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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 03.08.23
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Matt Vensel
10:38
Good morning, Pens fans. Pumped to talk hockey with you. We will get start around 11 a.m. In the meantime, you can begin submitting your questions. Plan to go for about a half hour today.
11:05
All right, folks. Sorry for the slight delay. Let's get this party started.
Gary
11:06
Hey Matt.you do a great job covering the pens. Enjoy you articles. My question Matt do you really believe hextall will be back, I’m hoping not, I think he ruined this team.  He’s like a Trojan horse for the flyers. Thank you Matt
Matt Vensel
11:07
Gary, first off, appreciate the kind words. Happy to have you as a reader. As for Ron Hextall, I think it's fair to say his job is very much in jeopardy depending on how the result of the season plays out. It's a results-oriented business, and if the Penguins flame out again in the first round -- or, gasp, miss the playoffs -- the ownership group should strongly consider making a change, and likely will. The supporting cast simply has not been good enough, and I'm not sure it has gotten much better over the last two weeks.
Joe
11:08
Matt, why are the media jumping down Hextall’s throat and then they give Sullivan a pass? Sure, Hextall made mistakes in player signings, like Carter, but Sullivan chooses to play Carter in prominent roles like third center even though he has tanked every player’s game who has played with him. Sorry, but winning a few face offs shouldn’t be a reason to keep him in the lineup. Sullivan could scratch him at any time but doesn’t. Sullivan’s player usage leaves a lot to be desired and contributes to this team losing and yet the media are never critical of him or suggest he is part of the problem. He certainly is and his contract extension through the remaining decade is absolutely ridiculous. The team is going nowhere with him at the helm
Matt Vensel
11:12
Joe, I can only really speak for myself, but it appears the consensus viewpoint is that Mike Sullivan can only do so much with the roster that has been given to him. I definitely think his hands are tied in some spots, particularly with the Jeff Carter situation that you mention. What's the alternative to Carter there? Not much really. We were supposed to see Mikael Granlund there last night but he was sick. Maybe he will be the answer. Anyway, I have been somewhat critical of Sullivan in my weekly From the Point column. This team has perplexing letdowns and mental mistakes, and that has to fall on him to some degree. It's also fair to wonder if they are tweaking their Xs and Os enough to account for their average team speed. But if you can only blame one person for the state of the team, I think the GM should be first in that line.
Johnny M
11:13
Good morning Matt. Do you think The Pens have any chance of signing Zucker up again for next year?  As a UFA he is going to want more.
Matt Vensel
11:15
Johnny, I can't help but wonder if the trade for Granlund punched Zucker's ticket out of town, with the interesting twist being the two are buddies and longtime former teammates with Minnesota. Unless they move out another high-priced winger, I don't know that they can afford to bring back Zucker, especially with him playing so, so well this season. One can make the case that they shouldn't re-sign him regardless because he's another 30-something with an injury history. But I'm not going to do that today, not with Zucker providing the Penguins with big goals and needed attitude pretty much every night here lately.
Johnny M
11:15
Granlund has been in only 2 games. What do you think of him so far? Last season he was an assist guy.
Matt Vensel
11:17
Honestly, the only times Granlund really jumped out to me in his first two games was when he got crushed trying to enter the opposing zone. It's obvious watching him in practice that he has creativity and passing skill. We'll see if he is able to tap into that down the stretch.
jwheaney
11:17
This young guy O'Connor is a load...He could be another Kevin Steven's type player with speed!!! Your thoughts?
Matt Vensel
11:19
Woah, woah, woah. Let's slow down a bit here. Kevin Stevens? I don't see that in Drew's range of outcomes. You're talking about one of the best power forwards of the 1990s. But I do think you have right to be excited about O'Connor. who is finally using his speed and size to consistently cause the other team problems. He might just become a quality middle-sixer winger at all.
Guest
11:19
Hi Matt, with nylander finally getting called up and playing well, albeit for one game, does that make you wonder why he hasn’t been given a chance earlier ?  It plays into the “pens /sully doesn’t give young players a chance “ thought process .  Just like it has taken DOC quite awhile to finally stick in line up .
Matt Vensel
11:20
That was largely due to cap and roster constraints, but Alex Nylander also had to show the organization that he could play a 200-foot game before he earned his deserved call-up. I thought his debut last night was solid stuff.
Guest
11:21
Between Jarry’s latest injuries and uneven play since his most recent return , should the pens resign him?  Though they may not really have a choice with not many other options
Matt Vensel
11:22
His unavailability this season has become a concern and it is clear it has started to frustrate team decision-makers. But the next 1-3 months will determine his future here. Tristan is a good goalie -- definitely top 16 -- but he needs to show the Pens that they can count on him when it matters most. To this point, they have not seen that.
Johnny M
11:23
What's been the deal with Poehling? You're at practice. Can you tell us what his injury is? If not, what's he been working on the most in practice?
Matt Vensel
11:25
I have heard what the injury might be but have not been able to get that locked down. Anyway, the fact that he is in and out of practice, and has gone from contact back to non-contact at least a couple of times, is not encouraging. Sullivan's comments yesterday morning hinted that the Penguins aren't sure if they will be getting Poehling back this season. That stinks for them. But it stinks worse for Poehling, who was a pleasant surprise this season prior to his injury woes. Hopefully Ryan gets it figured out.
Pining
11:26
Matt, first, thank you for the chat. Second, with the near incompetence of Mr. Flyer as GM and the indifference of the Fenway Group as ownership, is this franchise turning into the Pirates. With Mario being pushed aside and the BIG 3 close to the end, what is to prevent this franchise from falling to the depths of the early 21st century?
Matt Vensel
11:28
Sorry, but this whole "indifference of the Fenway Group" talking point that you and others have thrown out there doesn't make much sense to me. It is incredibly uncommon to see a team fire its GM during the season. And while I don't have much confidence that the moves Hextall made the last two weeks will change the trajectory of the team, I don't see the benefit of suddenly firing him now. They'll let this season play out then figure out what to do like any stable franchise would.
Rahn
11:28
I liked your piece on the Pens' prospects. (Say it five times fast.) One thing I think that happens often is there's a lack of appreciation for filling the bottom six and 4th-5th-6th-7th defenseman slots through draft and development. Usually system grades are based solely on impact players where drafting to build rosters, say, if someone like Isaac Belliveau becomes a bottom pair guy, it saves the Penguins from searching and trading for someone like that who makes a lot more in salary and sacrificing draft choices. What do you think?
Matt Vensel
11:31
Rahn, glad you liked it. And good thoughts here. Obviously, it would be great for the Pens if they found another mid-round gem like Jake Guentzel. But they are not even producing youngsters who can step in and capable fill roles on entry-level contracts. O'Connor is doing that now. Pierre-Olivier Joseph did some good things this year. We'll see about Nylander. But the lack of inexpensive impact the last five years pushed the Pens to overpay for free agents such as Jack Johnson and Brock McGinn. We'll see if Hextall's approach changes that -- and if he's still the GM when that time comes.
Johnny M
11:31
Mears & Errey said last night Brian Rust's wife was having a baby. Can you confirm that? If so, congratulations to them both.
Matt Vensel
11:33
The Rust family has made no announcement yet but that's the assumption. I talked to him briefly on the Florida trip about his wife being due and what he would do if she went into labor while he was down there. So if the baby did arrive, it's great that he could be there for it and hopefully the baby is happy and healthy. Family first.
Ryan
11:33
Matt what do you think about Bonino coming back i liked that trade
Matt Vensel
11:35
Ryan, I think Nick Bonino is a reasonable replacement for Teddy Blueger, who netted the Penguins a third-round pick. But as much as Blueger struggled this season, not sure Bonino is an upgrade at this point in his career.
Gary
11:35
I saw in hockey news I believe , Matt. The pens are one of the oldest teams in history, thats crazy
Matt Vensel
11:37
I had not heard that, Gary, but it shouldn't surprise. The Pens were the NHL's oldest team entering the season and just added three guys between 31 and 35. Now they have 15 (!!!) players in their 30s. Not sure I would have taken this strategy but obviously the Penguins are putting a premium on veterans who have been there, done that.
Jay Daven
11:37
Matt, it was a great comeback win last night but Jarry looked horrible while DeSmith stepped up.  Is Jarry playing injured or is he going through a mental lapse?
Matt Vensel
11:39
Jay, I'm not convinced he is completely healed from whatever was nagging him last month. Another problem, at least in the eyes of Sullivan, is that Jarry just hasn't had much practice time due to his health woes and the late-season schedule. Jarry is a goalie who appears to be at his best when he is playing a lot and can settle into a rhythm.
Johnny M
11:39
I hope you do this every week. Thanks Matt. :)
Matt Vensel
11:40
Thanks, Johnny. Glad you enjoyed it. We will try to make that happen now that we have reached the playoff push.
Matt Vensel
11:41
OK, folks. That's it for today. Thanks for the questions. A bunch of good ones. Hopefully we do this again very soon. If not, you can always shoot me a question at mvensel@post-gazette.com.
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