Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Finding some possible trades for the Penguins...

Starting point is 00:00:00 Following the tragic death of Adam Johnson, the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of a handful of teams leading the charge to make sure that it never happens again. Hunter and I are going to talk about that and more on this edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. You're Locked-on Penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Back hockey fans to yet another edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp.

Starting point is 00:00:42 You can follow me on Twitter at Synonym 4 Wet, joined as always by The Incredible, The Amazing, the one and only Hunter Hodes. You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. And you can follow the show's Twitter at L.O. underscore Penguins. Today's episode is brought to you by Sleeper. Download the Sleeper app and use promo code locked on NHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit.

Starting point is 00:01:05 Terms and conditions apply. See Sleeper's terms of use for details. So I talked about there in the intro a little bit. We talked about it earlier this week, obviously, and the hockey world is still in shock and mourning the tragic death of Adam Johnson over the weekend, who was cut by a skate during a game, and that ultimately led to his passing. But it's kind of reignited a discussion in hockey circles when it comes to protective equipment. and rules and just things like that.

Starting point is 00:01:42 So it came out today, and there was some talk about it yesterday as well, although the headlines weren't there as much as they were this morning, that the penguins are one of a couple teams that have already kind of started pushing towards mandating neck protection in professional hockey. Now, well, this doesn't mean that the penguins along with Boston, Carolina in Washington are telling their NHL clubs that they have to wear neck protection and neck guards. The Penguins have confirmed that Wilkesbury and Wheeling, now those players have to wear neck guards. So right move. Agreed. And I have to say, like, I'm really, I'm really on board with

Starting point is 00:02:29 this. I think it can be kind of the same thing that you did with visors about a decade ago, where you're not going to come in and drop the hammer and say this is mandatory right now, no exceptions, everybody has to do it. I think you can grandfather it in starting next year. You say every player that's drafted in or makes their NHL debut next season has to wear a neck guard, has to wear some form of neck protection, whether that's an independent neck guard that you put on after everything else, whether it's an undershirt that has the neck protection included in it. Either way, I think this is a smart idea. And the main reason I'm on

Starting point is 00:03:11 board with this is simply because one of the best pieces of advice I ever got as a hockey player, especially as I started getting to higher and higher levels. Obviously, I didn't get that high. I only got to college club. But was, you know, you can fix a broken bone. A broken bone will heal. If you lose a couple teeth, you can get them replaced. If you pull a muscle, if you tear a ligament, things like that, there are fixes and heels in place, things that you can do or surgeries and procedures you can get done that will fix that ailment. But blood loss, losing an eye, concussions, those kind of things you can't fix. You only get one brain.

Starting point is 00:03:59 you only get two eyes. If you have a massive cut in blood loss, one of the only reasons that the handful of times this has happened in hockey that we know of, that is, where a player has survived, it's because the responding person didn't just have medical training, but they had military combat training. So they were the kind of person that had to deal with wartime active wounds. So not that many trainers and medics in hockey arenas have that.

Starting point is 00:04:34 So like I said on Monday when we talked about this, it's the one fear all hockey players have, whether they openly admitted or not, it's there that you're going to get hit with a skate one day, whether it's in your neck, your wrist, in hell, and even in a now Penguins player's case in Eric Carlson, your Achilles tendon.

Starting point is 00:04:55 These are all fears in risks you take when you play. hockey. And going off that, this should be, I think, a requirement in all levels of hockey, whether you're just starting out as a little kid in Peewee moving up to Bantam, playing travel hockey, high school hockey, college hockey, Wilkesbury, any level, NHL even as well. And I'm glad that Mike Sullivan did make that announcement on Halloween that they will be having mandated net guard use going forward, Wilkesbury and Wheeling. And again, I do hope that it goes to all NHL teams as well because this should be something that every player wears, especially after what just happened. There's really no reason for every player to not wear it, I think, in my opinion.

Starting point is 00:05:40 And again, all levels of hockey, too. Yeah. And here's the olive branch kind of, I don't know how I would kind of put this, I guess, say, like understanding part of it that I'd throw out there is, because I understood this myself, because the older I got in the high, higher levels I started to play, the less equipment was needed. You know, when I got from high school to college, exactly what we're talking about right now, neck guards. They weren't required anymore. I wish I had neck guards. Like I actually didn't even really wear one when I played, you know, in middle school. And before I got to, I didn't play for my high school. I was thinking about it. I just didn't really want to. Let's just say I don't really like some of the people that went to my high

Starting point is 00:06:23 school that were on the team. So I just didn't really want to bother playing on that team. But when I played in middle school, you weren't really required to wear neck guards, which looking back at it now, it's crazy to think about it because, again, something could have happened there as well. And heck, I know people on my team in middle school, they won't even wearing elbow guards. And it was just like, you can shatter your elbow fairly easily if you fall on the ice at the wrong angle. And again, I'm not trying to compare elbow guards, neck guards. But it was something that wasn't required in my middle school team. And just looking back out and now, it's still kind of stuns me. Yeah. And the thing I was I was building towards there was,

Starting point is 00:07:01 I get it. You want to look cool and you want to kind of have that almost, especially when you're not in the NHL or a professional league. You want to feel like you're part of that. You want to feel like that's where you're headed. Right. And I was required to wear a neck guard all the way through high school. And then when I got to college and started playing in college, they didn't require neck guards anymore. hell, the year after I got done in college, the ACHA, and I don't know if it's still in place, but when I got done, they made it so you didn't have to wear a helmet and warmups anymore. So, like, I had guys go, you know, you had guys going out getting the flow going and all that stuff for warmups, feeling like they were in the NHL, because just like the NHL and the minor leagues,

Starting point is 00:07:46 college hockey's 20 minutes, 3.20 minute periods, two intermissions, independent warm up. So, you know, I get it. At the same time, there's also this part of it now. We're no longer in the 80s or 90s. In the 80s or 90s, all the equipment, top to bottom, bulky, heavy, made out of all kinds of like goofy padding and all kinds of other things. Nowadays, everything is slick, aerodynamic, thin. And the technology exists now to where you can make this stuff aerodynamic.

Starting point is 00:08:21 You can make it thin. You can make it a lot more comfortable than you had in the past while not losing that function. If you look at a long sleeve neck protecting turtleneck that you can get from CCM or Bauer or Warrior or whoever, it just looks like a regular old turtleneck. It's not like the Vic neck guards of the 90s, those big white pads that came down all the way to your sternum. Those aren't a thing anymore. You can still get them. you can still wear them if you want. I would recommend it because they're pretty damn good.

Starting point is 00:08:56 But that's the other thing. You're just going to look like Tomas Placanic. And he was a pretty good hockey player last time I checked. So that'll do it for this segment. When we come back, Hunter and I are not to get confused with the CBS Morning Game Show, but we are going to play a little bit of let's make a deal and hopefully come up with some changes for this penguin squad. But first, we have to tell you about Indeed. When you're drafting your fantasy team, do you ever wish you could do the same thing with your business team?

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Starting point is 00:10:36 You need indeed. All right. We're back here on this episode of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm Hunter Hodes, joined by my co-host Patrick Dam. So let's have some fun. It's a Wednesday. The Penguins don't play until Saturday. They get the rare five-day break here for,

Starting point is 00:10:54 I know. It's a lot. It's very weird that they don't play at all the rest of these weekdays. Hunter, it's like the NHL schedule makers have no respect for us hardworking podcasters, damn it. They don't care about us at all, man. It's a shame. Shame on the NHL schedule makers at this point. But hey, this allows us to stretch out those content creating muscles. And Pat and I are going to make some mock deals here or maybe go into some players who the penguins could look to trade for if they they can maybe open up some salary cap space. I'm going to let you start with this one because you told me this player right before we started recording. And as a hint to people listening or watching, it is an old friend.

Starting point is 00:11:36 So those of you that pay attention to the National Hockey League at large, you know that the best player in the National Hockey League and probably the world right now is Connor McDavid. And the other issue that Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers have is if you shut down Connor McDavid as best you can. I think we all know you're never going to actually shut them down. And Leon Dressidal, you're probably going to be... What did you just call him?

Starting point is 00:12:02 What did you just call him? Leondra Cytle. Drysidal. Drysiddle? Yeah. I remember they've said it both ways, but either way, you shut those two down or at the very least limit them. The Edmont & Soilers have a tough time winning hockey games.

Starting point is 00:12:14 So they're in need of some scoring depth. And while he's had a bit of a tough start for our Pittsburgh Penguins, to make some salary cap work and to bring us some defensive help, which we so sorely need right now on the third pair, I would like to bring back the one man who vindicated Kyle Dubus a few years ago, and that's the one and only Cody Cici. There it is.

Starting point is 00:12:38 Cody C C C C's only making $3.25 million for the next two seasons. If you take a look at his above average metrics, or if you look at his metrics, they are above average, excuse me. I got it twisted there. He's the one guy that, Kyle Dubus, I think, was constantly vindicated about it. For some reason, it didn't work for a year in Toronto. Everybody turned on him.

Starting point is 00:13:01 He gets to Pittsburgh, has a big year. He's been solid ever since. And I think he'd be very good for the third pair. And I know a bunch of people are going to see $3.25 million to think, oh, man, that's a lot for a third pairing defenseman. But this team needs defense right now, man. And to be honest with you, I'm going to send Edmonton some forward. help and I'm going to have these two guys on my trade block like I have for whatever else we talk

Starting point is 00:13:27 about and that's going to be POJ and Ricard Raquel. Well, if that's a two for one swap, I'm not sure the Penguins win that one, especially if Raquel does wake up over there in Edmonton, and they're going to feed him top six minutes if that were a trade that wouldn't ever go through. And I don't think it would, but I think you would see Raquel play up there with dryside on McDavid, Nugent Hopkins, whatever the Oilers want to put him with. And I think you would see him produce. I don't know if I would give him up in that kind of deal.

Starting point is 00:13:54 I would give Raquel up in a deal, especially if he doesn't wake up. But I'm willing to give him, I guess, a little bit. Still a great period at this point, considering how consistent he was last year, 60 points, quite a few five-on-five goals last year. Don't know if I'd include him to get a bottom-paring defenseman, but I understand where your logic is considering how much money he'd have

Starting point is 00:14:14 in the next several years, how many years he signed for, how he just has been a ghost this year, than for POJ, of course, I think getting him a fresh start is the reason why you have him on that one. Yeah. And listen, I also want to make clear here. Like, I'm not pushing Ricard Raquel out the door. I'm not out on him. I still think he's very good. I think a bounce back's coming. The other reason is I also look at that deal, where that deal would happen. In the moment, that would be a loss of a deal. I agree. You make that deal with those two players for that one player.

Starting point is 00:14:43 You're basically getting fleeced like that. You're going to get the message that you get in E. EANHL via GM mode when you make a trade like that. And the other GM goes, oh, man, I can't believe you're actually doing this for me. This is crazy. But the other reason I look at that is because it would lead into another deal that I don't have worked out yet. But then you would open up around $3 million in cap space for the penguins, which puts them in a position to make another kind of deal to maybe get somebody else out the door

Starting point is 00:15:12 and bring somebody more productive back in. So I do think if that's the way you're looking at it. I think there is a world where you can ship those two out and you can open up some cap space, bring somebody back for less of a hit. And then once you get closer to the stretch run and the trade deadline, you've got more space to work with. I think that makes sense. I definitely would understand that. I probably have more of a dream scenario here.

Starting point is 00:15:38 But I'm looking at the Calgary Flames. They've been bad to start this year, just like the Penguins. Two, six and one. They've lost five in a row. I even said heading into this year, I was not high on the flames. I thought this was a mid-team at best that might be bad. And they've been, again, they've been bad this year. And I look at someone like Andrew Magapani, who has been a 35-goal score at one point during his career, 21-22.

Starting point is 00:16:05 Last year, I had 17 goals of 43 points. This year, he already has three goals and six points in nine games. Obviously, the contract situation is a big one with this one. 5.8 million per year for the next two years. He has this year. And he has next year before he becomes a free agent in 2025, 2026. He's only 27 years old. You'd have to make the money work there. But it's funny, you brought up Raquel. Raquel would kind of work here in that situation if you were to send him to Calgary because Raquel makes a pretty similar cap. If you can get the flames to retain a little bit of money there, it would work. Maybe send them a draft pick something

Starting point is 00:16:38 like that. And again, we're honestly just throwing crap at the wall here. We're just having some fun with the second segment. But. And before the comment section comes after us. Yes. I am well aware that Ricard Raquel has an eight team no trade list and we don't know what eight teams are on it. Right.

Starting point is 00:16:58 So again, to echo what Hunter said, we're just having fun. We're kicking some things around because the penguins are struggling. And NHL 24, B a GM mode has not evolved for 20 years now. So we just want to have some fun where we can. And that especially and just the fact that the penguins do need more scoring in this lineup, in my opinion. I do think the third line has improved as of late. But overall, I do think this team is, I think one more score away.

Starting point is 00:17:29 Manjapane, he would fill that role, in my opinion. I mean, he has rode a high shooting percentage at times throughout his career, but he's also been pretty consistent after that 35 goal season. You have to make it work, salary capitalize, pattern. figure out draft picks, prospects, something like that. But that would be a player that I would go after in this dream world if I were Kyle Dupis.

Starting point is 00:17:53 That is at least someone I would be looking at. If you want someone that's a little bit different, that's maybe not as good as him. Maybe you call Ottawa, especially with their GM change that just happened on Wednesday. Peter Dorian is out. There's rumors that Peter Shirelli is in consideration for that job, which is absolutely hilarious. I hope he gets a job. I hope he loses every single trade, one of them which could be to the Penguins.

Starting point is 00:18:16 I would laugh every single day for the rest of my life. And one part that is on there that makes sense for me is Matthew Joseph, who has had a pretty good start to the year. Three goals, seven points, eight games. If P.O. Joseph is not going the other way, you have both Joseph brothers on this team. And Matthew Joseph has been pretty good for the senators this year. And they've been looking to move him. Obviously, do the Shane Pinto situation. We all know he's suspended for 41 games because the.

Starting point is 00:18:42 the gambling thing. But they were looking to move him for quite a bit. And I do think if the penguins called in that situation, they would definitely listen to a matter if it's an interim GM on the other line or if it's Peter Schrelli or whoever the centers decide to hire because of the Dandenong situation and everything else that's going on with Peter Dorian. But that is another player who I would have my eye on if I were Kyle Dubos and the Penguins. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:19:09 And I always, especially if Shirelli gets the job. I can never remember whose tweet it was, but it's one of my all-time favorite analysis of how to be a general manager in the NHL. Identify the bad general managers. Call them all the time. Yes, that is the best way to do it. You know who the bad ones are. Just call them five, six, seven. However many times you want to call them, just do that every single day until you get them to bite and then you'll have a good trade there.

Starting point is 00:19:42 I think you have one more player before we had to break. I do. And again, I'm not shoving Ricard Raquel out the door. This is just the two players I've looked at that can make some money work that can help out in the trade market. I'd rather see Ricard Raquel remain a penguin and improve. But again, we're putting POJ and Ricard Raquel on the trade block. We're calling our old friend Jimmy Rutherford up there in Vancouver and saying, Hey, pal, you still looking to get rid of Connor Garland?

Starting point is 00:20:12 because we've got two guys that might help you out. And the salaries for Ricard Raquel and Connor Garland are very similar. Rickele's $5 million rate on the button. Connor Garland's $4.95. You make it work a little bit more with the POJ salary. And then all of a sudden, you've got your third line center. And you can push Lars Eller down one line, which everybody ready to pop champagne in this segment. kicking Jeff Carter out of the lineup.

Starting point is 00:20:43 Yes. Because you have Connor Garland is your third line center. Lars Eller is your fourth line center. So your third line becomes DOC in Zahorna with Garland, Matt Nietto with Nolichari and Lars Eller in the middle. And the only issue I take with this one right now is now you, with this one you have to find, actually in both of these, not that I think of it, in both of these you have to find somebody to play on

Starting point is 00:21:09 Malkins wing or maybe even Crosby's wing because maybe you just slot rust down one. But still, you're going to need a right winger at that point. So either way, I do think there are some trades that could be made by Kyle Dubus right now. I don't know if he will just because it's still early. But at the same time, I do think there are deals to be made with this team, especially right now, depending on how this West Coast road trip goes, because they just might need a kick in the ass. He will be aggressive, I think, to try and get this team back up and going.

Starting point is 00:21:46 We all saw Jim Rutherford make that big Carl Haglund trade at the beginning of the season. And it definitely shook up a locker room considering how beloved Haglin wasn't there. I don't think you're going to see something like that where then, remember, Rutherford tried to reacquire him just a few months later at the deadly, but then found out that you couldn't. But I do think Kyle Dupis won't be afraid to. make a change if he has to and bring in some help because I can't really see him selling unless this team is bottom five to bottom 10 at the trade deadline. And I know they are right now.

Starting point is 00:22:19 Don't get it wrong. They have the worst record of the Eastern Conference right now. But I still think they're not going to be that bad come February, come March. Proof me wrong, but I don't think they will. But I think that would do it for this really fun second segment where Pat and I are just on B become a GM mode in the EA sports NHL game. But coming up to end the show, Pat and I are going to discuss the Nicholas Baxter injury news that came out on Wednesday, plus how no one should take for granted what Sydney

Starting point is 00:22:46 Crosby and of Gennie Malkin are doing at such an old age at this point in their careers. But before we get to that, we got to tell you all about Sleeper, which is the official daily fantasy app of the locked on NHO network. Sleeper is our number one choice for daily fantasy sports and especially daily fantasy hockey. Because with Sleeper, you can win 100 times your cash in daily fantasy hockey. contest. You can do this with your friends. You can do this with your family. Heck, you can even do this by yourself. And you can also do Daily Fantasy NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football. All we have to do is pick weather studs like Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, Cindy Crosby, Nathan

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Starting point is 00:23:58 All right, we're back here on this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm Hunter Hodes, joined by my co-host Patrick Dam. So, some really sad news, I would say, in the hockey role today is, Washington Capitals legend, Nicholas Baxter, has to step away from the game and definitely due to his injury problems. Really sucks to see after everything he did to come back from his last injury. And no doubt he's a Hall of Famer. It's been a lot of fun watching those Penguins Capitals games over the years

Starting point is 00:24:25 with him involved in him at the prime of his career. Just an excellent playmaker, a really underrated shot to his spot on the right half wall on the Capitol's power play. he was so nasty there. He would just create so much from there on the power play. And just his vision on the ice was always a treat to watch. And I hope we can watch it again someday. But right now he has stepped away.

Starting point is 00:24:48 But I really wanted to take this segment to highlight just how lucky I think this entire family should be that we're getting to watch. Cindy Crosby and Fgeny Malkin do what they're doing, even though they're a bit older now, like Fagin Malcon, last year, point per game, Cindy Crosby, over 90 points. And they haven't had to deal with anything like this. And you can even make the same comparison for Patrick Cain. Obviously, he's coming back from that massive hip surgery that he had to have.

Starting point is 00:25:14 Oveon season, Jonathan Taves is not playing right now. I don't think enough has been made about how good Crosby and Malkin were last year and just how good they both have been this year, especially Malkin. Yeah. And you can't talk about the modern day Penguins Capitals, rivalry without talking about Nicholas Backstrom. Right. He's been the right.

Starting point is 00:25:37 He has been, for lack of a better description, the of Gennie Malkin to Alex Ovechkins, Sidney Crosby. Those two have been tied at the hip forever. And he is one of the more unappreciated players of this era. He has been so good. And while the numbers didn't always reflect it, the guy was just constantly one of the better playmakers, not just in the rise. not just on the capitals, not just in the Eastern Conference, but in the entire national

Starting point is 00:26:06 hockey league. And what you're saying is absolutely true. On a funny note, it always makes me think of the tweet, the, ah, I'm 33. I've got my whole life ahead of me, sports announcer. Here he comes, the oldest player in the league, 35 years old, a miracle. But you're right. The fact that, and I know that Malkins had his knee surgeries. Obviously, Crosby had the concussion issues early on. But the fact that, yeah, Crosby and Malkin have slowed down a little bit. They're not the same players they were five, ten years ago. They're still extremely good.

Starting point is 00:26:45 And this season's start aside, the struggles aside, they've been mostly as advertised as they've always been, especially of Gennie Malkin. I mean, Malkin's come out a man possessed to start this. season. And sure, you can get angry about the power play. You can get annoyed at the lack of wins so far. But once again, I don't think this is a team that you can look at it and go, well, it's Crosby and Malkins' fault because it's not. The two of them have done everything that's asked of them to start the year. Yeah. And I mean, you can take this back to last year as well. We're of getting Malkin and Cindy Crosby were two of the main reasons why the Penguins were

Starting point is 00:27:23 even in a position to make the playoffs at the end of the year. And we all know how flawed that team was. Fast forward to this year, Sid, outside of a couple games, has been pretty damn good. Heck, he had over 10 shots in the last game and should have had at least one goal. He was flat out robbed by John Gibson. And let me say this. That was a lucky save by John Gibson, stuck his paddle out there, praying to God that the puck was going to hit his stick. And it sure did. And Sid, look to the heavens when it was like, how did that puck not go in?

Starting point is 00:27:49 But he had one of his best games I thought against the Ducks. And for Fgeny Malkin, someone who had a lot to prove heading in last season, has a point per game year. They're like, how much more does he have to prove heading into this year? And June has been like, oh, I'll show you. And he's been one of the best players in the league to start this year. And it just, it's crazy how good they've been, how consistent they've been throughout their careers, even though they're getting close to 40 at this point. That's Mr. 101 for you, baby. A bunch of sickos, right, man? Just a bunch of sickos. That ESPN list and that top 100 all-time list

Starting point is 00:28:23 will forever make me mad online. But I think that. I'll do it for this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Really appreciate everyone listening to slash watching this one. Pat and I will be back with another episode for you all on Thursday. I think we'll have a guest for that one. So stay tuned. And then Friday, we will preview the game against the San Jose Sharks, probably preview the California trip as a whole for that episode,

Starting point is 00:28:45 as the Penguins will be on the West Coast for quite a bit as they try to get this thing turned around to say the least. But again, that will do it for this one. Thank you all so much for tuning in. Really appreciate it. We'll be back with another episode. on Thursday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Finding some possible trades for the Penguins...

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