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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 01.17.25
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Matt Vensel
12:00
Hello, hockey fans. Excited to chat with you today. I'm assuming there will be a question or two about the goalie situation. Let me grab a cup of coffee real quick and then we'll get going. In the meantime, fire away!
Wolly winka
12:07
Say it ain't so Jarry!  Is he going to be back, soon?
Matt Vensel
12:10
Tristan Jarry being sent to the minors leagues is not temporary, barring a rash of injuries. The Penguins made this move for a couple of reasons. One, they think top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist is ready to get an extended look in the NHL, and I imagine they think Alex Nedeljkovic is better suited to serve in that mentor role. And two, the Penguins simply couldn't keep trotting Jarry out there for the sake of the veterans on the team. I believe Jarry is generally liked among the players, but you guys could see the impact that the early goals and soft goals and the late goals had on the team. Something had to give there eventually.
Tom
12:11
What does sending Jarry down really accomplish? Rookie goalies are usually hot when the come up until NHL learns their weakness. Blomqvist was average when he came up, anyways. Why not lose with Jarry?
Matt Vensel
12:13
The main thing here is that the Penguins are giving Blomqvist a real shot to earn a regular NHL job, and it would have been a distraction had Jarry still been here. Again, that says nothing about Tristan's personality or professionalism. He would have just been an elephant in the room. As for Jarry's future, there is a universe or two in which he goes down to Wilkes, rediscovers his career and recaptures his All-Star form here or someone else. I actually talked to a few goalie experts about that, and you can read their thoughts in Sunday's From the Point column. More likely, though, this will bury Jarry in the minors until the team can trade him or buy him out this summer.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:14
Hi Matt! If the Pens outright release Jarry after the season, what will his cap hit be going forward? Similar to Jack Johnson who they are still paying?
Matt Vensel
12:16
I won't keep you all waiting while I dig up the exact numbers. Basically, if they bought him out, they would get a good amount of cap relief in 2025-26, there would be little benefit the following two seasons and then a little bit of money would linger on their books for three years after that. Kyle Dubas has stated in the past that he does not like to buy out players. But I think that's pretty palatable, especially with the salary cap ceiling expected to spike in the near future.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:16
When Jarry lets in the first shot on more than 1 occasion, did the other Pens players lose confidence in their ability to win as they were always playing catchup with him in goal?
Matt Vensel
12:18
There was definitely a psychological impact on the team there, though, to be fair Nedeljkovic has let in a few first-shot goals and the defense was more responsible for several of those goals. Zooming out on Jarry, it's a combination of the early goals and the lapses late that clearly sucked life out of this team. Are they a playoff team had he not suited up for them this season? Probably not. They are one of the NHL's worst defensive teams. But Jarry clearly compounded their issues.
Monroe
12:18
On a bright note for Jarry, he will now have much more time to off-season train by gorging himself on food in Italy. What did you think led to his incredible inconsistency?
Matt Vensel
12:19
Monroe is making a little joke here, but by all accounts Jarry worked his tail off this summer to show up in great shape. The results just didn't come. I do not think this was not for a lack of effort.

Also, god forbid a player goes on vacation in the offseason? Wait until you hear that Sidney Crosby doesn't live at a rink all summer...
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:20
I know the players will have Jarry's back, but did you sense a bit of relief among the troops that waiving him might give the team a jolt with Blomqvist in net?
Matt Vensel
12:21
The mood in the room was actually a little heavy the last couple of days. Tristan has been a part of this team for five years now, so there's the human side of it. But the players also felt partly responsible for this happening, given the way they have defended this year. That said, I do think a little bit of a cloud will be lifted going forward, especially if Blomqvist picks up where he left off in November.
Tom
12:22
The only player the Pens have right now that could really fetch a top pick or worthwhile prospect would be Rakell. They wouldn't trade Crosby's top winger two years in a row though, would they?
Matt Vensel
12:24
Tom, first off, Rickard has really restored his trade value these last three months. His contract was a tough sell this past summer but now he is someone that contenders should consider. I believe the Penguins will listen on Rakell, but I don't think there is an urgency to sell him while his value is high. To your point, I'm sure Sid would not be thrilled if the Pens traded away a top winger at two straight trade deadlines.
Tom
12:24
Think Winnipeg is laughing knowing they were right that McGroarty is far from NHL ready, let alone a potential top line player? Also getting minimal quality center play from Malkin on 2nd line, there is no way the Pens aren't regretting letting Yager go now, right?
Matt Vensel
12:25
Waaaaaaaaay too early to conclude whether the trade was a win. What I will say is that Rutger has started to turn it on in Wilkes over the last few months, and I believe both he and Brayden are good, determined, mature kids who are going to be in this league for a long time.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:25
Is this road trip the tipping point on whether the Pens try to compete for the playoffs or start the massive rebuild? I know the top players have no trade clauses but if you were them, why would you want to stay around for a rebuild?
Matt Vensel
12:26
Sidney Crosby agreed the other day that the season will be on the line on this seven-game road trip. They have gotten passed by six or seven teams over the last couple of weeks, and the trade deadline suddenly looms. As for the Big Three, they aren't going anywhere this season.
jwheaney
12:27
Given some of the dubious decisions made....is Kyle Dubas the right guy the right guy to steer the Penguins flotilla into championship waters? Thanks for your response!!!
Matt Vensel
12:29
Fair question. I have a lot of thoughts but not much time so I will sum it up quickly. His first year on the job was a miscalculation of where the Penguins were in their winning cycle. The Karlsson trade, IMO, was 100 times worse than the Jarry contract given the future assets it took to make that deal happen. But I give credit to Kyle Dubas for realizing that he made a miscalculation, he essentially pulled a U-turn and now he is wisely accumulating future assets. But tearing it down is the easy part. Whether he gets the Penguins back to contention will come down to player evaluation and acquisition, which was not his strong suit in Toronto. He's got a highly-respect lead scout in Wes Clark, so that's a plus for the Penguins' rebuild. Check back in a year.
Avi
12:30
1. Going back to Geno’s rookie year, if him and Crosby switched linemates, who do you think would have most overall points (feel free to break down goals vs. assists)?
2. Growing up, I played baseball and am a righty. So, glove on the left hand, throw with the right. Regularly, I see goalies with the glove on the left hand but shoot left handed. This implies they are also right handed. Are the goalies right handed who learn how to stick handle as lefties or lefties who learn how to catch righty?
Matt Vensel
12:33
Avi, first off, Evgeni Malkin is a great player, one of the top 75 ever for sure, but he is not in the same stratosphere as Crosby. So the answer is Crosby, especially if in this universe he didn't miss two seasons of his prime. As for the second one, the most important took for a goalie is the stick. It's the foundation of your stance and your technique. So however you feel comfortable holding that stick should dictate which hand you catch with. At least that's how I see it as a guy who played goalie (poorly) for two decades. Stickhandling is a plus but stopping pucks is the most important thing here, obviously.
Avi
12:33
Hypothetically, if the Penguins chose Fleury over Murray in the Expansion Draft, do you think they’d have won any additional Cups?
Matt Vensel
12:34
You are not the first person to have thought this. I've wondered about it plenty, especially if in this alternate reality the Penguins traded Matt Murray for some good stuff. There is no way to know this for sure. But obviously, the gift of hindsight tells us that they didn't win again in part because of Matt Murray's injury woes and the giant void that Fleury's departure left within the fabric of the team.
Ricky Blitt
12:35
Hey Matt.  I’ve thanked you privately but wanted to thank you publicly about your great article last year on the show “Loudermilk” regarding the stuff I wrote about my character’s Penguins mania.   As you know by now, my Penguins mania extends to real life (if my day to day existence in any way passes for a life).  So I have to ask regarding the Jarry stuff - I know Dubas is communications savvy so he was slickly smooth enough to do his “brave” face the music thing.  So my long winded question is did he face the music?  Stuff like the Ryan Graves signing was hindsight is 20-20 foolish.  He was strong elsewhere he just happened to decline last year.  But Jarry was in a no leverage situation and any even casual fan knew the best Jarry could get elsewhere would have been a year prove it contract.  How has Kyle defended this beyond simple platitudes like the buck stops here I own my mistakes
Matt Vensel
12:38
Hey, Ricky. "Loudermilk" was a fun show. I'd recommend folks give it a shot. As for Kyle, I think he was accountable about Tristan when he spoke the other day. And he has said a few times publicly in recent months that he makes the big bucks and it's fair to question his moves when they don't work out. Given that, for example, Ryan Graves is still a part of the NHL club right now, Kyle isn't going to come out and say that was a mistake, assuming he feels that way. That would not be very productive. But in the case of Jarry, I give him some credit for saying after the fact that, yeah, it didn't work out and he should be held accountable for that. I'll add that there alternatives to signing Jarry that year weren't good either. They went with the devil they knew, so to speak. And he got significant input from those who were already here.
Mark
12:39
If I were coach or player, I would try to convince my team to have a short-term goal every game.  In my view that goal for this team right now should be "under no circumstances, never, in no way should the other team score more than two goals."
And if they fail to meet that goal, each and every one of them has to do an extra hour of (fill in the blank). Even if they win the game.  On the other hand, establish team rewards if they give up just 1 goal or--dare we even contemplate?--a shutout.  And yes, even if they lose.
The problem I see now is that they all say they have to be better--but no one is offering a means to achieve consistent results other than trying harder (which obvi hasn't been working for many years now).
And the coaches are drowning them in detail--which also stops them from playing the game.
Stop goals.  In order to do this, they will view offensive risks as the big risks they are and almost subconsciously:
Keep D back
Mark a man in the d-zone
Step in front of shots
Keep opponents out of the
Matt Vensel
12:39
Send me your resume and I will pass it along to management.
SDWC
12:39
Do you think the Pens will go for a FA goalie in the offseason or stick with Ned & Joel moving forward?
Matt Vensel
12:40
Ned is under contract through 2025-26 and the Penguins like the other goalies they have in the system. So I wouldn't bet on it.
Kordell
12:40
Matt, thanks for all your insights and updates on the Pens.  Who heads the scouting department and should that person/group be on as much a hot spot as Coach Sullivan?  The wiffs on Jarry, Graves, and Karlsson have hampered any attempt at an in-flight rebuild.
Matt Vensel
12:41
Pro scouting/personnel falls directly into the lap of Kyle Dubas.
JPModrak
12:41
We're losing games in the third period. Why? Is there a flaw in personnel? In communication? Or is it conditioning and age? Finally, are any WB skaters skilled like Hagelin or Scuderi?
Matt Vensel
12:42
It's a long list. Goaltending. Defensive lapses. A lack of attention to detail and situational awareness. Mental toughness that comes and goes. Lineup depth. And sometimes, they get greedy for more goals.
Guest
12:42
the Penguins sit near the bottom of the league in a lot of defensive categories (odd man rushes against, breakaways and high danger chances against, etc), but this isn’t unique to this season, it’s been a feature of HCMS system. Ned’s numbers a virtually identical to Jarry’s (same sv% and a worse GAA). doesn’t the team risk destroying the confidence of Blomqvist putting him behind this porous team defense?
Matt Vensel
12:43
The Penguins were actually top-10 in a lot of those same metrics in Jarry's two All-Star seasons, in 2020 and 2022. That's part of the reason why Jarry performed quite well for stretches. But to your point, the defensive personnel and structure has been an issue the last 2 1/2 seasons. The coach clearly bears some responsibility for that.
Guest
12:44
HCMS has a double standard: he claims the team’s prospects need to learn how to play on the right side of the puck but his whole team are a minus in plus/minus. furthermore, when a youngster does get called up they are often buried on the 4th line and not given a real opportunity to use their skillset and asked to play a checking role. how does the team get younger and “hungrier” when he would rather play a bunch of below average veterans?
Matt Vensel
12:47
This is a longstanding narrative with Sullivan and there is merit to some of this, at least in the past. But what's the issue this season? For one, Kyle Dubas has the most sway on who is on the NHL roster. He's kept the kids in the AHL for a reason. And two, look at how Sullivan has handled the younger players who are on the roster now. He's played Phil Tomasino in a middle-six role and has been willing to deal with some issues in his play without the puck. Cody Glass is on the second round right now. How many games did Owen Pickering play on the top line?
12:49
That will do it for today's chat. A lot of great questions today. You guys brought your A game. We'll see if the Penguins do the same on this road trip. Have a great weekend, everyone, and stay warm!
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