Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Erik Karlsson's RESURGENT season helps power Penguins to the playoffs!

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Eric Carlson, we all expected to get when he was acquired back in 2023, finally arrived in Pittsburgh in the 2025-26 season, and he was a big part of the team's resurgence. Let's go over his season in today's Locked-on Penguins podcast. Your Locked-on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in to the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I am one of your hosts, Patrick Damp. You can follow me across all social media platforms at synonym for wet. joined as always by the one and only Hunter Hodes.

Starting point is 00:00:49 You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. The Wheeling Nailers are moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Everblades. A former longtime Maple Leafs front office member is a free agent. But before we get into all, of that. Hunter, I know today was a big day for you. So I'm going to give you 30 seconds before we continue our season and review series with the man who was voted team MVP this season, Eric Carlson and go. Yes, big day today. I'm not going to scream into my mic, but Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal, finally Premier League champions after 22 years. I got on the train a bit later than I know a lot of other fans did, but still feels really fun,

Starting point is 00:01:35 but I still want to go win the Champions League. That's next weekend, not this upcoming weekend, the following weekend, but it feels really good to win this one. In terms of, you know, what I need otherwise for sports, I could just use a Virginia Tech national title. Probably not going to happen, but hey, Indiana fans were saying that as well. That's the last thing I really need to check off on my sports teams bucket list. I've seen all my other teams now win titles.

Starting point is 00:01:59 So we'll see if Virginia Tech can now do the thing. But all right, Pat, that's enough about Arsenal. Let's get into Eric Carlson, who was unbelievable this season. And I know at the end of the 24-25 season, I came on here and said that, you know, while he wasn't as bad as some people thought he was, I still felt he had another level to get to. And you saw that this season. It wasn't even just the offense, which we're going to.

Starting point is 00:02:29 going to get into. It was his work on the penalty kill. It was his work in the defensive zone. It was him making better decisions, not pinching as aggressively compared to what he was doing under Mike Sullivan. It felt like Mike Sullivan just him and Carlson just clashed during those couple of years. And you see Sullivan go away. Dan Muse comes in. He plays to his strengths, more of his strengths, I should say, Pat. And what do you know? He has his best season as a Pittsburgh penguin this year and is a big driver of this team getting back to the playoffs yeah i have it written down in my notes i was going to throw this one to you and you already kind of hit on it did mike sullivan or did eric carlson hate mike sullivan i think it's both yeah i think it's i think it's a little

Starting point is 00:03:19 column a little column b when it comes to him but i also think a big difference and obviously This is just from watching the games. I don't have any reporting or inside knowledge on this. I think the big shift more than anything between Eric Carlson and then Mike Sullivan and then Dan Mews, with Carlson's game this year, he just let the game come to him instead of chasing it. You looked at a lot of the decisions he made and the ways he played in all three zones. it wasn't trying to force offense. It wasn't trying to force his way into the rush.

Starting point is 00:04:04 It wasn't him pinching at all opportunities. He took what the game in front of him gave him, and he looked like the Eric Carlson we expected to get when he was acquired in summer 2023. Now, you look at his numbers, they were incredible this year. 75 games, 15 goals, 51 assists, 66 points. he's named team MVP. He rarely had bad games this year.

Starting point is 00:04:34 And to your point from earlier, I don't think he had a lot of bad games under Mike Sullivan. He just had disappointing games. He just made baffling decisions, kind of seemed disinterested. To your point, he was never bad with the Penguins. He wasn't as bad as a lot of people made

Starting point is 00:04:57 him out to be. He just never looked like the Eric Carlson people expected in this season was the exact opposite. Yeah, I do think that's fair. I just felt that he took sometimes a bit too much crap from people in the fan base. I mean, even during the 24, 25 season, Pat, which again, I said at the time, I felt he had another level or two to get up to still finish the season with 33, 5 on 5 points. That was tied for fifth among all defensemen in the game. the league with Evan Bouchard. Only Quinn Hughes, Rasmus, Dahlin, Kail McCar, and Zach Wrenski had more five-on-five points to Eric Carlson during the 24-25 season, which was his final season under Mike Sullivan

Starting point is 00:05:40 before the Penguins made the coaching change. This year, Pat, he ups his game even more. Again, he takes less risk. He also has a better partner in Parker Waltherspoon who could cover for his mistakes if he did make them in some games. And yeah, obviously, every player makes mistakes throughout the course of the season. Carlson did make his Walthor's room was right there to cover for him just because he was always a calming presence for him on the blue line. But where I think Eric Carlson really made his mark in the

Starting point is 00:06:09 season, Pat, was the month of March. I'm not saying this as recently biased. That was just some of the best hockey I have ever seen him play. The way that he played nine goals and 24 points during that month. And Pat, it was two point game, two point game, three point game, three point game, two point game. He was just stacking these elite performances. That game in Carolina, the one they lost six to five, I thought the Penguins were finally going to break their streak. I still felt that was the best game he played all season. He was just a menace. He was everywhere on the ice. It was exactly what I want to see from Eric Carlson. And it was great on the power play for the most part during the regular season. Talk about his five-on-five play where the points were, the goals. He especially was

Starting point is 00:06:55 great next to Cindy Crosby when Crosby was on the ice with his line and obviously Carlson's pair A plus grade for me this season. And Pat, that continues the theme here. We're giving out a lot of A's, but they're warranted. They're deserved considering how many players just played so well for this team this year, including Carlson. He was fantastic. And I want to talk about the PK a little bit more. I loved that DMUs used him a lot more on the penalty kill this year. I mean, he was really good along the boards, winning those loose puck battles, getting cleared. He was honestly not bad at blocking shots either. And, you know, going into, you know, this year, he had only played 78 minutes on the PK

Starting point is 00:07:39 these last two seasons with the Penguins. He played 140 on the PK this year. And this is someone Pat, I mean, he's had a history before of playing a lot on the PK. He did it a bunch in Ottawa. For example, in the 2016-17 season, he played 160. minutes, the 2013-14 season, he played 124 minutes. He has played a lot on the PK before, and Dan Mews was able to get back to him doing that. And what do you know, he helped that unit be one of the best penalty kills in the league.

Starting point is 00:08:09 So just his all-around game outside of, we all know how elite he is offensively, was just through the roof this year. It sounds really obvious to say, but Dan Mews understood the value of putting Eric Carlson on the penalty. kill. No one is ever going to mistake him for a defensive defense. Now, he is not going to get put in any categories of an elite defensive defenseman, but simply put his skating ability in his vision, make him valuable on the PK because he can get to puck battles. He can win puck battles. He can see lanes that offensive players don't often see. So he's able to take. take that away from opposing power plays.

Starting point is 00:08:59 Now, you don't want him to play in all those high leverage defensive moments, but you need to know when to use him. And Dan Mews understood when to use him. And you leave the shot blocking and all the hard work kind of blue collar, lunch pail stuff to your forwards who kill penalties. And the penguins had quite a few of them. But on the back end, Carlson's going to have an idea of where these power plays want put the puck where they want to put bodies and he's going to be able to read that play so that is his

Starting point is 00:09:30 value on the pk and he showed that all season long and you're right the trend keeps up i'm just going to give him a straight up flat a grade for this season you could maybe ask for a little more from him down the stretch on the power play as the power play kind of faltered down the stretch and into the post season, but at that point, we're picking nits. We're not really, we're looking for something to be upset about for what was otherwise a really, really good season for Eric Carlson. Yeah, and in the playoffs too, Pat, because, you know, I was expecting playoff, EK. We've seen it in the past before. I know you were. I know a lot of fans were. And I understand if some fans feel a bit disappointed by that just because he couldn't get up to that level.

Starting point is 00:10:21 But again, he is far down the list of reasons in terms of why they lost. I can think of 10 to 15 other reasons why they lost that series against Philly before I get to Eric Carlson. So I don't want anyone to go overboard with that one. Yeah, it was a little disappointing. The power play was especially really bad in that series. But overall, A plus season for me, he's going into the final year of his contract, Pat. Still a member of the Penguins, but he is set to be a UFA after the 26-27 season. We'll see if he remains a penguin throughout the season, if he wants to go anywhere.

Starting point is 00:11:01 But that is a discussion for a much later day. Great season for Eric Carlson. Finally got the EK-65 we had wanted for quite a few years. We'll see if he can build that into next season. But that is going to do it for this part of our season and review series. When we come back, it's the Eastern. conference finals for the Wheeling Naylor's winners of game seven. We will break down that game when we come back right after this. But first, we've got a couple of sponsors that we need to get to

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Starting point is 00:13:04 Need to hire. It's a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And we've got one more to get to. It's our pals at Fandul. The NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing and every possession matters. If you're looking to get closer to the action, Fandul has a great offer for you to get started. Right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if that first bet wins.

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Starting point is 00:14:16 And you get access to ad free audio, our members only Discord, and so much more. It's all built for you, our most loyal fans. head to Lockedon Podcast.com slash Everydayer Club to learn more. Hunter, you can call it the Hoffman family of Companies Cup in the Eastern Conference Finals in the ECHL because the Wheeling Nailers are heading to the third round against the Florida Everblades. Like I said on the show yesterday, big 2016 vibes from this Wheeling Nailers team because this is the first time since.

Starting point is 00:14:54 that season that they are heading to the Eastern Conference finals. They were able to hold off the Mariners in game seven, get a four three win. And for their troubles, they get to go up against one of the best teams in the ECHL in the Everblades. And let's keep it real here. Their best chance to move on is the guy between the pipes and getting more incredible performances from Taylor Godier. We have to start there, Pat.

Starting point is 00:15:22 You saw that save last. night. I mean, that was unbelievable. The way that he was able to stretch across, get something on that puck, because the puck just zipped right across the crease, basically, and I felt like that was going to be a sure goal. Taylor Gordier said, nope, I'm going to rob you there. And it was such a great save that Wheeling's play-by-play announcer almost broke his mic there just because he was so excited. And speaking of that, Pat, I sent you the clip. The mic literally broke. when Wheeling made it for one late in the third period. That was just an amazing call.

Starting point is 00:16:00 And you saw West Banko Arena was on fire last night. I felt like the roof was going to come down on the place. I mean, shout out to Naylor's play-by-play announcer. My former coworker and one-time boss, DJ Abicella, he is arguably one of the best in the ECHL. He's been there for a really long time. He truly is the voice of the name. nailers. And listen, the devil works hard. DJ Abicello works harder. That guy is an encyclopedia

Starting point is 00:16:33 of knowledge. He loves that town. He loves that team. And he does a phenomenal job. But again, Taylor Godier, absolutely phenomenal. And then you got to give it, you especially got to give a shout out to him because he did have to stand tall late in the game. The Mariners had a push. They really tried to cut into the nailers lead a little bit, but he was able to come up big near the end. So for the nailers, this is a massive, massive challenge because Florida is running through the Eastern Conference playoffs, kind of like the Carolina Hurricanes are running through the NHL playoffs.

Starting point is 00:17:14 They have not lost many games. They are on a role. Only one. They've lost only one game. Yeah, they've lost one game. So for Wheeling, this is a huge test and a big opportunity. If they can find a way to get past Florida, I think you suddenly start calling them the favorites to win the Kelly Cup.

Starting point is 00:17:36 Potentially, yeah. And a change for this series, Pat, they will be going on the road for the first two games down to Florida. And we saw in that second row series against Maine, Wheeling needs to play a lot better on the road. They were 0 in 3 in Maine. Yeah, it's great that you did. offended home ice you were four no there that's going to give you a lot of confidence heading into this series when it eventually shifts back to wheeling for games three through five

Starting point is 00:18:01 but i think at minimum pat i'd like for them to get a split in those first two games before it comes back to west bank arena and we all know how lively it's going to be schedule wise the series will start this friday and saturday games one and two in florida before the series shifts to willing for next Wednesday, Friday, and then Saturday, and then the Monday and Wednesday after that, Pat, June 1st and 3rd, that would be game 6 and then game 7, if necessary for this Eastern Conference Final Series against the Everblades. Pat, can we say collusion also for this series? Does that word work here?

Starting point is 00:18:40 Maybe not, but still, the Hoffman Family Bowl, if you want to call it that. I just, I find it funny that the family that's about to buy the Penguins once this gets finalized. their team is playing the nailers. So, hey, they at least get a close-up shot of some of the prospects in the Penguins organization that they're going to get to see here. Yeah, the Hoffman family will get a good look at their future ECHL affiliate after their purchase of the Penguins is made official. So good for them on that.

Starting point is 00:19:11 They come out winners regardless of what happens in the Eastern Conference final. Meanwhile, Wilkesbury Scranton is back in action tonight after quite. a few days off to stew in that 4-3 loss to Springfield. 7.05 tonight in Springfield against the Thunderbirds. And I'm just going to echo what I said after that game that they lost. They need to come out tonight pissed off. Because they were a period away from taking a stranglehold over the Thunderbirds and they let it slip away.

Starting point is 00:19:49 They know they're the better team. They know they're the more talented team. And tonight, they have to play like an angry team that knows that fact. Yeah, you've had plenty of time here to be upset, be pissed off by the special way the way you played in the third period. You were completely in control through 40 minutes. Give up a shorthanded goal in the third. Okay, ho-hum, whatever.

Starting point is 00:20:13 But you played too much prevent defense. You parked the bus. You have a 3-1 lead with less than five minutes to go. I'll say it again. there's no excuse to lose that game. You gave up two, six on five goals to end that game before losing in overtime. I want to see a team come out looking for blood, honestly. Go out there and take control back of this series.

Starting point is 00:20:36 You did it against Hershey. Remember that? They split the first two games of Wilkesbury. They went to Hershey. They won both games there. They moved on to the Atlantic Division final. Let's see if you can start repeating that process here. You know, you're going to get good goal teams from Sergey Mureshov.

Starting point is 00:20:52 Who is going to step up here among the prospects and answer the call? That's what I'm going to be looking for in this one. Let's see if they can take a two one series lead. It's always great when your affiliates go pretty far in the playoffs. It continues to get these prospects very meaningful, high stakes games. That's what you want to see. Wheeling, they're in the third round. Wilkes-Barre, they have a chance to get closer to that.

Starting point is 00:21:19 next round the conference final with a win tonight. It's going to be huge. Obviously, we're going to keep our eye on both series as we have been throughout this postseason and keep you updated on what's going on on the farm and how far these teams can go. Because like Hunter said, this is huge for the development of some of these young players in the penguin system playing meaningful hockey at this time of year, learning how to go through the process, learning how to win, and learning how to be professionals.

Starting point is 00:21:52 So obviously stick with us, make sure you're following, make sure you're subscribed, and we will keep you as up to date as we can with the baby penguins and the Wheeling Nailers. But that is going to do it for our middle segment here. When we come back, there could be someone out there joining the Penguins front office. Soon, maybe we'll see.

Starting point is 00:22:16 we're going to talk about it when we come back right after this. But we've got one more sponsor to get to, and that is Quo. Mist calls and slow follow-ups are silent killers for businesses. That is how money gets left on the table without people even realizing it. That's why today's episode is brought to you by Quo, spelled Q-U-O, the business communication system built so you never miss a call. Quo helps businesses keep every conversation organized, by letting your entire team manage calls and texts from one shared number.

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Starting point is 00:23:21 Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to Quo.com slash locked on NHL. That's QUO.com slash locked on NHL. We're closing out the Tuesday edition of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I am Patrick Damp running alongside my pal Hunter Hodes and Hunter. if I can channel my inner Steve Dangle. We know that Kyle Dubus loves his guys. And one of those guys is Brandon Prittam.

Starting point is 00:24:01 Pridham was let go from the Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend. And he spent more than a decade with the Leaps. But prior to joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to the athletic, he spent 15 years working in the NHL's Central Registry. which means he was intimately involved with the salary cap, the CBA, and he did all of that for the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially in the flat cap era after the pandemic,

Starting point is 00:24:34 when they were really up against it. And he was able to keep them moving right along, bringing people in, making the contracts work. So I'll just ask it simply, does this fit is someone that Dubus could bring in? in for the front office. Potentially, I wouldn't be surprised considering how long they worked together in Toronto. It was several years.

Starting point is 00:24:55 And I remember when Dubus was hired, it was just as the president. And there was talk about, oh, like, is he going to hire a GM to kind of that GM would report to Dubis? And then eventually Dubus came out and said, hey, nope, I'm just going to handle everything. I'm going to be the GM. But could there be a situation where maybe he's like, hey, Brandon, maybe this could be. your job or maybe he's another special assistant to Kyle Dubas, considering how long they work together. You're right. He did a lot of great work with the salary cap. The Penguins, though,

Starting point is 00:25:28 Vuki Mapofu, he does a lot of that work in the front office. So that area, Pat, don't think you're hiring for that specific job just because, again, Vukimapofu does that. He does a great job in the front office. I think it's more likely if Pritim comes in, it's maybe like a special assistant type role, or maybe, you know, again, I'm just fitballing here. Maybe they somehow make him the GM and Kyle Dubas stays as president of hockey operations. He still makes the big decisions while Pridim still has a say, but he's not like the final decision maker per se. But it's at least something to think about because they did work together for a while in Toronto.

Starting point is 00:26:06 There was talk that he could potentially join the organization after Dubis was hired and Toronto kind of really didn't let him go, to be honest. So stay there for a few years. Now he's been let go. So time will tell, Pat, I definitely think it makes sense, at least from a couple of angles, but we'll see if Dubis wants to go down that road and maybe, you know, open up a position for him in the front office. Because the front office right now, Pat, it is pretty jam-packed with a lot of really good front-office members. They do a great job, along with Kyle Dubis.

Starting point is 00:26:38 Just not sure, you know, what you're going to do here. You'd have to really open up something for yourself. Between what you just said and the reports that after Dubus left, Dubus did, I don't know if he formally or informally, I'm unsure on the reporting, offered him a position with the Penguins and he turned it down or at the very least said he wanted to stay with Toronto. So that might kind of keep it from happening. Now, obviously, circumstances are different now because he was let go from the Leafs rather than staying with them after Dubus left. So context does change there. But I think it would be a smart hire because I look at it this way. Right now, the Penguins find themselves with the most flexibility under the salary cap than they have ever had.

Starting point is 00:27:32 And you know that if they maneuver things the way they want to maneuver them, the time is going to come where they're going to be close to. or up against it. And while Mapofu is very good at what he does, Dubus is very good at what he does. It cannot hurt to have a guy who essentially wrote this stuff in your front office to know how to really maneuver it. So we'll see on that. One other thing I wanted to add that kind of leads this conversation

Starting point is 00:27:58 is this came from Puckpedia today, and it might actually be something that the penguins have to be cognizant of. the NHL has released the compensation list for offer sheets for RFAs this summer. And here's how it breaks down. If you offer someone 11.9 million or more, the compensation is for first round picks. Don't think the Penguins are going to be doing that. Anything between 9.5 and 11.9 is two first round picks,

Starting point is 00:28:30 a second round pick, and a third round pick between 7.1 million and 9.5. million, a first, second and third round pick between 4.7 and 7.1, a first round pick and a third round pick between 2.3 million and 4.7 million, a second round pick, 1.5 between 2.3, round 3 pick, and then 1.5 or less, no compensation to the team that loses the RFA. So I think this kind of puts to bed that the penguins are going to do. any big offer sheets. They might do some on the margins like that 2.3 to 4.7 or 4.7 to 1.7.1. We're only giving up a second or a first and a third.

Starting point is 00:29:18 But if we're thinking they're going to offer sheet Jason Robertson, it would have to be that 11.9 and they don't have four first rounders to give up. Yeah. Honestly, Pat, and this is this is not even just a Penguins thing. I don't think you're going to see a lot of offer sheets the summer. I think the big moves you'll see will be via trade now. There could be sign-in trades where you don't have to offer sheet a player, for example, but I don't think you're going to see a lot of offers sheets just for that reason alone.

Starting point is 00:29:48 It's when you break it down by how much money, I think it's just too much for teams to give up. So, yeah, specifically from a Penguins perspective, you're definitely not going to see it. Their main business will be trades outside of maybe a couple of depth-free agency signings. It's going to be trades, trades, and more trades, I think. That's really going to be what Kyle Dupus focuses on this summer. You may see some depth signings. And again, I think with that lower level tier of compensation, you'll probably, you might see that just in the sense that you're not going to have to get,

Starting point is 00:30:27 get, have to give a lot up. But at the same time, considering the level of salary at that level with how much. cap space all these teams have it won't be hard for them to match so there's probably not going to be much if any offer sheets given out this summer just strictly because of cap space so just wanted to get that out there it was released today now you know there is no mystery and looking at that compensation level doesn't seem like it's something that's going to be on the table for any team really but that is going to do it for the tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Hunter and I will be back with a fresh episode on

Starting point is 00:31:12 Wednesday continuing our season in review series as well as checking out what the Wilkes Beres Scranton penguins do tonight. So make sure you're subscribed and following us on all social media and be here for that Wednesday episode. But for now, for Hunter Hodes, I am Patrick Damp. Thank you as always for tuning in. And we will be back on Wednesday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Erik Karlsson's RESURGENT season helps power Penguins to the playoffs!

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