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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 03.11.22
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Matt Vensel
10:55
Good morning, Pens fans. Happy to talk hockey with you today. We'll start at noon. But you can send in your questions whenever.
10:56
BTW, Ron Hextall is about to chat with reporters at 11 a.m. I'll let you know what he had to say before we get to your questions.
12:04
All right, folks, Takeaways from Ron Hextall's press conference are:
  1. The Penguins would like to add to their forward group but Hextall says that it isn't essential.
  2. He'd move future assets in the right trade.
  3. He did mention potentially adding another blue-liner but that seemed like less of a priority.
  4. Talks with Malkin, Letang and Rust are still ongoing but could be tabled after the deadline.
12:06
And with that, I'll get to your questions. We'll go a half hour today.
Jay Daven
12:07
Matt, are you concerned at all about the Pens goalies in the playoffs?  What was the cause of Jarry's poor showing last year and is DeSmith now showing you enough to help in a long playoff run?
Matt Vensel
12:09
Sure I am. Tristan Jarry has had a nice bounce-back season but no one knows how he will respond to the adversity he will face in this year's playoffs. And while Casey DeSmith has been solid over the last few weeks, you still wonder if he will revert back to early-season form. But barring a surprise, these are your goalies the rest of the season. Tristan's definitely the No. 1.
Guest
12:09
Matt, how could the reasonably dump Kapanen's salary?  At this point we just need to shed that $3.2 million anchor don't we?
Matt Vensel
12:10
I don't see this being a problem since he's on an expiring contract. He might not have much value right now, with him likely being a healthy scratch against Vegas tonight. But it's not a situation where the Penguins will need to incentivize a team to take on his contract.
Se Acobo
12:11
Vensy, so rusty, malkin & Tanger are all set to hit open market. Obviously they cant retain all. Do we envision GMRH moving any of them? Cant let all 3 just walk.
Matt Vensel
12:13
I would be absolutely floored if the Penguins traded any of them before the deadline, especially Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang. Their foremost priority is maximizing the opportunity that's right in front of them. And Hextall seems leery of disrupting team chemistry.
Tom
12:14
Is Malkin a puck hog? Secondary scoring was decent when he was out.
Matt Vensel
12:15
Tom, it would be pretty remarkable if he was such a puck hog that players on other lines weren't getting it...
Guest
12:15
Has Letang’s play moved more toward his old high risk high return play over the last 2 months or so?   He seemed to more disciplined earlier in the year, and his decision making and gravity of mistakes seems to have increased significantly.
Matt Vensel
12:18
That has definitely been the case. I wrote a story in early January about how he was playing really strong, smart hockey. And he immediately torpedoed that premise. He will need to rein that back in before the playoffs, but at least there's recent evidence that suggests he can thrive and still produce playing a more responsible style.
Surley
12:18
I’m hoping we pick up a few players that are pests and hit everything in sight. I was at the Tampa game and Friedman was doing just that. We have enough fast guys that don’t score. Thoughts?
Matt Vensel
12:19
Don't get your hopes up, Surley. I'd set the over/under on deadline additions at 1.5 players. But that one significant pickup could check those boxes for you...
Super66fan
12:20
last trade thought… keep Matheson and trade Marino for Manson. I know Sully doesn’t necessarily agree, but don’t the Penguins need some physicality on the back end for the playoffs? thnx for the chats Matt!
Matt Vensel
12:21
So you want to trade a young, right-handed defenseman for a rental? And with Letang heading into free agency? I know Marino is having another up-and-down season, but that's a very shortsighted approach.
Se Acobo
12:22
Why would they hire a guy like hextall who they know is shrewd at the end of this Era where retooling and making trades are the only way to get them past the 1st round.
Matt Vensel
12:24
That's a fair critique of Hextall for sure. He is clearly trying to thread the needle of competing now without leaving the organization in total ruins when Sidney Crosby retires, like we saw in the early 2000s. That's will be pretty tough to pull off. Say what you want about Jim Rutherford's decisions, but it was hard to fault him for chasing more Cups while his top guys were still in their primes.
Super66fan
12:25
don’t the Penguins *have* to try Valtteri Puustinen on Malkin’s wing if they won’t move Rust there? and why did they wait so long to find out if there’s a potential fit? would’ve been nice to find out with more time before the trade deadline
Matt Vensel
12:27
We could see that tonight against Vegas or at some point in the next week. As for the timing, they presumably didn't want to rush a young player in his first season in North America, especially with the Pens playing well and scoring a bunch of goals until about a month ago. I, for one, am excited to see what Puustinen can do at the NHL level. I think he's the one forward prospect who could potentially make an impact down the stretch.
Super66fan
12:28
Matheson, Kapanen, Poulin and 1st round pick for JT Miller and a 4th. flip the 4th for Chara… gives you a legit 2nd line and some experience, physicality and snarl on the back end. if Vancouver was game would you do this?
Matt Vensel
12:30
Definitely looks enticing on paper. But do we know that Jim Rutherford actually wants to take on Matheson's contract in Vancouver? And can Chara, at his age, fit in with the way the Penguins want to play? Anyway, there are definitely trades there to be made with GMJR and the Canucks if Hextall is interested in their forwards.
Guest
12:31
Any news on if zucker is coming back before the playoffs or can the pens use his cap hit for a trade?
Matt Vensel
12:31
Zucker has started skating and is expected to be back before the end of the regular season. So no dice.
Guest
12:32
Isn’t it time to scratch Dominik Simon & Zach Aston Reese ?
Matt Vensel
12:33
If and when the Penguins ever get healthy, Simon will not be in the lineup. And it will be interesting to see if Mike Sullivan would actually use Brian Boyle over ZAR in the playoffs. That could come down to matchups.
Matt Vensel
12:33
Any more questions, folks? I could take one or two more...
kevin in Punxsy
12:35
Has Carter lost something from last year?
Matt Vensel
12:36
Kevin, I don't think so. It would be unrealistic to expect him to score two out of every three games like he did last season. I think what we saw from him in November and December is probably what the Penguins will get in the playoffs. He's a gamer. I'm not worried about him.
Dan Mucy
12:37
Matt....same scenario as other playoff exits....shut down our top line...no one else scored.  Gotta get some help, right?
Matt Vensel
12:38
Dan, that might be oversimplifying their lack of playoff success the last three years. But your point about the secondary scoring is definitely valid. I believe the Pens know that it needs to be addressed and will explore all of their options there before the March 21 deadline.
Matt Vensel
12:39
That's going to do it for today, folks. Many good questions, as always. We'll do this again next Friday. Should be lots of rumors to dive into then with the deadline so close. Have a great weekend!
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