Penguins Acquire Calder Cup Playoffs MVP Arturs Silovs In Canucks Trade


The Arty Party is heading East. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Sunday afternoon that the club had acquired Artūrs Šilovs in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks for Chase Stillman and a fourth-round draft choice in 2027.

Šilovs is fresh off a spectacular run to the first ever Calder Cup championship for the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL. He was named the postseason’s MVP after posting a sterling .931 save percentage while winning 16 of 24 appearances and collecting five shutouts.

That playoff run was essentially the best hockey we’ve seen from Šilovs as a professional and potentially a sign of things to come. 

Vancouver didn’t really have a spot for him to get more NHL time. They have Thatcher Demko under contract through 2028-29 and just signed Kevin Lankinen to a long-term extension. Šilovs was essentially blocked.

The Penguins, meanwhile, have a need at the position. They have a few promising young goalies in their system, but guys that probably should spend more time in the AHL. That includes Joel Blomqvist, who played some at the NHL level this year. Adding Šilovs could allow Pittsburgh to spell Tristan Jarry more with a goalie prospect that showed during the Calder Cup Playoffs that it’s time to give him some more NHL net time. 

Šilovs has limited NHL experience, but appeared in 10 games for Vancouver last season, going 2-6-1 with a poor .861 save percentage. However, during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs he came in as essentially an emergency option following an injury to Demko. Šilovs helped Vancouver win a round, appearing in 10 postseason contests, going 5-5 with a .898 save percentage.

He’s also played in high-level games for Latvia including at the 2023 Men’s World Championship where he backstopped his home country to the bronze medal at the tournament with a .921 save percentage while winning seven of 10 appearances. He was named the tournament’s best goaltender and the MVP.

Šilovs was also one of the first six players named to Latvia’s roster for the 2026 Olympics. 

We haven’t seen Šilovs take off at the NHL level yet, but his performances in the highest-pressure games he’s played in during his young career offers a glimpse into what is possible for him. He’s 24 years old which means he’s well ahead of schedule for a goalie that was taken in the sixth round. That he’s knocking on the door of an NHL job now and already has four seasons of North American pro development under his belt is no small thing. The Penguins have the ability to give him those NHL minutes now.

This move did not cost Pittsburgh much either. Chase Stillman is a former first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils who has yet to gain a foothold on an NHL roster. He’s been a pro for two years and was part of the trade that brought Cody Glass to the Devils last trade deadline. 

Stillman is still just 22 years old and has some runway left to figure things out, but his production dipped year-over-year in the AHL, posting just 12 points in 65 games between Utica and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. At best, he’ll be a bottom-six option for Vancouver down the road.

If Šilovs hits and can be a starter for the Penguins in the near future, this might solve one of their most immediate needs at the NHL level. Jarry’s days as a reliable No. 1 appear to be dwindling. Adding a young, athletic and fairly accomplished young goalie is probably one of the more intriguing moves the Pens have made all summer.

They’re still in a weird competitive limbo as they transition into whatever this next phase of their organization is. But at least now they have acquired a player that could perhaps be part of the long-term solution if he can seize the No. 1 job.

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