You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 04.18.25
powered byJotCast
Matt Vensel
11:11
Happy Friday, Penguins fans. Looking forward to having one last chat with you for the 2024-25 season. We just did exit interviews with the players. Not much to report there. But happy to answer any questions you have on the team and the future. Talk to you at noon.
Tom
12:05
What was Sully's reasoning for putting McGroarty/Koivenen on the top line the last few games...1) To semi tank for losses by breaking up best line 2) To see how good the young players are 3) It has been killing him inside to have the same line together for weeks?
Matt Vensel
12:06
The Penguins went 5-2-1 after those two kids were called up.
Tom
12:06
At 9th spot the Pens probably will have chance for the Right Handed defenseman Mrtka or the 5th best C in Jake O'brien. Which position or player would you like to see Dubas take?
Matt Vensel
12:06
In the NHL, you truly do need to pick the best player available.
DXF
12:07
You provided a lot of really good information this year in these chats. Thank you.
Matt Vensel
12:07
Thanks! I enjoyed doing it. I will sprinkle some in during the offseason.
Joe
12:08
Dubas should have sold more at the deadline so that we got a top 5 draft pick in this draft, which isn’t full of elite players. Is he finally going to sell off Rakell, Rust and Karlsson and use the assets to bring in younger players? He could trade firsts from those players for young RFAs, offer sheet some young centers. Equally important is firing Sullivan. This team is going nowhere any time soon with Sid still playing unless he makes these moves. Unless he’s not really going to follow his stated goal of trying to be competitive as soon as possible with Sid still here
Matt Vensel
12:11
Hey, Joe. First off, the players and coaches have a say when it comes to what happens on the ice. Kyle Dubas obviously sold off some key players. But the team played well down the stretch. That dropped them down, what, two spots in the draft order? That does matter but I don't think it's meaningful. They were never falling into the bottom five anyway. Hopefully for the Penguins, the hockey gods reward them for still competing. As for trading away more veterans, I do think we will see the Pens unload at least one of them. I'd peg Erik Karlsson as the best bet. He acknowledged today that his future here was uncertain.
JR in SC
12:12
Happy Easter Matt. Unlike many, I am very optimistic about the Pens. I thought they played pretty well towards the end when playing some of the younger players in WB. Sidney, Rust, Rakell, even Geno and Letang are a solid core players. Yes they are getting older but 2-4 years is still attainable for them. Now Dubas has a bushel of picks to build upon. Love Sully. He has to stay. Goalie may be the toughest to secure. Am I wrong or just drinking the kool-aid?
Matt Vensel
12:13
Hey, JR. We just heard from Mike Sullivan, another sign that he will be back as coach. We'll see if Kyle Dubas confirms that when he meets with the media on Monday. As for the outlook for next season, the Penguins will be hard-pressed to be contenders next year. There are too many holes to fill. But I do think they can make a move or two that positions them better for 2026-27, when they can expect contributions for more of their young players. I bet that's the target date.
Arnold S. From TC
12:14
Can you still say Sullivan is a great coach? He has had numerous players over the past year and nothing changed. Not a bad coach, but just not somebody you to fear to replace, right?
Matt Vensel
12:15
The question isn't whether Sullivan is a quality coach. It is whether he is the right coach for the Penguins. They seem to still think so.
GPT
12:15
Lots of chatter from the pro-tanking crowd (and I'm one of them!) about the Pens late surge costing them a premium prospect, but the difference between the #7 and #9 pick is probably insignificant. Derrick Pouliot was #8 and Filip Forsberg #11 in the 2012 draft, so it comes down to luck. That said, what positives about the Pens play the last month of the season do you see as carrying over to next season?
Matt Vensel
12:17
This is 100% correct. There will be good players available when they pick. It's on them to select one. As for positives that carry over, the two main ones are Sidney Crosby still being awesome and what they saw from Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen. The Penguins can feel good about penciling them into their lineup as they plan for next season.
Jlm
12:18
Do you think we keep the 2 Connor’s next year? They seemed like decent players
Matt Vensel
12:19
I anticipate the Penguins will make qualifying offers to Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar, who are both restricted free agents. However, if they let one go that would be helpful for me because I still have a hard time remembering which one spells his first name with only one n.
Ryan
12:19
Good afternoon Matt Does Bryan Rust come back he had a Good season
Matt Vensel
12:20
The Penguins would have to be blown away by an offer to trade Bryan Rust. The cost to acquire him might be higher than Rickard Rakell.
DennisSC
12:20
Has Jarry earned enough trust for the Pens to risk another season with him as #1 goalie?
Matt Vensel
12:21
Tristan had a strong finish to the year and I really admire the way he responded after being sent to the minors. Showed a lot of character. That said, I don't think the Penguins can count on him being their No. 1 goalie next year if they are truly trying to be a playoff team.
Surley
12:21
You’re sometimes critical of players. Some should not be in the NHL.  Do the players resent you or is it part of being a player, hearing criticism.
Matt Vensel
12:24
At times, we in the media have to be critical of players and coaches, especially in a season like this. And I think most of them understand that. But we do have a responsibility as journalists to be fair and treat them like humans. If we do that, the relationship is usually just fine.
Henry Hill
12:24
Greetings Matt.  Was goaltending the most disappointing factor that hurt the Pens this season? If not, what do you think was?
Matt Vensel
12:25
Without a doubt. The Penguins were a team in transition this season with Kyle Dubas wisely looking to rebuild on the fly, so they were never going to go on a deep playoff run. But had they gotten even average goaltending, that would have had something to play for last night.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:26
Can the Pens unload Jarry, Karlsson and Graves' contracts this summer or are the Pens stuck with these bad contracts for the foreseeable future
Matt Vensel
12:29
Erik Karlsson still has trade value. The Penguins may need to eat a little salary to facilitate a deal, but they should be able to get something decent back for the former Norris winner. Now, Ryan Graves has negative contract value and Jarry probably still does, too. So, how eager the Penguins are to unload those two depends on whether they want to try to win next season. If not, the Penguins must just keep them around and hope they rehabilitate their value.
GPT
12:29
I love Koivunen's game. He just has that Finnish high IQ when the puck is on his stick. Not sure how much of a scorer he'll be, but Mikael Granlund (not the Pens version of him) wouldn't be a bad outcome. Who has the highest ceiling and who has the highest floor from the Pens prospects?
Matt Vensel
12:32
I am far from an NHL scout and I will not pretend that I have watched all of their prospects play with any regularity. There's only so much time in the workday. But from what I have seen and heard and read about their prospect pool, Rutger McGroarty is probably the prospect with the highest ceiling. His floor is that he is merely a reliable, two-way winger who might score 20 goals. But given his character and work ethic and hockey sense, McGroarty has a chance to be a really good (and a winning) player. That said, the prospect pool lacks truly elite talent. The Pens will try to change that over the next three drafts.
12:34
That will do it for today's chat. Thanks for the questions, everyone. As I mentioned earlier, I will try to sprinkle some of these in throughout the offseason. In the meantime, feel free to email questions to me at mvensel@post-gazette.com. I have a busy summer ahead of drinking IPAs and watching my kids play in the bounce house. But I can always make time for our loyal readers. Have a great weekend!
Connecting…