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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 05.23.24
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Matt Vensel
12:30
Good afternoon, Penguins fans. Looking forward to talking hockey with you today. We will get started around 1 p.m., once I get my hands on an iced coffee and a WiFi password. In the meantime, you can submit questions now. I'll get to as many as I can.
1:08
Alright, I've had my first sip of coffee. Let's get this going.
Biggs from dormant
1:08
When are the Penguins going to get rid of Malkin.  He is the most overrated athlete to ever play for a pittsburgh team
Matt Vensel
1:10
Completely disagree with your take on Malkin's career. It's so absurd it's not even worth addressing. As for his future, he has two more years left on his contract and a full no-trade clause. It would be a major surprise if he didn't finish that contract here. We'll see after that.
TVC15
1:10
Hi Matt,  Is Malkin really as bad as everyone says?   Is he really no longer worthy of the 2nd line?
Matt Vensel
1:13
I think we have reached the point of discussing his ideal spot in the lineup, even with him putting up 27 goals, 67 points and a plus-5 rating last season. That is strong box score production for a second-line center but obviously if you watched the games you probably felt he was way too inconsistent and he's clearly lost a step. Problem is that the Penguins don't really have an alternative on the roster. And if they went out and acquired a veteran who would bump Malkin down the lineup, how would he respond to that? I don't think that should stop the Penguins from bringing in someone if they wanted to, but it is something worth considering with Malkin.
Richy
1:14
IS THERE ANY REALISTIC TOP SIX TALENT IN THE MINORS?
Matt Vensel
1:17
Richy, you are forgiven for screaming at me digitally. There is no forward in the minor leagues who is a sure bet to become a top-six player at any point, let alone this season. The Penguins are excited about Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen, two of the prospects they got in the Jake Guentzel trade. Those two will be in the mix for roster spots in the fall. But top-six players in 2024-25? Not likely. As for the whole system, including players in junior hockey, Brayden Yager is the top forward prospect. Mature kid with a great shot. He had an awesome season in Moose Jaw and might be a 2C type down the road. But he has a year of junior eligibility left. So he either has to steal a spot in camp or head back to Moose Jaw for the season.
Dan
1:18
Hi Matt - I never understood why the Pens didn’t bring “The Flower” back after Vegas (and then Chicago) decided to move on from him.  He’s an HOFer that showed he had many good seasons left in the tank.  He most certainly would have done better than Jarry and Company the last three times the Pens made (and quickly exited) the playoffs.  Goaltending killed all three of those last three playoff appearances.  That wouldn’t have happened with the Flower in goal.  Thoughts?  Thanks
Matt Vensel
1:22
Dan, the Hextall regime didn't have much interest in bringing him back to Pittsburgh when Vegas moved on from him in 2021. Setting aside Fleury's impact on the franchise and his popularity among the fan base, acquiring Fleury didn't make perfect sense. Tristan Jarry was coming off an All-Star season and Fleury had a pretty sizable cap hit. From there, Fleury went on to Minnesota and he and his family have since planted roots in that great state. On the ice, he's been pretty average, with a .905 save percentage over the last three years. So I'm not sure if he would have been a difference-maker here. Fleury is an all-time Penguin and it's probably best that he went out the way that he did, helping the team win those back-to-back Cups.
TVC15
1:23
With Jarry being a 35/65 mix of pitching shutouts and 3 goals flying past him on the first 5 shots should the Penguins move on? Can they?
Matt Vensel
1:25
Building on what I said in the previous answer, we now have three more years of information on Jarry and he has obviously been totally unreliable from a health and performance standpoint. His value is presumably low after he took a backseat to Alex Nedeljkovic down the stretch last season. But I wouldn't be surprised if a team took a shot on Jarry, confident it can coax All-Star play back out of him. What about a team like Los Angeles? They strike me as a team desperate for an upgrade in net, though the Penguins might have to take back a similarly worrisome contract to make a Jarry deal happen...
1:27
Folks! We are already running low on questions. I will keep going for another 20 minutes or so if some more come in. What do you got?
Joe
1:27
Matt, why is Mike Sullivan still employed here? I’m not being funny. Any other coach with his record the last six seasons would have been fired. Is he here because 1) Sid or the core wants him here or 2) because he has a contract from FSG that prohibits Dubas from firing him? I’ve heard rumors about both but none of you guys ever address it. He can’t be here because Dubas actually thinks he’s the best man for the job. Dubas brought in a bunch of new bottom six players last season on the mold of exactly how Sullivan wants to run his bottom six with two defensive lines and it was an abject failure
Matt Vensel
1:31
Joe, it's a fair question considering all the turnover in the NHL coaching ranks. Only four teams still employ the head coach they had at the start of the 2021-22 season. Pretty crazy. Those teams are Pittsburgh, Carolina, Colorado and Tampa Bay. But, yeah, you don't need to tell me the Penguins haven't won a playoff series since 2018. So why is Mike Sullivan still here? Yes, Fenway Sports Group still likes him (and gave him an extension that still has yet to kick in). And the star players like him, too. I think Kyle Dubas and he see some aspects of playing style and team-building similarly, as well. But obviously this is not a coach that Dubas hired himself. I think this is a make-or-break year for Sullivan. If the Penguins struggle in the first half or miss the postseason for a third straight season, I bet we see a change.
Eddie Shack
1:33
Gotta love the sentimentality of Pens fans.  Flower should our starting goalie.  McCann should be on top line with Sid and Rust.  James Neal and Geno would be awesome together...and for goodness sakes bring back Phil the Thrill.    Wooooooooooo Stanley Cup here we come.
Matt Vensel
1:33
Mark Recchi would look great on Crosby's right wing, too, right?
Mike
1:34
Now that Keefe has been taken out of the mix who do you foresee getting the power play coaching job here and the Wilkes Barre head coaching job?
Matt Vensel
1:36
The Penguins have kept a lid on whom they are interviewing for the head coach job in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and also the open assistant job on Sullivan's staff. Elliotte Friedman recently floated the name of John Snowden for the WBS gig, which makes sense. Snowden is a rising minor-league coach who was previously with the Toronto organization. As for Sullivan's staff, an obvious name to watch is David Quinn, assuming Sullivan has a say in the matter. He and Quinn are close. But Dubas might instead want to bring in someone who could potentially replace Sullivan if things continue trending downward. That's a common move in the GM playbook.
Ryan
1:37
Good afternoon Matt what is the next move the penguins make either Resigning someone or finding a replacement for Reiden
Matt Vensel
1:38
Ryan, I'd think the coaching openings get addressed pretty quickly here. The Pens have made a few minor re-signings, mostly restricted free agents. In terms of UFAs, the only notable one is Alex Nedeljkovic.
Bob
1:39
Do you think penguins go into the season with Malkin bunting rackell second line? Would mankind benefit from playing the wing?
Matt Vensel
1:40
Bob, first off, I know it's a typo, but I'm amused thinking about the idea of moving Malkin to the wing for the betterment of mankind. Haha. I don't think a move to the wing is in the cards for Malkin this upcoming season. And I do actually think that could be a trio when the season starts, assuming Rickard Rakell is not traded away. The line of Michael Bunting, Malkin and Rakell was actually quite good in the final few weeks of last season.
TVC15
1:40
Is there a Chris Kunitz type player available out there anywhere? Not a goon or really even a tough guy but he sure stuck his nose in anytime someone took a shot at Crosby.
Matt Vensel
1:41
It's just hard to find guys like Kunitz, who are tough as nails, can hold their own offensively and aren't afraid to mix it up when the situation calls for it. I do think Bunting has some of those characteristics, but he is probably a better fit on Malkin's line than Crosby's.
Bob
1:42
I’m watching these playoff games and trying to u destined why the penguins had so much trouble on the PP, esp the zone entries…. Why do these other teams seem to have such an easy time setting up and for the penguins it was like pulling teeth
Matt Vensel
1:43
The Penguins were simply too passive and predictable. There are strategic things that impacted the power play's performance and maybe some of the personnel was imperfect. But it really just boils down to a lack of urgency and movement.
Cosmo K in Jax
1:44
Hi Matt. With Carter's contract off the books and with an increase in the salary cap, will the penguins and Dumas have some room to make a free agent or two acquisition? This is also assuming there will be younger players with smaller contacts as part of the mix next year, ie the contracts recently given to St Ivany and Gruden. Just hoping for some new blood/talent to make a difference for next season. Maybe a trade to shed some salary would help like Reilly Smith. Thanks for the chat, so tired of the NFL offseason and it's coverage.
Matt Vensel
1:49
Cosmo, good question. The Penguins are projected to have about $13 million in cap space. They can get that number to $18 million if they trade away Reilly Smith. They actually have a decent amount of flexibility financially for once. However, it's a tricky situation because they want to give opportunities to young players. Signing pricey veterans will potentially block their path. I think the Penguins need to keep Nedeljkovic, as long as his price doesn't get out of hand. I think they need to look for upgrades for the third pair, especially because you can't bank on Ryan Graves returning to form. And I think they could use an impact forward or two (not star players but guys who can provide some life and flirt with 20 goals). But given Kyle Dubas' stated desire to create opportunities for young players like Sam Poulin and Ponomarev, I wonder if there is any chance that the Penguins take on a bad short-term contract or two in exchange for picks and prospects. I'm not saying it's likely, but not ruling it out.
1:50
That will do it for today's chat. Thanks for all the questions. Some good ones, per usual. We'll do it again soon. Have a great day.
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