PITTSBURGH — The season that was supposed to signal a youth movement still could.

Stuart Skinner and Artūrs Šilovs have both played well during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 14-3-3 surge from the holiday break to the Olympic break.

Skinner, based on several consecutive outstanding starts, moved into the No. 1 position when he was given three of four starts in the Penguins’ undefeated run through the Pacific Northwest and Alberta.

However, Skinner allowed 10 goals in his past two starts, which included a particularly shaky outing on Long Island.

Šilovs, who is at the Olympics with Latvia, is playing his finest hockey of the season, though there isn’t a sense that the Penguins would be willing to ride him into the postseason.

From what team sources have told me, the Penguins are operating under “may the best man win.”

I’ve also been told that 21-year-old AHL goaltender Sergei Murashov could make a return to Pittsburgh this season. While both Skinner and Silovs have been much better lately, both have save percentages below .900 this season.

They’re on a positive trajectory, those last two games notwithstanding for Skinner, but keep an eye on how they perform when the season resumes, especially given how brutal the Penguins’ schedule is in March.

If one or both goaltenders stumble, the Penguins aren’t against bringing Murashov back to Pittsburgh. Matt Murray did it in 2016 and never looked back.

Murahsov is 18-5-0 in Wilkes-Barre. His goals-against average is 2.11. His save percentage is .924. He is 30-8-0 all-time in 40 AHL appearances with a lifetime .920 save percentage. I don’t know if he’s a finished product yet, but he’s getting closer.

With all due respect to Skinner and Šilovs, both of whom the Penguins are happy with, when Murahsov is ready, he’s ready. He is still the goaltender viewed as the Penguins’ future No. 1 guy, and I wouldn’t discount the possibility of him showing up in Pittsburgh at some point this season.

Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty

Many fans have been eager to see Avery Hayes in Pittsburgh this season. Those feelings were only enhanced when Hayes woke up last Thursday, got the call-up, slept during a four-hour drive, showed up two hours before puck drop in Buffalo and scored twice in the first period.

He then went back to Wilkes-Barre and recorded a hat trick, including the overtime winner. OK, then.

So, what does the future hold for Hayes?

Many people within the organization are excited about seeing him in the NHL again. He projects as a bottom-six player, but that’s hardly an insult. The consensus is that, while he’s undersized and doesn’t wow you with skill, there is a determination in Hayes’ game that is going to propel him to the NHL sooner rather than later.

The organization expects Hayes to become something of a regular starting next season, and it would not be a shock if we see him in the NHL again this season. Who do people often use for comparison? A pretty famous guy named Max Talbot.

Speed. Energy. Feistiness. Just enough skill to score somewhat regularly at the NHL level. It’s an interesting comparison.

Hayes has an energy about him that is immediately noticeable. The locker room felt different in Buffalo. It’s already a good locker room full of teammates who genuinely like each other. You can sense it immediately when you’re around them. But the combination of Hayes and Rutger McGroarty adds something. They’re both big personalities and chatty guys. They’re also completely respectful of their elders without being afraid to speak up.

McGroarty loves talking about Hayes and, late last season, told this story: “Sometimes you’re a little flat before a game. It happens. So, before those games, Avery always just walks up to you and says, ‘I’m gonna take a run at someone, or give a goalie a little slash on the first shift.’ And then he does. And it’s awesome.”

The Penguins have had far too many players in recent years who seemingly were just happy to collect an NHL paycheck. Hayes isn’t one of those guys.

If the Penguins stay healthy, I don’t know where Hayes or McGroarty fit into the lineup.

The top line figures to feature Sidney Crosby centering Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. Evgeni Malkin’s unit with Tommy Novak and Egor Chinakhov won’t be broken up any time soon, nor will the fourth line of Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar and Noel Acciari.

For that matter, the other three forwards on the Penguins’ roster — Ben Kindel, Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau — aren’t coming out of the lineup, either.

That’s your top 12.

McGroarty, who has played much better in his most recent call-up, has solidified himself as the 13th man. And then comes Hayes.

While the fourth line has been nothing short of magical this season, I’d be surprised if it returns next year.

Yes, Lizotte has a new deal, so he’ll be around for the next three seasons.

But I don’t see both Dewar and Acciari getting extensions. You can’t keep everybody, and frankly, extending all three fourth-line players in the same time span seems wildly unlikely.

Maybe Dewar returns. The Penguins love him. But Acciari, who has had a wonderful season, is 34. I would be surprised if the Penguins bring him back. Sure, it’s possible, and they have the cap space to bring back all three, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

At some point, you need to let younger players play, especially when you have younger players with a certain pedigree.

The Penguins could theoretically have a fourth line of McGroarty, Lizotte and Hayes next season. That already sounds like a line that would be a pain in the neck to play against. It would cost less than $5 million combined and feature an average age of 25. That’s a young, cheap, potentially outstanding fourth line. It would allow president/general manager Kyle Dubas to spend serious money in other areas to make a good team even better moving forward.

Trade deadline

League and team sources have told me there is a growing feeling that Dubas will attempt to land a defenseman before the March 6 NHL trade deadline.

Kris Letang and Jack St. Ivany are both out with broken bones, Erik Karlsson has been operating at less than 100 percent in recent weeks and isn’t getting a break as he plays for Sweden at the Olympics, and the Penguins’ blue line in general has taken a beating in recent weeks. The schedule is about to intensify, which could easily lead to more injuries on the blue line.

The Penguins could use some depth there, and people are beginning to expect Dubas to provide it.