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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 03.26.20
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Matt Vensel
1:04
Good afternoon, Pens fans. Hope you're all feeling well, laying low and staying sane. Thanks for joining me for today's chat. It's going to be great to communicate with non-toddlers for a little while. Go ahead and submit your questions now. We can talk about anything except for Paw Patrol. We'll get going in a couple of minutes here.
Guest
1:05
Where in the world is Sidney Crosby? Jk but really?
Matt Vensel
1:06
Sid is actually on a conference call with reporters as we speak. Our Mike DeFabo is on the call and will write up what Sid had to say shortly.
MA
1:07
Some teams are cutting full time employees salaries or cutting jobs. Has there been any word as to what the Pens plan to do?
Matt Vensel
1:09
MA, our Mike DeFabo reported last week that Jim Rutherford and team prez/CEO David Morehouse offered to take pay cuts to help keep staffers secure financially. The Pens, led by Sidney Crosby and other players, were one of the first NHL teams to step up and provide financial assistance for workers at PPG Paints Arena. Maybe things change down the road. But for now, the Pens have been trying to take care of everybody.
Jm
1:09
If JAR and Jake come back who gets knocked off 23 man roster?
Matt Vensel
1:12
I'm guessing you mean ZAR, as in Zach Aston-Reese. Had the season not been suspended, he would already be back on the ice. Jim Rutherford said that Jake Guentzel is on track in his recovery and could theoretically return for the playoffs if they start up in May or June or later. To answer your question, I'd think that rookies Sam Lafferty and Anthony Angello would head back to WBS. I'm not sure if the Pens would want to carry eight defensemen either. So those would be ways to theoretically fit them on the roster should we be fortunate enough that this NHL season resumes.
Jimmie
1:13
The dramatic improvement in the Pens after trading Kessel demonstrated clearly that Sullivan's defense-first plan works well only with responsible players.  After starting well, both Le Tang and Malkin showed signs of regression in their willingness to take foolish penalties.  Does this alarm you?  Do you think Sullivan can control them?  We can't win the Cup without outstanding defense.
Matt Vensel
1:14
Jimmie, I'm not really concerned about those penalties. That would be way down the list of worries. Obviously, it would be ideal if those two were more disciplined in that regard, particularly Malkin. But Geno has been the team's best player this season and a tone-setter. You can live with a silly penalty every few games.
Rick
1:14
Is it true that Matt Murray is looking for 7-8 Million per year with term? That seems a bit much for a goalie who been inconsistent at best.
Matt Vensel
1:17
Rick, I have heard that reported by others, notably Mark Madden on the radio. I have not personally confirmed that. But I can see why Matt and his camp would want to get a big payday. Matt has two Cups on his resume and is only 25. How many other goalies can say that? I also would understand if the Penguins did not want to tie up that much money in Murray, especially over the long haul. He has yet to show he can put together a consistent, Vezina-type season. And Tristan Jarry was a pleasant surprise this season. Both goalies will be RFAs this summer and before COVID-19 shut down sports, I thought it was unlikely both guys would be back next year. Now, with the postseason proving ground maybe taken away, all bets are off.
jwheaney
1:19
Nice to here about a possible Jake Guentzel return...what is your take on this possibility and his effectiveness on if he does? Thanks for all you do Bro!!!
Matt Vensel
1:20
Thanks for the kind words. I'll be honest. I don't know a ton about his recovery. The Pens have kept a lid on that. So it's hard to know for sure. But his injury is pretty significant and there is a chance it could limit his effectiveness going forward. I'd feel better about what he can do if he returns toward the end of the 4-to-6-month window. But in the short term, I still wouldn't expect to see the Jake we saw prior to the injury, not without a regular offseason and skating schedule.
66fan
1:21
in a scenario where the NHL does not return at all this season, how much does that complicate the calculus on Matt Murray? without him going on a strong playoff run to offset the question marks around his inconsistency, how can the Pens realistically sign him to a long term big ticket contract? it would seem to me in this scenario a more team friendly contract with Jarry would make more sense. what do you think?
Matt Vensel
1:23
That is what I was referring to at the end of a previous answer on Matt. If Murray was able to put together another really strong playoff run, the Pens might feel better about giving Murray big bucks going forward. Without that, they should probably be hesitant to commit too much money and term to him, especially considering how close they are projected to be to the cap ceiling already.
MA
1:24
Thanks!! I had not seen the article about Jim and Dave. That’s exactly what I expected.
Matt Vensel
1:25
Yeah, Jim Rutherford and David Morehouse did a really nice thing last week, not that anyone should be surprised by that.
DariusKasperIlovethesechats
1:25
We can probably forget about this season coming back which is a shame, thought we had a so-so shot. Looking to hopefully a next season though, how do you see some of the young blood working into the line up? I.E. O'Conner, Legare, Poulin? I think we have potential to be loaded at forward!
Matt Vensel
1:27
I agree that those are three intriguing youngsters who weren't in the organization 12 months ago. The Pens were impressed by Sam Poulin and Nathan Legare during training camp and the preseason last summer. I'm skeptical that they were strongly considered to make the team out of camp. It made the most sense for their development to leave them in the QMJHL. But both will have a shot next year, especially if the Pens can move the contract of a higher-paid veteran. One would think Drew O'Connor, the big forward they signed out of Dartmouth two weeks ago, would be in the mix for a call-up next season. But you never know until you see them in a pro setting.
Ln
1:29
Did any players leave the country that you know of?  It might be hard to get back in if they start practicing in small groups soon (one could hope )
Matt Vensel
1:32
I'm not sure if any of them went overseas. Jim Rutherford danced around that one Wednesday. But I wouldn't be surprised if one or more players did. I know the NHL has said they want the players to self-quarantine until April 6 and then they might give them the green light to skate in small groups, but I have a hard time believing that's going to happen any time soon. All the health experts, including the lead one for the NHL, are projecting that things are going to get much, much worse here. And the NHL and its teams have to follow the direction of the CDC and local authorities.
1:33
I hope that is not the case for many, many different reasons. One is that I'm not able to skate either, and I'm going to get really, really fat here without the ability to go play pickup hockey.
In search of 6
1:37
Matt, I enjoyed watching the '91 and '92 Penguins Stanley Cup championship games on Hockey Network Wednesday. Those teams might have been a little better than the recent Pens Cup champs. What do you think?
Matt Vensel
1:40
That's a great question. I was 10 or 11 during the first two Cup runs. Game 6 is 1991 is the only time I've ever seen my dad drunk, so that was certainly a legendary night. My analysis might be clouded by nostalgia, but I'd take those early Pens teams. Mario is a top-five player all-time and there were so many great players on those teams. Coffey, Stevens, Tocchet, Recchi, Murphy, Ulf. I'm just now getting to Ron Francis, another Hall-of-Famer. I'm sure in 20 years there will be at least three or four contemporary Penguins in the HOF, too. Sid and Geno are locks and Fleury and Letang will certainly get consideration. Plus, there are all the secondary standouts. But with due respect, I don't think they'd stack up to the 1991 and 1992 teams.
Rick Sunner in Orlando
1:42
Hi Matt! What a great day to use the DVR to record some historic Pens Cup clinchers yesterday on the NHL Network. In addition, the 3 hour history of the Pens from Mr. McGregor starting the team to Mario, Jaromir, Geno and Sid's influence on the city of Pittsburgh and the NHL is priceless! Were you able to watch or record??
Matt Vensel
1:44
Rick, my wife commandeered the remote control last night but I'm hoping to catch a replay of that. People seemed to be really enjoying it last night based on the Twitter discussion.
66fan
1:45
would it be financially worth it for the NHL to hold the playoffs in empty arenas (if it came to that)? which would the NHL choose— playing for the Cup in September versus a full 2020-21 season with no 2019-20 champion?
Matt Vensel
1:47
That is above my pay grade, but I'd think the TV revenue would be important, certainly better than nothing. As for the part about the timetable, Gary Bettman and the NHL have made it clear that they don't want to change the 2020-21 schedule. So unless they change their mind on that, the 2019-20 playoffs would have to be crammed in by the end of August. That will be a challenge.
Rick
1:48
Matt, I agree that Malkin can be excused for some of the penalties, but I do have a problem lately before the shutdown with the losing streak, it appeared the Pens were getting back into the habit of the east west pass just outside of the offensive zone instead of dumping and chasing.  Even when they won the last three games it looked like a little of last season. Your thoughts?
Matt Vensel
1:50
Rick, there were a lot of alarming things that happened in the last month of play. They were 3-8-0 in their last 11 prior to the league suspending play. But I'm not going to pin that on Evgeni Malkin. He was having a monster season after a disappointing 2018-19.
Guest
1:50
I saw an idea written about isolating teams in one place like an Olympic village setting and letting them play games.  Do you think that has any legitimacy ?
Matt Vensel
1:51
The league seems to be willing to consider pretty much anything. And while that one is certainly outside the box, it's not crazy.
Rick
1:51
Matt, let me clarify my comments,  I was talking about the entire team trying to make the fancy pass cross ice instead of the dump and chase avenue.
Matt Vensel
1:52
Sure, that was a concern. So were the odd-man breaks, so-so goaltending, poor power play, lack of secondary scoring, lapses in defensive zone coverage, etc. I don't say this to dismiss your observation, which is accurate. I'm just pointing out that there were a lot of problems and it can't be boiled down to just one.
1:54
Any more questions before we call it a day? I know we are currently in an unsettling time, but are we really going to get through a chat without a question/critique about Jack Johnson or Dominik Simon? That would really make me worry.
1:57
Alright, I'm calling it. Thanks for all the questions today. A lot of good ones in there. It was great to talk hockey with you. We'll do it again soon. Now back to playing with Legos and dolls and things of that nature. Stay safe and stay at home, everyone!
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