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Jason Mackey's Penguins chat: 8.30.18
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Jason Mackey
1:29
Nobody, honestly. Reaves was tremendous, but obviously he's gone. They don't have anyone who will play pranks. Maybe that's by design, too, I'm not sure. And there's definitely not an NHL rule that says you have to employ a prankster.
Joe
1:29
Have you ever broached with Rutherford the subject of the Pens having too many 30+ aged players on the roster?...they have 7 or 8 I believe and Cup history doesn’t show any winning teams with more than 4 players in significant roles being aged 30 or older. Just wondering what JR’s perspective is on this
Jason Mackey
1:32
We've talked about the age of his roster, and the Penguins are definitely up there. But what would you like him to do? Probably not sign Cullen, I get that. Others? You're not trading Crosby or Malkin. There was minimal interest in Kessel. They don't want to trade Letang, nor could they with his injury history and 2017-18 performance. I wouldn't trade Hagelin. Too valuable. So we're talking about ... Hornqvist? Hope not. Brassard? OK, but he's only 30. His issues weren't age-related. Johnson is 31, but again, are we attributing his last season to age? I get the numbers are high; I just don't think it's worth pinning that on the GM. They are what they are, but they didn't fail to win a Stanley Cup last season because they suddenly became too old.
Joe
1:32
Brassard had an interview recently in French and the translated version indicated that he believed he would be playing LW full time this year. Do you think he’s been told that’s the case?
Jason Mackey
1:32
No. In talking to GMJR, he said they would try it in camp. That's it. It would be way outside Sullivan's way of doing business to commit to anything like that before trying it and getting himself a decently large sample size.
Behind the Curtain
1:32
How much time do you invest to produce an excellent article such as the Matt Cullen story?  And have you ever invested a significant amount of time trying to mine a story on someone that just didn't generate the desired outcome?
Jason Mackey
1:34
The Cullen one wasn't that bad -- but thank you. It's obviously easier when the subjects are as cooperative as Matt, who is so well-spoke, gave us such great access. That's barely work. I had filed a day or two after our interview. I just hunkered down, transcribed a bunch and wrote/edited for a while. And yes, absolutely I've done things where it takes a bunch of effort, you're really proud, you think it's awesome and ... flop. Just goes over like a lead balloon. Oh well. That's the fun of the job, though.
Regent Square Mick
1:34
Love your writing! Jason, who do you think has the most room for improvement among our forwards and our defense, and what specifics do you think the coaching staff want from them?
Jason Mackey
1:36
Hey Mick, thanks so much for the kind words. ... Zach Aston-Reese stands out as someone who could be a lot more than he was. The toughness, for one. Dude can fight. But he could also mature into a very good goal-scorer, someone with puck smarts but also the bruising mentality to score around the net. ... Defensively, I'm going with Jack Johnson. I think you guys will be pleasantly surprised at the end result when he's asked to not do too much, keep it simple and be the straight-man on a pairing with Justin Schultz.
Matt
1:36
What are the odds they trade the 1st rounder. Lol
Jason Mackey
1:36
The Penguins trade a first-round pick? No. That never happens.
Regent Square Mick
1:36
Is there a realistic scenario with Brossard playing on the wing in the top 6? Or are they going to continue to try and make him the third line center, considering defense isn't his strong suit?
Jason Mackey
1:37
Brassard isn't a slouch defensively, Mick. His all-around game lacked last season, which may be why you typed that. But at his best, he's a pretty solid two-way player. Anyway ... I think it's still up in the air. I think Sullivan would like to see what it looks like, but he's not committing to anything either way. It's tough because Brassard has always been a center. What if he stinks? They need to find that out.
Guest
1:37
What members of the roster currently do you see being around for many years to come? (excluding the obvious Sid, Geno, Tanger, Kessel, etc :P)
Jason Mackey
1:38
I think they're going to do something big with Guentzel next summer. That's easy. Assuming Murray doesn't get hurt seven more times, him as well. If Sheahan keeps building on what he does last season, he projects as a very good bottom-six center and someone who fits what they need as far as winning faceoffs, killing penalties and chipping in the odd goal.
Mark
1:39
Previously the rule changes/enforcement for slashing, or faceoffs made for a confusing beginning of the season for some players while they tried to adjust and break old habits. Do you see anything in particular like that for this year? And will goaltender interference ever  get figured out?
Jason Mackey
1:39
No on both counts, Mark. I don't think anything could rival that mess. Ugh. I forgot about that until you brought it up. And, honestly, I don't think they will ever figure out goaltender interference. Sadly. I'd like to see them scale-back replay review, but I'm not sure that's ever going to happen.
Matt
1:40
do you think they could have enough cap to resign Brassard? with the cap going up and Haggys contract ending?
Jason Mackey
1:41
They could -- if they wanted to. I think the issue here is whether they want to. First, the Penguins need to determine if Brassard fits what they're trying to do. If he doesn't, then they would be dumb to re-sign him. But if he improves a lot, and they want to keep him, yes, I think they could figure out a way to make that happen.
copall
1:41
I think the Pen’s lineup this year will best be served if Brassard and Kessel can work together as two thirds of a solid 3rd line. I also think that it is time for Letang to prove that he has evolved into a wily old vet that rarely makes mistakes. To me, those will be the two most interesting things to watch for come October 4. Who/what will you be focused on to start the season?
Jason Mackey
1:42
Totally valid concerns here. ... I'll be watching to see if Murray can bounce back and stay healthy ... whether the power play can be equally as good ... whether the fourth line can get more production ... whether Sprong nails down regular NHL work ... the Jack Johnson Experiment ... ton of stuff to pay attention to.
Guest
1:42
Does Maatta seem kind of misplaced now with JJ most likely taking over the top 4? His salary seems to be a lot for a third pairing d-man. Do you think they’ll consider trading him at some point if JJ works out?
Jason Mackey
1:44
No, I don't think they would do that. Cap is going to up, for one, making Maatta's contract a pretty good bargain for a legit defenseman. Two, I think the Penguins would like to see a little more offense from Olli. He can do it. Third, what the Penguins want to do is achieve balance with their pairs. That doesn't necessarily mean grouping their best defensemen together, one through six, in groups of twos. It means finding the best pairs.
Monday Morning QB
1:44
Goalie masks are one of the standout aspects of hockey over other sports.  I personally don’t love most of the airbrush character likeness designs nowadays, I much prefer the simple, logo driven ones.
Do you have any favorite masks from around the league?
Jason Mackey
1:44
Honestly, I don't pay attention. Maybe I should. But I feel like that's more of a fan thing. I can tell you which goalies I enjoy interviewing and which ones I like/hate to watch play, but masks? I don't know. It's just a mask.
Tristan
1:45
I feel brassard has been great defensively throughout his entire career
Jason Mackey
1:45
He certainly hasn't been terrible, but I see what Mick is saying. Think it was Mick who brought that up.f
Andrew
1:45
Has the team identified any flaws in Matt Murray's form last year that caused him to have such a down year in terms of save percentage compared with the previous season?
Jason Mackey
1:46
They have, and there are a few. Some of them are angle-related. His glove hand does need to improve, although that's way overblown, in my opinion. But other issues aren't technical things. Like his dad. Or getting hurt a lot. They affected his play, but there's not much the coaching staff can do to take that stuff out of his game, you know?
Tristan
1:47
Replay has ruined the game
Jason Mackey
1:47
Not just hockey.
Matt
1:47
what will Murrays Contract look like (sorry for Brassard question twice ive never used Jotcast)
Jason Mackey
1:47
No worries ... I think it's still up in the air. Could be $6-$7 million per if Murray plays the way he's capable of. Maybe more, honestly, if he's truly a franchise guy.
Tristan
1:47
Why would someone want to trade Maatta??? Him and dumo were the most consistent players last year.
Jason Mackey
1:48
This has been a thing for a long time. The Trade Maatta faction of the fanbase is fierce. Even last year, when Maatta was mostly good, I heard about this regularly.
Joe
1:48
I’m assuming Murray realizes he had a fairly poor year last year. Have you talked to him about why he thinks that was and what if anything he needs to do to turn that around?
Jason Mackey
1:48
I have not. He's been away. Looking at next week sometime.
Alex
1:48
This is awful to think about, but what does the team do if Murray never returns to form? What’s their way of course-correcting?
Jason Mackey
1:49
I think that's one of the reasons they're unwilling to move Tristan Jarry. They would want to see what he looks like in that spot.
K
1:50
Thank you for answering a question above about Olli. I myself have been worried about his future with the Pens since acquiring Jack Johnson and it’s nice to see some reassurance.
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