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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 11.01.24
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Matt Vensel
10:50
Happy Friday, Penguins fans. Looking forward to chatting with you again today at noon. Because the Pens have practice, I can only go for about a half hour. So get your questions in now. First come, first serve!
12:05
I'm ready to get going. There are only a few questions in the queue. So this is going to be a very quick chat if I don't receive more.
Jim
12:05
What did you think of Blake L's debut?
Matt Vensel
12:07
Jim, Blake Lizotte played sparingly and didn't stand out to me in the limited minutes he did get. I think that was to be expected after he missed a few weeks with a concussion. He said he got cracked in the face by an errant puck in a preseason game. Lizotte is billed as an energy guy, like a few bottom-sixers who have came before him. But none of them have been able to replicate the juice that Brandon Tanev brought a few years back. The Penguins need a guy like that in the mix.
Ghost of Mario
12:08
Wow interest is dropping. Though not surprised. Reminds me of Sid’s 1st year
Matt Vensel
12:10
Last night's game had the lowest attendance of a Penguins game in PPG Paints Arena. It comes with an asterisk in that it was Halloween night, with wonderful weather for trick-or-treating. But still, it says something about where this team is right now, for sure. Hey, tickets for all sporting events are very expensive now. And there is no better way to voice displeasure with your favorite team than by not opening up your wallet. So I don't fault any fans who decided they had better things to do. It's on the Penguins and team management to give the fans a reason to come out to these games going forward.
Tom
12:11
It is said the players like playing the opened up, attack style. Do they it like it more than they dislike losing every game?
Matt Vensel
12:13
Tom, I recognize this is more of a rhetorical question, and I totally get your frustration. Coach Mike Sullivan is rightfully criticized for his tactics and his inability to get his veteran team to play better. But the players obviously deserve a healthy amount of criticism as well. It's mind-blowing how the Penguins continue to blow leads and have catastrophic lapses. That said, they finally put together a complete game last night against the Ducks. Maybe it's the start of something here. I'm skeptical, sure. But that was a pretty solid game all-around.
12:14
And we are out of questions. I will give you a few minutes to submit more or we will have to bring out the Zamboni and call it a day.
SDWC
12:22
Who will be the #1 goalie by January?
Matt Vensel
12:25
I'm hesitant to make a prediction here because this is truly wide open. Rookie Joel Blomqvist has impressed but if he shows signs of slippage I could see the organization deciding that it would be best for his development to send him back to Wilkes for a bit. Alex Nedeljkovic was good against the Ducks but overall he continues to perform at the level of a good backup, which is probably his ideal role. And I won't rule out Tristan Jarry. Total wild card. If you forced me to pick one, I would go with Ned, mainly because he is the only one of these three I am certain will be on the NHL roster two months from now.
Jim
12:26
Following up on SDWC's question. Jarry has looked good in WBS, what is the rule on length of conditioning assignment and what do you think they will do with the netminder logjam once they are forced to make a move?
Matt Vensel
12:29
Jim, the longest a player can be on a conditioning stint is 14 days. So that means Jarry can remain with WBS for another week. When that has expired, the Penguins will presumably decide which two goalies to go forward with. In theory, they could keep all three on their NHL roster. But with Lizotte back and Matt Nieto nearing a return, they are likely looking at a roster crunch here shortly. It will be fascinating to see how this goalie situation plays out.
Aces High
12:31
Is there a generational talent available in next year's draft? Seems they have a better chance of the number one pick than making the playoffs. Which may be needed.
Matt Vensel
12:32
James Hagens is viewed as the top prospect in this class and perhaps in the same realm as Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini. But there are a few other really good prospects who could challenge him for the right to be the first overall pick. Michael Misa, Porter Matrone and Anton Frondell are among the names to know. It's a good year to be picking in the top 10, which seems relevant here in Pittsburgh...
Ryan
12:32
Good afternoon Matt what do you think about the Play Of Rickard Rakell he looked good vs Minnesota on Tuesday Let’s go Pens
Matt Vensel
12:34
Ryan, you can make the case that Rickard Rakell has been one of the team's best two or three players. He's not only scored a bunch of goals, but he is so much faster and more engaged than he was last year. And after last night's game, Sullivan praised him for his 200-foot game. Remember, Rakell was dealing with a shoulder injury for much of last year, which definitely contributed to a decline in his production. But there were also times when he didn't appear to be playing particularly hard. That's changed this year. He showed up motivated and in good shape and it's carried over into the first dozen games.
That will do it for today's chat. We will do this again next week. Have a great weekend and enjoy Saturday's game against the Habs.
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