You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 08.07.20
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Guest
11:31
You brought up a good point on your podcast about Simon and Bjugstad could have helped this team .  Those 2 with Hornqvist last year were a great third line and that lack of depth could be part of the problem .
Matt Vensel
11:32
I don't mind Simon as a player but I think the Bjugstad loss was bigger than people think, maybe because he was forgotten after all those injuries. The Penguins didn't score a ton with Bjugstad on the ice last year. But his lines hogged the puck and didn't give up much the other way. At least that line could be skating to a draw.
Guest
11:33
Do you think the pens are too arrogant or stubborn where they think they can just show up and win ?  There is something wrong with their psychy right now , how else to you explain that unemotional game on wed ?
Matt Vensel
11:33
If I could explain it, the Penguins would put me on their payroll.
Ln
11:34
philly (this pains me to admit), Tampa and Carolina look much better than the pens right now and I don’t see how they beat them .  Given that , and I hate to say this , but are the pens better off loosing this series and at least getting a chance at lottery since cup is probably out of reach ?
Matt Vensel
11:35
Look, I know there have been warning signs with this team since late January and their effort in the second half of Game 3 was alarming. But they still have Crosby and Malkin. As long as they do, they can and should go for it, not wave the white flag and take the 12.5% chance of landing a prospect in Alexis Lafreniere who is promising but not projected to be a generational-type talent.
11:37
Now's not the time to get into it, but if the Pens did lose to the Habs and win the lottery Monday, I'm extremely intrigued by the idea of trading that pick and veterans to really shake up the team's core.
chrisv
11:37
Can we all pitch in and buy the team a bunch of double espressos for the intermissions tonight?
Matt Vensel
11:38
Good luck getting those across the border, let alone into the hub!
JC
11:38
Does it matter who is in net if Johnson still gets a jersey?
Matt Vensel
11:39
As I wrote the other night, if you think the Pens lost that game solely because of Jack, you've got tunnel vision. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2020/08/06/Penguins-probl...
BF
11:40
We unloaded all the muscle, the only one hitting anything out the is Tanev.  Sure miss Chris Kunitz in his prime...  We need some grit from these guys!!
Matt Vensel
11:41
The Penguins want their identity to be speed with equal parts skill and tenacity. If they flame out for a second straight season, it is time for Mike Sullivan to at least consider tweaking that formula.
JC
11:42
On ice for 5 goals against out of 8 total,  my calculations say that tunnel vision is clear. Haha just saying, not trying to be rude because I respect you just playful banter.
Matt Vensel
11:45
The Jack thing is frustrating to me in the sense that some fans and at least a couple of media members whom I respect want to say that Jack is the only reason they lose, that he is the worst player in the league and has the worst contract when none of those things are true. Look, he's been bad. The signing was bad. And he's hurt the Penguins this series. But saying he's the worst player in hockey history is inaccurate. It's a tad bit more nuanced than that.
Mike
11:46
Matt - If the Pens lose today, what is the future of this team? Does GMJR begin to break up the core and start a rebuild?
Matt Vensel
11:50
Mike, if the Penguins lose today, we will have a lot of content on that topic in the coming days. But, yeah, if they lose like this, you have to expect significant change. They will NOT rebuild. As long as they have Crosby and Malkin (who by the way was one of the top 10-15 players in hockey this season), they are going to go for it. They will consider major changes to put different pieces around them and we could see more fan favorites from the recent Cup runs depart. But, first things first, there is a game today and maybe tomorrow. Geno says, "It's not over." We'll see if the Pens back that up and survive this scare.
11:51
OK, that's it for today. Appreciate all the questions and the friendly back-and-forth. You guys know your stuff. We'll do it again tomorrow morning if the Pens win today. Enjoy the game. 4 p.m. start!
Connecting…