After backstopping the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup and being named the playoff MVP, Arturs Silovs is no longer a member of the Vancouver Canucks organization.
On Sunday, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin traded Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have acquired F Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for G Artūrs Šilovs.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 13, 2025
DETAILS | https://t.co/q2lGh78sp3 pic.twitter.com/I378yxWRei
Silovs had been in the Canucks' system for six years after being selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
"We would like thank Artūrs for everything he has done for the hockey club, including helping Abbotsford win the Calder Cup,” said general manager Patrik Allvin in a statement. “We wanted to give him an opportunity elsewhere as we feel we are very well positioned in goal at the NHL, AHL, and developmental level. Acquiring a future pick and depth forward will add to our organizational depth.”
The Penguins are a good landing spot for Silovs. Tristan Jarry is the Penguins' established starter, but they lack a quality backup after trading Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks. 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist had an .885 save percentage in 15 starts last season, so there's room for Silovs to supplant Blomqvist and step directly into the backup role, especially since Blomqvist is still exempt from waivers.
In addition, Jarry struggled last season with an .893 save percentage. The door is open in Pittsburgh for Silovs to earn some serious playing time.
"As well as Silovs played, he could be the odd guy out"
A Silovs trade seemed inevitable. Just as Adult Swim had too many cooks, the Canucks had too many goaltenders, both at the NHL level and the AHL level.
In the NHL, the Canucks have committed a lot of money and term to Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, leaving no room for Silovs barring an injury. Meanwhile, the Canucks have Nikita Tolopilo, Aku Koskenvuo, Ty Young, and Jiri Patera in the AHL.
“We’ve got things lined up here. Our plan going forward, right now, is to go with Demko and Lankinen," said president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford. "As well as Silovs played, he could be the odd guy out. He’s not waiver exempt anymore. So, we’re going to have to deal with that here in the offseason."
Silovs had an outstanding playoff run with Abbotsford, posting a .931 save percentage and five shutouts, earning him the Jack A Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the AHL Playoffs. But his play in the NHL has been inconsistent, making it tough for the Canucks to trust that he can take the next step to be an NHL-caliber backup goaltender, let alone a starter.
A rebuilding team like the Penguins can make that bet on Silovs; the Canucks felt they couldn't.
That left a trade as the only option to avoid potentially losing him for nothing on waivers. As has been the trend with this management group, the Canucks got out ahead of things and traded Silovs long before they had to in order to avoid having to make a last-minute deal.
What's the return in the Silovs trade?
So, what did the Canucks get from the Penguins in return for Silovs? A 22-year-old reclamation project and a mid-round pick two years from now.
That may not seem like much, but it's about par for the course for this type of trade. Goaltenders, especially ones that have yet to establish themselves in the NHL, rarely have as much value on the trade market as fans might expect.
The fourth-round pick has negligible value — you have to go back to Ronnie Stern in 1986 to find the last Canucks fourth-round pick to play even 100 NHL games — but every additional pick is another chance to find a diamond in the rough.
The Canucks now have three fourth-round picks in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. The last time they had three fourth-round picks was in the 2023 draft, when they picked Ty Mueller, Vilmer Alriksson, and Matthew Perkins. Both Mueller and Alriksson are currently under contract to the Canucks and Mueller has played two NHL games.
The more consequential acquisition in the trade, however, is likely the reclamation project.
Who is Chase Stillman?
Chase Stillman was a first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, 29th overall, in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, he was praised for his high-motor, hard-working two-way game.
"Every game for him, you saw constant pressure on the forecheck, constant pressure on the backcheck, and rapid close-outs in the defensive zone — and speed, more speed than we remembered from the previous OHL season," reads his profile from Elite Prospects' 2021 draft guide. "There are better skaters than Stillman in the draft, but few who move with the same energy."
Since then, Stillman hasn't exactly progressed like a first-round pick — even a late first-round pick. He never cracked a point-per-game in the OHL, peaking at 49 points in 59 games in his draft+1 season.
He showed some promise in his rookie AHL season in 2023-24, putting up 14 goals and 24 points in 54 games, but stagnated this past season, managing just 4 goals and 12 points in 65 games split between the Utica Comets and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins following a trade.
"The energy and effort are consistently there for Stillman; it’s easy to see him as a hard-working fourth-line grinder who gives it his all," said Dobber Prospects' Austin Kelly in a 2024 scouting report. "Sadly, it’s hard to see beyond that without a significant breakout, which hasn’t yet come. His maturity has always been a strength and has quickly translated into pro hockey, although he has limitations.
"Being a first-round pick has given Stillman some unfair standards as a prospect, but there’s still positivity that he can be impactful at the NHL level, even if he is not a key contributor."
The hope for Stillman, then, is that he can find a fit as a high-motor, fourth-line winger for the Canucks. And, if he can find his game again with a new organization, maybe he could be a little bit more.
Or, maybe the son of former NHLer Cory Stillman will max out his potential as an AHL forward and never play in the NHL at all. But with his motor and drive, the Canucks are betting he can take the next step.
