How Silovs' season has gone in first year away from Vancouver Canucks
Hindsight is everything.
The Vancouver Canucks have endured a tidal wave of hardship over the past couple of seasons. While some of it was difficult to foresee, like the J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson feud, other questionable decisions were easy to spot.
That was certainly the case when the Canucks traded netminder Artūrs Šilovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a proverbial bag of pucks.
Patrik Allvin traded Šilovs last summer for a 2027 fourth-round pick and 22-year-old Chase Stillman, who has two goals and five points in 19 games for the Abbotsford Canucks this season.
Not only have the Canucks cratered down the standings, but the goalie they traded away has cemented himself as a full-time NHL goaltender.
Why did the Canucks trade him again?
Even though Šilovs has battled stretches of inconsistency, he’s proven to be more valuable than both goalies the Canucks chose ahead of him. He’s certainly been more consistent than Kevin Lankinen and more available than Thatcher Demko.
In short, the Arty Party lives on in Pittsburgh.
Before the Canucks traded Šilovs, the Penguins were a logical destination. They were projected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL, and they had no strong candidates to be a starting goaltender.
Of course, when Pittsburgh acquired Šilovs, they probably didn’t expect to be in the playoff mix.
Instead, the Penguins have been hot since the beginning of the season, and the 24-year-old netminder has played a role in helping them.
It started with a shutout on opening night over J.T. Miller and the New York Rangers, but that wasn’t just a fluke for Šilovs, who rode through October with one regulation loss in six games and a .919 save percentage.
He’s also managed to make the highlight reel early on by thwarting scoring attempts from other NHL stars.
SILOVS ROBBED JACK HUGHES 😱 pic.twitter.com/PTev6BOgp9
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 8, 2025
However, it hasn’t been all good for the young netminder.
Šilovs hit a wall in late November, where he was pulled in consecutive games after allowing a combined eight goals on 20 shots.
He’s also gotten himself into trouble some nights with shoddy puck handling.
SILOVS COUGHS UP THE PUCK AND PASTRNAK PUTS IT AWAY 😵😵💫 pic.twitter.com/DtEct4LjyZ
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 8, 2026
His middling play carried into December, which is when the Penguins acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner from the Edmonton Oilers.
Since then, the two netminders have been working in tandem, but Šilovs may soon be pulling away as the starter.
The Riga, Latvia native has gone 10-4-2 over his last 16 games, with his .903 save percentage narrowly beating Skinner (.897).
That included helping Pittsburgh beat the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, where Šilovs made more highlight reels with his goaltending larceny.
ARTURS SILOVS WOW 😱 pic.twitter.com/aFjCQUjwH8
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 17, 2026
The Penguins are currently second in the Metropolitan Division, and four points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are the primary threat among teams outside the playoffs who are pushing to get in.
Heck, if Šilovs and Skinner were any better in the shootout, the Penguins would be in contention for the division crown. Pittsburgh has a 1-10 record in the shootout this season, partially because Šilovs has stopped just seven of 20 shots.
Still, that’s a small blemish in what’s otherwise been a solid first season for Šilovs in the NHL.
And while the Canucks hope to finally draft first overall, Šilovs could very well be a starting goaltender for the Penguins when the playoffs begin.