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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 06.20.25
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Matt Vensel
10:37
Happy Friday, Penguins fans. I look forward to chatting with you today, one week out from the NHL draft. We will get started at noon. In the meantime, you can send over a question or two if you've got 'em.
11:55
OK, let's get started. I plan to go for 30-40 minutes today.
Joe
11:56
Do you see Dubas having the guts to trade Rust? He needs to. Both Rust and Rakell are 33, 32 and coming off career years, and on good contracts. Their value will never be higher. Get some first round picks and some good prospects or young players. I’d love the outline of a trade of Rust beginning July 1 to Buffalo for JJ Peterka. This hits on what both teams need. Maybe something else included. I love Rust but needs to go. Thoughts?
Matt Vensel
11:58
Joe, I don't know that Bryan Rust "needs to go." He's a good player and good leader for the Penguins and great in the community, too. You shouldn't be in a rush to push guys like that out the door. Now, does that make him or should it make him untouchable? Absolutely not. The Penguins will set a high price for him and at this stage in their rebuild they will have to consider moving him if the price is met. And as for whether Kyle Dubas has the guts to do it, well, he has already traded away one fan favorite in Jake Guentzel and made the bold, perhaps controversial move to trade his first Penguins draft pick, Brayden Yager, for Rutger McGroarty. That should tell you something, no?
Coach
12:00
Any word on why Ponomarev went back to play in Russia? After also trading Yager, do the Penguins have any idea who will be playing Center for the team in the near future?
Matt Vensel
12:03
Vasily Ponomarev commented on his departure a week or two ago and, translated from Russian, basically said he thought he was a better fit with how Carolina likes to play and he felt he got lost in the shuffle with Pittsburgh. The Penguins were not going to just hand him or any of their other prospects a guaranteed spot on the NHL roster to start next season. And Ponomarev clearly thought it was in his best interest at this stage of his career and development to head to the KHL and play a much bigger role there. Hey, Filip Hallander did something similar a couple of years ago, played well in Sweden and now he has re-signed with the Pens. Maybe it works out in the end.
epiballo
12:04
Hi Matt! Thanks for the chats. Were you surprised with the news that Malkin would not be retained after this season? Was the purpose to plan a send off tour during the season?
Matt Vensel
12:09
Important clarification here: My friend Josh Yohe at the Athletic reported that Evgeni Malkin is not "expected" to be re-signed after the 2025-26 season. And, yeah, it shouldn't be a surprise that the Penguins when doing their internal projections would anticipate moving on from Malkin at age 40 if he wished to continue his NHL career. (Malkin has been mum about that. We would have asked him after the season, but he avoided the media on locker cleanout day.) However, I don't know if that is 100% set in stone. For example, what if Geno has an excellent season and is willing to accept a significantly reduced role and salary in 2026-27, and Sidney Crosby pushes for him to be re-signed? Plans change. But I do think we should operate under the assumption that, one way or another, this will be Geno's last season in black and gold.
epiballo
12:11
It's great getting younger, something the Pens need to do. But doesn't it all hinge on what they do in the net? Another season of Jarry is unthinkable; how do you see this unfolding?
Matt Vensel
12:13
Dubas has made it clear with both his words and his actions that he is not going to make a push to make the playoffs next season. This is a rebuild, even if he has avoided the use of that term. And if that's the case, they might as well hang onto Tristan Jarry, who probably still has negative trade value right now. Unless a team surprisingly is willing to take him off their hands without the Penguins having to throw another asset in, don't be surprised if the Pens bring back Jarry and pray that he builds on what he did in the final few weeks of this past season.
epiballo
12:15
Where did the rumor of Lemieux's interest in reacquiring the Penguins come from? It would be great, of course. Does this have any solid backing or is it just an off-season click baiter?
Matt Vensel
12:22
I do believe that Mario Lemieux and his people do have some level of interest in potentially buying back the Penguins, though it would likely be at a pretty significant financial loss, given how the cost of pro sports franchises continue to skyrocket. That said, their interest in buying the Penguins would be moot if Fenway Sports Group isn't selling. FWIW, both publicly and privately FSG insists they are only looking to sell a minority share to bring in additional capital. Now, is there a number a potential buyer could dangle out there and get them to bite? Perhaps. I would just add that the only time John Henry has sold a big-league team is when he sold the Marlins in order to purchase the Red Sox. Is there a bigger fish that FSG might be eyeing today? That's one thing I have wondered about. But again, the feedback I've gotten from team sources is that FSG is not looking to get out here. Stay tuned.
Guest
12:24
Is there any chance that the Rangers will choose to give the Penguins their first-round pick next year?
Matt Vensel
12:27
My plugged-in pal, Vince Mercogliano of the USA Today network, recently reported that the Rangers are taking this decision down to the wire as they weigh all their options with the No. 12 pick. They have until Wednesday to let the NHL know. So, yeah, that tells us there is a decent chance. It's a fascinating decision. On one hand, the Rangers hired Mike Sullivan and expect to be back in the playoffs next season. If so, their 2026 pick would be in the 20s. But the downside risk of giving the Penguins that 2026 pick is quite high. The safe thing would be to just give the Penguins the No. 12 pick in this year's draft, which is seen as weaker than the 2026 class. Glad it's not my decision to make.
Tom
12:29
Dubas really tried to give the cup run one last shot his first year. Looking back though it was awful. Jarry, Karlsson, veteran FA's, trading Yager, keeping Sullivan, all significantly will delay and hinder rebuild. Lots of 2nd and 3rd picks isn't going to make a realistic difference either. Why is he not getting the Hextall treatment?
Matt Vensel
12:38
Tom, during Dubas' two years as team president I have written several critical pieces about the job he has done, especially in the first year. Here is one headline from February of 2024, before Dubas traded Jake Guentzel: "How Kyle Dubas can use NHL trade deadline to dig out from disappointing first offseason." Since then, I have given him credit for recognizing that trying to contend was a miscalculation and pivoting toward a rebuild. I wrote this spring that selling off pieces is the easy part of a rebuild, and that Dubas had much to prove now what he has assembled all that draft capital. So, yeah, the jury on Kyle Dubas is still very much out, and I totally understand if you feel disappointed or even upset about what Dubas has done to date.
Boris G.
12:39
Hi Matt…if this is Malkin’s last season, do you think he will retire or maybe try to hook onto another NHL team or perhaps play in Russia?  Thanks.
Matt Vensel
12:41
Boris, we are all just guessing when it comes to Geno. He keeps to himself, for one. And he is also a proud guy who rightfully wants to go out on his terms. So we'll see how this season plays out. Regarding the KHL, I would not at all be surprised if Malkin did finish career back in Russia, where he is hockey royalty. The beach also beckons.
Kris Peterinelli
12:42
Hey Matt, Finally made one of these.  So with the coaching change, do we really feel we need to keep all these "veterans" to build the culture for the kids?  I mean let's be real, Bryan Rust has the most trade value.  I love Rusty but just like way back in the day when we traded Recchi, I'll be sad, but I understand it's a business and we need to move forward.  I think anyone not named Sid or Geno should be moved if possible no?  (And I think Sid should go chase another cup, but that's another question for another time :)
12:45
Also, Given we appear to be the only team that is selling and not trying to add to chase the cup, should we be in a great position to move most everyone not named Graves (or Hayes)
Matt Vensel
12:46
Hey, Kris. Glad you made it. Think it's totally fair to question whether the assets you would get back in a Rust trade would have more value than whatever intangibles are gained by keeping him around in the rebuild. Obviously, there are other factors here, such as keeping Crosby content and selling tickets. But as you note, it is said to be a seller's market in the NHL, with not many teams openly rebuilding like the Penguins. So strong offers for players such as Rust and Rickard Rakell could change Dubas' thinking when it comes to hanging onto a couple of fan favorites. I bet at least one bigger name will be moved.
Diana
12:47
Hi Matt.  Do you see our general manager making any big moves leading up to, or during the draft?
Matt Vensel
12:49
Diana, keep expectations low if you are hoping for upgrades. I think the only type of aggressive move we might see to IMPROVE the roster would be Dubas using a combination of draft picks/coveted veterans to bring in a talented young player who for whatever reason is being shopped by his current team. As for a potential trade-up in the draft, it is not common for teams to move top-10 picks. But Dubas certainly has the draft capital to intrigue a team that's open to trading back.
No a h
12:51
Yay or Nay on the Muse hire?
Matt Vensel
12:56
Noah, I have put it this way when asked about the Penguins hiring Dan Muse: He wasn't really on the media's radar going into the search, but in hindsight he obviously should have been based on his resume. After doing a deep-dive profile on Muse, the hiring makes total sense to me. Not only does Muse have a strong track record of player development at the college and junior levels, he also showed he can quickly build a winning program (albeit at the United States Hockey League level) and has five years experience as an NHL assistant, too. Plus, his work ethic is said to be off the charts. Of course, there are no guarantees that he will be a smash success. But I can understand why Dubas felt Muse was the right coach to lead the Penguins into the post-Crosby era.
Sasha
12:58
Hey Matt, if you haven’t already addressed this, I would like your opinion on the Nick Bonino coaching hire.  Thank you.
Matt Vensel
12:59
Sasha, I don't know what role Bonino will have with the Penguins, who have yet to announce his hiring. But he played for Muse in Nashville, and he had a really nice career largely due to his smarts and drive. So it would make sense for Muse and the Penguins to bring him into the fold in some capacity. We'll soon find out what exactly he will be doing.
1:03
Aaaaaand as soon as I type that the Penguins announce Muse's first coaching staff. Bonino, Todd Nelson and Rich Clune will be assistant coaches, and Troy Paquette is the team’s assistant video coach. Goalie coach Andy Chiodo is sticking around under Muse.
And with that, I've got to run. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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