logical way of fixing a porous defense.
The Other Rick
This just may be a case of bringing him up and letting the coaches get a first hand look, and
maybe making sure he works on certain parts of his game in the off-season. Theirs obviously
something they like about him.
Mike,
The list of Defensemen on the Penguins big league roster certainly isn’t loaded with grade A Defensemen and any change could possibly represent a positive change and may be worth investigating. However, as I noted, Kral has the worst +/- on the roster and has found a way to be in the negative double digits on a team that is +29 in Goal differential and that has had 10 other defensemen play this season that are on the positive side of the +/- mark. And it should come as no surprise that so many Defensemen are on the plus side considering that the Baby Pens have been backstopped by good to great goaltending all season from Murashov, Blomqvist, and Larson. The only time WBS had problems with their net minding was when Jarry was there. Kral has had to work extra hard at not being able to defend to earn his dubious distinction.
So, if the Penguins think their is something in Kral’s game that earns him a promotion before Pickering, Belliveau, Clurman, Aho, St. Ivany, or Poolman, all of whom have played far better in game situations, then maybe someone should be questioning the coaches, particularly in the wake of the HC calling out the team’s Defense and their commitment to it. At the very least mixed signals have no just been sent to all the players throughout the organization.
Rick,
I really like both Blomqvist AND Murashov (we don’t need to get into that negative behavior of having to Choose one or the other but be glad we have both – like we did when we had Fleury and Murray), but the promotion of Gauthier may be more than just an attempt to give both Goalies playing time. Gauthier is having an incredible season of his own. Murashov had a 0.922 Sv% in his 26 GP for Wheeling before being summoned to guard the Baby Pens nets. However, while Murashov was getting AHL experience, Gauthier was quietly having an even better Sv% than Murashov (0.928) in his 30 GP in Murashov’s stead. The promotion may also be a move to show appreciation to Gauthier.
The Penguins have at least 3 really good to great young Goalies in the system and none of them are named Jarry.