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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 10.11.24
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Matt Vensel
10:09
Good morning, Penguins fans. I am looking forward to chatting with you today at noon. Much to talk about. I'm currently en route from Detroit to Toronto and will find a place to stop and chat with you all for a bit. In the meantime, you can start leaving your questions now.
12:03
Hello from a rest stop outside of London, Ontario. In case you're curious, it's just like our Turnpike stops back in PA. Just cleaner, more OHL jerseys and a Tim Horton's instead of a Starbucks. OK, let's go!
Surley
12:03
Did you like the trade for Rutger?  I would have traded any prospect instead of Yager.  I liked him. Have fun in TO.
Matt Vensel
12:06
Surley, good question. I am reserving judgement on this trade for a couple of years. I typically feel that it's a cop-out when people refuse to evaluate trades when they happen. I think it is completely fair to comment on the process behind a trade, such as the Jake Guentzel deal in March. I wrote then that the return was underwhelming. But with this one, it is one-for-one swap of two kids who aren't even legally able to drink the U.S. I was high on Brayden Yager. And I really like what I have seen from Rutger McGroarty on and off the ice. But I have no idea who is going to become the better NHL player. That said, I do think the trade made sense for the Penguins from the perspective that McGroarty is a player who can help them this season, and at a position of short-term need. He is definitely going to be a long-time pro.
JM
12:07
Who goes when Rust and Lizotte (probably spelled wrong) return?
Matt Vensel
12:09
JM, the injury to Blake Lizotte is a little concerning. He suffered a fluke concussion Sept 29. He was sitting on the bench during the Hockeyville game when he got cracked in the head by a puck. As of Thursday, he still had not been cleared to skate, even on an individual basis. At a human level, I always worry when a brain injury lingers like that. As for Bryan Rust, he is on the trip. I think there is a good chance we will see him either Saturday in Toronto or two nights later in Montreal.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:10
Jarry looked awful in net on Wednesday. Do you bring him back to start the next game to see if he can get his confidence back or do you ride Joel?
Matt Vensel
12:13
Hey, Sunner. Welcome back! I agree with your assessment of the situation. The final numbers from the season opener would suggest that Tristan Jarry wasn't that bad, and that the team in front of him was the problem. However, those of us who watched that game saw Jarry let in the first shot of the season and then he failed to give the Penguins the saves they needed late in the first period. After it became 4-0 and the Penguins had to chase the game, they completely fell apart. Last night in Detroit, it was a similar start defensively, but Joel Blomqvist bailed them out. Once they found their footing, they blew out the Red Wings. But had Blomqvist not been so stout early, it might have been another lopsided loss. I would give the kid another start Saturday in Toronto. We will see if Mike Sullivan agrees...
Billy Conn
12:14
You would have thought Jerry would have come out with more fight in him for the season opener.  Any idea if this guy is ever going to get back to All Star form.
Matt Vensel
12:17
Billy, I am not completely ruling out the possibility that Tristan Jarry rediscovers his All-Star from a few years back. Unless injuries have sapped him of his talent, he should have the tools to be a borderline top-10 goalie in the league. The issue is consistency, something that has dogged Jarry dating back to his days in the American Hockey League. It is clear the Penguins have grown tired of that unreliability the last two years, and I wonder if Alex Nedeljkovic would have started the season opener had he been healthy. But if Jarry is motivated, I still think he can play like the guy we saw a few years back. Andy Chiodo is an excellent goalie coach, but I think the challenge for him with Jarry is not technical, but mental. Can he help the Penguins get Jarry back to that level? Still think it's possible, though perhaps not likely.
12:20
C'mon, Pens fans. These are all the questions you've got after a big win in Detroit, with a couple of exciting prospects contributing?
12:21
Let's get a few more questions in before I continue on to Toronto.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:21
Which team is the real Penguin team? The one that got blown out Wednesday or the team that looked pretty good last night. I believe the truth is somewhere in between. They are a fringe playoff team at best. What say you?
Matt Vensel
12:23
Yeah, I would say the real Penguins are somewhere in the middle. I actually don't think they were as bad in the first game as the box score might suggest. That one got out of hand in the second half. I also don't think they were as good in Detroit as you might think if you just happened to see that they beat the Wings by three goals. I have the Penguins as a fringe playoff team. Before the year, I picked them to finish fifth in the Metro. I think they are right there with the Capitals, Islanders and maybe the Flyers as bubble teams. We can assume at least one team from that group will make the postseason.
VAPittfan
12:24
What’s your opinion of the defense so far? Will Graves survive?
Matt Vensel
12:28
Really poor in the first four periods of the season. There were several anxious moments in the first period last night in Detroit, including a Wings power play that threatened to make it a 2-0 deficit. Blomqvist came up with a few big saves and then the Penguins settled down. They allowed only five high-danger chances in the final two periods, per Sportlogiq. That is pretty good. Two games is not a huge sample, though. So let's zoom out and look at my thoughts on that defensive corps entering the season. Kris Letang is healthy and still very good, even in his late 30s. Marcus Pettersson is rock solid. Erik Karlsson obviously has defensive lapses, like the one we saw on the first Detroit goal, but he really helps the Penguins drive play. Got a big goal last night, too. But beyond those three, there are a bunch of question marks. I think Matt Grzelcyk will help. But I have concerns about the third pair. The Penguins desperately need Ryan Graves to rebound.
Pat
12:30
Hey Matt! What do you think the Pens do when Rust/Liz are back? Who gets sent down or waived, and who are your 2 extras?
Matt Vensel
12:33
Hey, Pat. So my read on the forward situation was that Rutger McGroarty and Valtteri Puustinen were on the outside looking in before injuries struck early last week. Then the Penguins lost not only Rust and Lizotte, but also Vasily Ponomarev, who I think would have made the roster as a 14th forward over McGroarty and Puustinen. But, hey, McGroarty is here now and I think he has strung together a couple of solid games. He has a chance to stay if keeps it up. And if he does get sent down next week, there is absolutely no reason to be alarmed. The Penguins want McGroarty playing meaningful minutes somewhere, and a few weeks in the AHL might not be the worst thing in the world for his development. He wouldn't be in Wilkes for long.
Guest
12:33
When will Puusty play?
Matt Vensel
12:34
When someone gets injured, I assume. There aren't any openings in the top six, countryman Jesse Puljujarvi has really impressed Mike Sullivan the last few weeks and Puustinen is not someone who can play a fourth-line role. So barring another injury, it looks like it will either be the press box or a trip back to Wilkes for the 25-year-old.
Billy Conn
12:35
Any chance of getting reliable Chad Ruhwedel back..(so I can't spell!)
Matt Vensel
12:36
No. He re-signed with the Rangers. And while he is back to being a seventh defenseman for them, he seems quite content in New York. I ran into him in the press box Wednesday and he said his family is all settled in New York now. Happy for him. I enjoyed covering Chad.
Pat
12:36
Still very early, but do you think the Pens will/should look into trading one of Jarry/Ned to make space for Blom, or will he benefit more with AHL time? Thanks!
Matt Vensel
12:38
Pat, I can't see anything happening in the trade front so early in the season. Most teams are content with their rosters, and it's not as if Jarry has much trade value. If he did, the Penguins might have dealt him this summer. But, yeah, if Blomqvist continues on this trajectory, the team will want to make room for him in Pittsburgh this season.
MikeZ
12:38
Was Graves this bad in NJ. If he was, how did they hide or shelter him? If he did alright in NJ how can he not fit here on any pairing?
Matt Vensel
12:41
I don't know that it's fair to say that Graves was bad. Obviously, they were fine with letting him leave in free agency. But during his time in New Jersey and before that Colorado, he showed that he was a player who could complement a rangy offensive defenseman. And the Pens were not the only team bidding for him last summer. I still think there is a solid defender in there. And trust me, this is not a guy who is simply content to be cashing paychecks. Graves takes his struggles seriously. We'll see if he can get himself back on track this season.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:42
Do you believe the PP will be better or does it look much the same as last year. Looked bad against the Rangers but looked better vs the Wings. I do like Erik on the right-side shooting but it is early.
Matt Vensel
12:45
OK, last question goes to Sunner, our chat MVP for the day. I do think the power play has looked different, just in terms of the pace and urgency. Last season, the top power play operated at a snail's pace. David Quinn has them passing the puck early and often, trying to let the puck do the work, as I believe Sidney Crosby put it. I am skeptical the Pens will have a top-10 unit. And one wonders if the stars will fall back into old habits the first time they struggle for a long stretch. But I do think the PP will be improved, maybe even significantly. Getting that goal in Detroit last night was a good start. It might have been a shot most goalies should stop, but Sullivan liked that one because it "put the nail in the coffin." We'll see if it's the start of something more.
12:47
Aaaaaand the final buzzer has sounded, everyone. Thank you for the questions. We'll do this again next Friday. Now I have to hop back into the Post-Gazette's company Zamboni and finish the drive to Toronto. Look for my coverage after the Dubas Bowl on Saturday.
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