Sergei Murashov is a very intriguing goalie who plays with a decent amount of speed and energy in his game. He explodes across the crease and stays square to the shooter, but if things get desperate he isn’t afraid to stray from the script and make an unconventional, desperation save. He will dive head first, lead with a leg or kick up his feet behind him scorpion-style in a last-ditch effort to get something in front of the puck. His attitude screams ‘by any means necessary.’ He gets around the crease well and in addition to his lateral mobility, he telescopes out beyond the top of the crease and efficiently glides back to match his depth with the oncoming attack. He’s able to stick with attackers as they make last-second moves. He cuts down the angle when facing shots and his up-down and down-up actions are extremely fast. Sometimes his speed can work against him, though, as a quick movement can take him away from a squared-up position. It’s not all dynamic saves and exciting plays for him, though, and he has plenty to work on in his game. First off, he is a long-term project who will have to fill out more to handle the rigors of NHL hockey. Listed at a generous in terms of his height and frame, his stature isn’t optimum in the eyes of many, and he doesn’t seem to play bigger than he is. But the bigger focus is his slight frame which will take time to bulk up. He also seems to shrink when he’s in his butterfly and will often give up the top of his net, both on the blocker side and glove side, and be beaten routinely on high shots. Projected as an NHL back up or an organizational depth component with an expected long route to ever make it to the NHL, he will have time to build his strengths and limit his shortcomings.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide