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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 07.28.20
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Matt Vensel
11:01
Good morning, Penguins fans. It's a hockey, er, afternoon. Pumped that hockey is back and excited to talk hockey with you today. We plan on doing this the morning of every playoff game. That will be fun.
11:02
Go ahead and submit your questions now. I'll go grab my iced coffee out of the fridge. Then we'll get started. We'll go 30-45 minutes.
11:07
OK, I've got my caffeine boost. Let's talk some hockey.
Sunner in the sunshine
11:07
Hi Matt! Thanks for the chats! Any word on whether Crosby had a "lower body issue" or was it a Covid concern?
Matt Vensel
11:10
Per new NHL rules for this unique situation, the Penguins are literally not allowed to say a word, which Mike Sullivan might not mind. But it's clear this is an injury that Sidney Crosby is dealing with and not an illness. There have been reports that suggested the injury is related to his core, which is worrisome given that Crosby missed three months due to sports hernia surgery in the fall. But he will try to play through it if he can. The team has not yet decided if he will suit up today.
zz33
11:11
what level of physical play will the exhibition game have?  full out pens/flyers rivalry, all star game nobody touches each other, or somewhere in between?
Matt Vensel
11:12
Guys are going to try. There will be full-on hitting, which they don't do during training camp. I wouldn't rule out fisticuffs, though I think players will try to avoid it in a game that doesn't count for anything. I do not expect a line brawl or other "Slap Shot" antics, though.
Guest
11:13
i got the funny feeling that the pens are going out in 3 !!!!!!  hope i'm wrong, but got some bad vibs !!!!
Matt Vensel
11:14
That would be a bit surprising. Care to say why you feel that way?
Randy Butternubs
11:14
Hello Matthew. With the Pens cap situation next year and GM JR's recent comments about keeping both goalies, who do you think the player(s) to be traded will be in order to be cap compliant? To me, I think it's obvious and would be Bjugstad and/or Jack Johnson. Do you see it otherwise?
Matt Vensel
11:18
Randy, love it that the Pens are about to play hockey again after 4 1/2 months off and the playoffs start Saturday and folks are preoccupied with Jack Johnson's contract. Anyway, I'll bite. Yeah, the Penguins will have to trim salary if they want to commit to a goalie long-term and resign RFAs such as Jared McCann. And, yes, Jack Johnson and Nick Bjugstad are two not-small salaries that would make sense to unload. But someone has to be willing to take either of them. Given the financial landscape and a lack of cap space leaguewide, finding a trade partner could prove difficult if the Penguins don't want to throw in picks or prospects to sweeten a deal.
Guest
11:19
Are you surprised Poulin didn’t make the 31 game squad ?  I thought it would have good development for him especially if they want him to make the team next year .
Matt Vensel
11:21
Not really. Samuel Poulin is a prospect to be excited about but he's not ready. They needed to roster guys who can help them now. The Penguins thought Poulin would get that kind of experience during the postseason training camp but unfortunately the 19-year-old was one of the nine guys who missed the first week of camp due to worries about potential secondary exposure to COVID-19.
Guest
11:22
Hi Matt ,  so excited to see hockey today !  How challenging do you think it will be to cover the games not being there in person ?
Matt Vensel
11:24
Thanks for asking. It's going to be trickier for a couple of reasons. One, you see so much more when you are watching games and practices in person. And two, we won't be able to shoot the breeze with these guys in the locker room 1-on-1. So we are going to have to work even harder to find unique stories for you guys. But we will. And if the Pens advance in the playoffs, you might just see Mike DeFabo or I sneak across the border to chronicle it for the paper.
LN
11:24
Hi Matt,  what under the radar pens player do you think might have a break out performance in these games ?
Matt Vensel
11:28
This is a tough question but a good one. I say it's tough because all of these guys are on the radar of most Penguins fans. But I'll frame it like this: Which players that the average NHL fan might not know about will turn heads? The obvious answer is John Marino, who in training camp picked up where he left off at the end of his rookie season. That kid is so darned smooth. I think the Blueger line has a chance to get some love if the Pens make a run. And then there is Jared McCann, one of their biggest X-factors. The talent is there. If he puts it together and buries some big goals, he'll be in the spotlight.
LN
11:29
Thanks for all the great coverage from you and mike !  Do you think Schultz looked better during the scrimmages.  We really need him in his old form.
Matt Vensel
11:30
No sweat. I can't say that Justin Schultz stood out one way or another in camp. But I'll be watching Jack Johnson and Schultz closely today. Those two might play only 12-14 minutes at 5-on-5 during playoff games, but those minutes could make or break the Penguins.
JC
11:30
I know there are a lot of talks on the 4th line but to me Lafferty stands out wa6 more than Aston Reese and I believe he would be a better fit and be a crazy speed relentless line with blue her and Taney, what are your thoughts?
Matt Vensel
11:32
I disagree. Sam Lafferty did some good things as a rookie, especially early on, but he was pretty uneven overall. Plus, they are different players. Zach Aston-Reese embraced his role as a grinder and was a great fit on that fourth line all season. That line was one of the NHL's better shutdown lines. Why break them up now?
JC
11:32
Will you be able to contact the players at all? Or is it just up to whoever is here to get information?
Matt Vensel
11:33
We do daily Zoom calls with players and coaches. They are awkward but awkward in a fun way. Players seem to have embraced them.
Randy Butternubs
11:35
Hello again Matthew. It sounds like the Pens are quite smitten with PO Joseph. Should something happen with Dumoulin/Pettersson/Johnson, do you think he's the first left defenseman to step in?
Matt Vensel
11:36
No way. Like Samuel Poulin, Pierre-Olivier Joseph carries intrigue. But he's not ready. He's presumably 10th out of the 10 blue-liners on the playoff depth chart and might not even be in Toronto if not for the injury that has sidelined Zach Trotman. If P.O. plays in the playoffs, it's because something has gone terribly wrong. But again, he's a prospect worth getting excited about over the long haul. He's just 21 and played big minutes down the stretch in WBS.
11:37
OK, the Post-Gazette's morning skate is over. Time to get in our pregame nap (not really) before the Flyers game at 4 p.m. Like I said at the start, we plan on doing this the morning of every playoff game. So be sure to pop in Saturday morning before Game 1.
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