You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 09.27.24
powered byJotCast
Matt Vensel
9:15
Good morning, Penguins fans. We will start today's chat at 11 a.m. Lots to talk about now! Should be fun. You can leave questions at any time. See there's already several in the queue. Talk to you soon.
11:05
Let's get this going. I'll try to get to everyone's questions today.
Tom
11:06
So with all the talk about getting younger, somehow all 4 centers will be about 35 years old on opening day, right?
Matt Vensel
11:09
Tom, I get the frustration with the roster construction. And I also thought that when Kyle Dubas talked about getting "younger and hungrier," that he meant Game 1 of the 2024-25 season. But to be fair, that is not something that the team can just change overnight. Dubas has done well to add several solid prospects, plus a very good one in Rutger McGroarty and some future draft picks. We will see some of those players this season, for sure. But I will be honest with you, I have watched these prospects quite a bit over the last two weeks, including at the Buffalo Prospects Challenge. And none of them were so dominant that the forced the Penguins to keep him on the NHL roster. Some of they, McGroarty included, still need a little more seasoning before they are ready to make the leap to the NHL.
IceBorg
11:10
Let's face it, no matter what prospects the Pens have, Sullivan will always pick and play a retred veteran laden club. End of the year win streak be d@mned, he will go back to Hayes, Acciari, Glass, etc.
Matt Vensel
11:15
This is a popular criticism of Mike Sullivan, and I think there is some legitimacy to it. But I have a few counterpoints here to consider:

1) When you are a win-now team, as the Pens were for nearly two decades, there will naturally be a deference to experienced vets.

2) This is my seventh year covering the team, and there really haven't been many NHL-caliber prospects who came through the system during that time. How many of them have gone on to play front-line roles elsewhere? The notable exception is Jared McCann, and we don't need to rehash all that here. He's a good kid and has become a good player. But there was a reason Sullivan made him a healthy scratch in the playoffs a few years back. He was not the player he is now.

3) Obviously, Sullivan has some say in who will make the NHL roster. But ultimately it is Dubas who signs off on those decisions.
Gordon Howell
11:16
How long of a leash do you give Hayes? If not productive, who do you want in that spot?
Matt Vensel
11:19
Gordon, the guy hasn't even played a game yet! Look, I get it. There is a reason the St. Louis Blues were willing to pay the Penguins a second-round pick to take Kevin Hayes' contract off their books. He admitted he didn't fit in there as anyone has hoped. But I still think he can be a useful bottom-six player. Sullivan recently said that Hayes needs to start moving his feet if he wants to fit in here, but Hayes has size, some skill and has been pretty solid definitely. You can do much worse at the 4C spot. That said, there is not much financially tying the Penguins to Hayes, Cody Glass, Anthony Beauvillier, etc. If they struggle, the door will open for the kids everyone is clamoring for.
Joe
11:20
Why is Mike Sullivan not giving Puustinen a fair shake to make the team? He hasn’t played him with NHL players or given him much of an opportunity with players who likely are vying for roles in the top nine? The kid had 20 points in 50 games last season, his first in the NHL, and that’s pretty good. He seems to hold him to a different standard than other players contending for spots by requiring him to score goals, when he doesn’t seems to care about that for Glass, Beauvillier etc. I just think he’s predetermined who’s going to get forward spots based on his vet preferences and is not open to letting players change his mind. This kid is going to get waived and possibly picked up by another team because the coach is ridiculous and should have been fired years ago.
Matt Vensel
11:25
Respectfully, I just don't think Puustinen is obviously an NHL player. He's kind of that classic NHL/AHL tweener. He did put up a decent point total in the second half of last season. But he has five goals in 53 career games. He is 25, so he's not really a prospect anymore. And he is undersized, timid and doesn't really bring anything else to the table if he isn't producing. He is a useful guy to have stashed in the minor leagues, because you know you can plug him into the middle six in a pinch. And there is a benefit to having him in Wilkes to play alongside their top prospects. So I do think he has value to the organization. But I just don't understand folks who are stunned to see that he probably isn't making the NHL roster. He hasn't exactly seized a spot here.
Bob D
11:26
Good-morning Matt...why did you think so many players brought into the Penguins organization struggle to preform at the levels they did with their previous teams? Rakell, Graves and even Karlsson to some extent are examples, but the list is long and noble.
Matt Vensel
11:30
Bob, you are cherry-picking here. Yes, Erik Karlsson underwhelmed last season and Ryan Graves was a mess. Those two were brought in by Kyle Dubas in his first year here. Prior to that, with different leadership, the Penguins had plenty of nice finds. You mention Rickard Rakell. Did you forget how productive he was in his first year and a half here? He had 32 goals and 73 points in 101 games. Jeff Carter was awesome early on, but in hindsight Ron Hextall should not have given him that extension. Even going back to the Jim Rutherford days, it took Mike Matheson and Cody Ceci a little time to find their footing, but they were playing really well when they finished their tenures here. Sorry for unloading on you here, but I think you can find examples on both sides, and it's not something that is unique to the Penguins. There are so many factors in play when it comes to projecting how a veteran player will fit with your team.
Guest
11:30
What about this teams makeup leads you to believe the results will be any different?
Matt Vensel
11:33
To be honest with you, I don't expect the results to be any different. I do not project the Penguins to make the playoffs. That said, I am open-minded to the possibility I will be wrong. I'm wrong all the time! Just ask my wife. But what I would say that for the folks who think the makeup is different, they typically point to Sid's presence, the fact that the power play can't get any worse (right? right?!?) and that the bottom six should at least be a little better with some young guys hopefully emerging. We'll see. I do think the Penguins will be competitive, at least in the first half of the season. Stars gotta stay healthy.
Steeler Joe
11:34
Was Rakell injured last year? In a recent profile, I was surprised there was no mention of any nagging injuries last year that slowed him down … I thought that was the narrative. I’m a lot more concerned if there weren’t.
Matt Vensel
11:37
Rakell missed time in the first half of the season with what we all assumed was a shoulder injury. It might have still been affecting him the rest of the season. That might explain the dip in production, but I think the frustration with him went beyond that. The guy simply was gliding around too frequently and his lack of pace and urgency was maddening at times. Rakell thinks he is in better shape entering the year. If so, he is a bounce-back candidate for sure.
Tom in TN
11:37
Matt, give me your opening night line-up
Matt Vensel
11:38
Tom, I will have my 23-man roster production for you first thing Monday morning. Look for that at the Post-Gazette's website.
Ryan
11:38
Matt how Has Bryan Rust looked during training camp i can’t wait for the Season to start soon go Penguins
Matt Vensel
11:39
He's looked like Bryan Rust. Awesome player. Tone-setter. Funny guy. If he can play 75-plus games, I bet he finally hits 30 goals.
IceBorg
11:39
If Malkin is a sinking weight again this year, would you move him to third line Center? If he is still a top caliber player, why do you have to add a guy like Bunting to "get him going." Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Matt Vensel
11:41
I've written about how the Penguins need more from Geno if they want to be a playoff team. And that's not even really a knock on him. Yes, he can go into incognito mode for stretches. But for a 38-year-old, he was quite productive last season. Anyway, I will ask you this: Who are you playing ahead of him as the 2C? There is no one on this team remotely close to him in terms of offensive impact, unless you are talking about sliding Malkin over to the wing within the top six.
Guest
11:42
Why do you think the passionate fans here can't seem to understand the long-range plan for this team?  Why have they been crying for years for the team to play younger players just because they are younger?  And when do you think they will come to realize the GM/VP makes the roster construction and the Coach works with what he is given?  I watched the first two games and THE YOUNGER PLAYERS ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT READY!!!!  THAT'S WHY!!!
Matt Vensel
11:45
Is that you, Sully? In all seriousness, good rant here. I have seen some good things from McGroarty, Tristan Broz and Ville Koivunen but I don't think they are there quite yet. In the case of Owen Pickering, he is nowhere close. One youngster I think is ready is Vasily Ponomarev. You will have to read my roster projection Monday to see if he makes the cut. Ditto for Sam Poulin, who feels he is ready for the NHL but has to go out and prove it during these upcoming preseason games.
Joe
11:45
The coach puts players into roles that aren’t well suited for them. Do you disagree, Matt?
Matt Vensel
11:46
Joe, this is incredibly vague so I don't really know how to answer this one. Is there someone in particular you are alluding to?
11:47
I will give you a few more minutes to submit a question before we wrap things up. Anyone new have something on their mind?
Dean
11:56
Hi Matt how has the defenseman Graves looked in training camp? Has he picked up his intensity to taking a player to the boards.
Matt Vensel
11:59
Hey, Dean. Ryan Graves definitely looks like he has something to prove. I have seen him trying to asset himself physically a little more. The first two preseason games were a bit rocky, but those were weird ones to evaluate given the caliber of roster the Penguins iced for those. We'll see how he looks when the games count. The Penguins are probably going to shelter him on the third pair and possibly play him with the defensive-minded Jack St. Ivany. I think that would be wise as they try to rebuild his confidence and his game.
12:00
That will do it for today's chat. Thanks for the questions, everyone! We should be able to do this again next Friday. Stay tuned.
Connecting…