Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - How did it come to this for the Penguins?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Well, you know, it's good to have a couple of off days today after that really embarrassing loss. On Monday night for today's episode, we're going to get into a couple of more ways as to why or how Ron Hextall has really screwed over this team this season. A couple updates when it comes to trade stuff with the Jeff Petrie rumor and then a nugget from Jeff American Elliott Friedman. All that plus so much more. It's coming up right after this drop. You're Locked on Penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:49 Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm of course your host, Hunter Hodes. You're going to follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Follow the shows, Twitter at L.O.1S4Penguins.

Starting point is 00:00:58 And, of course, thank you all so much for making this your first listen of the day. So let's jump right into it. I apologize if my voice is a little weird. I don't know if any of you all get this in your mouth. These like annoying, canker sores that are like, you know, near gums up there down to the sides and stuff.

Starting point is 00:01:18 I have one on the right side of my mouth, and it is affecting my ability to speak a little bit. So I apologize to my voice is a little weird. But let's get into just how Ron Hextall has really screwed this team over in multiple ways this season. Someone sent me a tweet last night after the game, and I did a little bit of research on if I can go back here. and find it. Because I originally put out, you know, I'm not blaming the core for the failure so far in the season. The top six has shown up.

Starting point is 00:01:50 Chris Tang has shown up. It's other parts of the roster that have really sunk the team in NASA GM's fault. And I will stand by that. If you are blaming the top six and you're saying the Penguins problems are because, oh, they brought the gang back together. They brought the core back. They should have went out and signed Vince Trocheck and John Klingberg and all that. I am sorry.

Starting point is 00:02:10 You are deranged. and you cannot see the forest or the trees. Those people, I think like that, they have probably only watched two games this season. Those people do not know that if Gennie Malkin and Cindy Crosby have played every game this season and they had a well-over point per game. Chris is saying, yeah, had a little bit of a rest start. I think he's been playing a much better hockey as a late.

Starting point is 00:02:29 And, oh, yeah, Jake Guns, Homer, Carreichel have been very good as well this year as well as Jason Zucker. So again, bringing back the core has not and is not, is not, excuse me, and has never been the problem. I will stand by that. Look at the stats. I mean, they are right there for you to see. And I got this tweet back from his name is Canadian Penns on Twitter, Canadian Penns fan.

Starting point is 00:02:55 He said, like I said, what 8.7 million is your highest A.A.V. And you cannot field a half decent team with 74 million with the rest of your cap space. There are no excuses. They're just art. And that got me thinking. So into the Penguins cap friendly. and I looked at, you know, the overall money that they have tied up to the top four players, Scrawth and Malken, Montagnol.

Starting point is 00:03:17 They have $28 million tied up to those four players, and they still have no cap space. How is that possible? Heck, we can even go with this a step further. 8.7 million, 7.1 million for Reganimalkin. That is what? 15 million, basically. That's not even 16 million combined to your two franchise icons. You want to up that a little further.

Starting point is 00:03:54 We'll go to Chris. I think that's 21, 22 million. In reference, you know, in comparison, excuse me, look at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Barner, Matthews, Neelander, Tavaris, Morgan Riley. They take up well over half of their salary caps face. and oh yeah, they just figured out a way to go out and get Ryan O'Reilly from the St. Louis Blues.

Starting point is 00:04:17 Teams like that are still figuring out how to get good players under the salary cap, but yeah, the penguins can't because, you know, their GM screwed them. You had all of the right pieces in place. I can take this a step further. You had Ricard Raquel there and Jason Zucker. That's only 39 million to all those players.

Starting point is 00:04:37 Crosby, Malkin, Latang, Gensel, Raquel, and Zucker. That's $39 million. That's not even half of your salary cap space. You have all of the hard work done when you're Ron Hextall. And you're telling me, you still screwed up the rest of that roster. It makes no sense. And you had cap space this summer if you wanted it. You didn't have to go out there and sign Kisbury Kappen.

Starting point is 00:05:04 You didn't have to go out there a couple years ago and sign Brock begin to 40 years and almost $3 million per. You didn't have to give Jeff Carter that extension only halfway through the season last year. Have it be your first extension when you had so many other deals to take care of first. What he did. And those three deals plus a couple others. I'll even throw Jan Rood in there. I think he's been fine, but it was also just an unnecessary signing.

Starting point is 00:05:29 You had all this up plus other signings as well. Look at how much money Jeff Petrie's making. But he's kind of been average this season. it's no wonder why the GM is the real big one to blame here. I will definitely hear arguments for Mike Sullivan. I don't think he's been that good of a coach this season. His deployment has been spotty at best. His love for Brian Dumlin is probably a bit too much.

Starting point is 00:05:55 His love for Jeff Carter is way too much. But, you know, show me a coach outside of John Tortorella who would maybe scratch someone like Carter and, you know, I don't really know. I was trying to finish off that stand. I think you all would know where I'm going with that. You know, show me any other coach who would do that. And, you know, I'll make you a millionaire, I guess.

Starting point is 00:06:19 It's just there aren't many that are going to do that just because they have so much respect for that player. I know, I know that's probably not the answer you want to hear. I'm just trying to give you all the rationale behind it. Excuse me. So, you know, you add all this up. And again, it's really the GM's fault. that he has that they are this bad this season you didn't need to go out and trade matheson for

Starting point is 00:06:43 petrie you didn't need to go out you know and trade john rino for a player who right now is not even in the n hl you didn't need to go out there you know and sign that entire third line to contracts you know teddy bluger you could have traded him during the all season you decided to keep him that's looking really foolish right now as well you could have traded a Brian did one of the season they've said and not to. But when it comes down to it, you had money to play with and you, you have all of your good pieces in place this on season. You brought back the top six. You brought back your number one defenseman. Your number one goalie was signed. Those are the hard pieces when you are building an NHL roster. Everything else after should be

Starting point is 00:07:29 easy. I'm sorry, I just don't, I don't give a lot of these GM sympathy when you have all these pieces in place. The same thing I would say goes for Rutherford when he screwed up the outer edge of the roster. The same thing has happened here with Ron Hextall, except it's just been put it at an amplified degree because of how bad the team has been this season. And a lot of those moves

Starting point is 00:07:49 in the bottom six, those are his guys. Brock McGinn, his guy. Jeff Carter, his guy. He's very captain. You know, Rutherford's guy, but who decided to extend him when he didn't deserve it? Ron Hextall. Forth line. Josh Archibald, his guy.

Starting point is 00:08:05 I will say this. He played well in the early parts of the season. He's not doing much right now. And when he's not scoring, you're really not noticing him much out there, which is unfortunate because he did have a really good first half before he got hurt. Ryan Paling, he's been hurt, which stinks.

Starting point is 00:08:20 Drew O'Connor, ups and downs for him, Teddy Bluger. He's not doing nothing. He's become a meme at this point because he cannot score to save his life. You decided to bring back the same goaltender tandem when you easily could have went out there and signed someone to, help George Mjari a little bit because he's been banged up throughout his career. You add all that up and you get a very, you know, mid-team, as the kids like to say,

Starting point is 00:08:46 it's another word for average if you are a little bit older. That's where we are. And I think that's part of the reason why they haven't made a move yet because, you know, part of me thinks he actually does make like this team. Another part of me thinks, you know, he doesn't really know how to make all the money work because he screwed himself with a lot of these deals. And I also go back to a tweet that I saw last night from Jesse Marshall, if I can find, actually, I'm trying to find this tweet here from Jesse Marshall.

Starting point is 00:09:20 Yeah, he talked to Charlie O'Connor of the Philadelphia Flyers beat on the Athletic, and he said, you know, the issues that were persisting on and on during Hextall's tenure, players like Valteri Fupla, Philpola, Andrew McDonald, Dave, coach Dave Hackleck. stole, but it's different with Mike Sullivan. He said he did not do anything at all, and he refused to believe that these were the issues, and he made his bed with that. And that is exactly what he is doing, just even summed it at the bottom. That is exactly what he is doing right now with the Penguins' issues. He's refusing to see the third line as an issue. He keeps saying, I like my team on paper, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But again, that doesn't mean crap. You go off what they're doing

Starting point is 00:10:01 on the ice. I know he is not stupid enough. to see that this is, you know, this is, you know, I don't want to say this. I know he is not that stupid to see that, oh, yeah, this isn't working. Of course he knows that. He's not going to go out there and say it to the media and all that. But I'm sure him and Brian Burke are probably like, okay, the bottom six is not working. We need to get an upgrade or two. But, you know, it's just something to be some of the prices are a bit high right now.

Starting point is 00:10:32 but he's made his own bed. I don't think he's going to be coming back after this season. I'll say that. But, you know, he is the main reason why this team is where it is right now. That's, that's really the summary of this first segment. It's not good enough. It hasn't been good enough all season. And, you know, he's lying.

Starting point is 00:10:53 He made his bed and he's lying right now. But that wraps up this first segment. Coming up in the second second second, we're going to get to a trade rumor that I saw today. from Pittsburgh Hockey now and why, you know, just don't believe everything you see on the internet. But before I get to that, the midway point of the NBA season is here, and now it's the perfect time to download Van Duel, the America's number one sports bill. Because new customers get a no-swet first bet up to $1,000. That's bonus bets if your first bet does not win.

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Starting point is 00:12:36 I'll say this. I checked on that. Talked to a couple people that probably more in the know than I am close to the team. Based on what I've heard, I'd be surprised if he was actually available. That's all I got to get. I've said this every time. I do not claim to be L.E.S. Friedman, Piero Brun, Darren Dregor, or any of those people, I have not.

Starting point is 00:12:58 And we'll never have those kind of sources probably. But, you know, I do hear stuff at times. I do have people that I can check in with and, you know, that are close. sort of the team than I am. I'm going to be like, hey, you know, have you heard this? So I checked in a couple of people, and they have not heard that. So I'm kind of debunking at this point. I really don't think it makes any sense to be betrayed this deadline. If you do that, you know, you're kind of waving the right, the white flag. And these kind of go together. A, your defense gets worse because you don't have that good of a puck mover

Starting point is 00:13:33 on your right side. And B, you're kind of waving the white flag. And these kind of go. They just kind of go unless you're getting like, I don't know, Timone Meyer back or so Jacob Trickwin maybe, but he also plays on the opposite side. So I don't really know how that would work. But, you know, I just don't really see them trading Petrie. And I was discussing, I was discussing this my buddy today as well. You know, I don't think a lot of teams are going to look around the league and especially someone who's 35 and he's making 6.5 per year and they're going to say, oh, yeah, that's him. Like, oh, that's the guy to go get.

Starting point is 00:14:04 No, I don't. I think if the things are going to trade hit, it would just. have to be like a salary dump kind of deal. And besides, they're going forth this year. They also just acquired him over the all season. I can't see them giving up on him 50 plus games in the season. I think that's a little ridiculous if you ask me. Again, it only makes sense if you're getting someone equally as good or better on the

Starting point is 00:14:26 right side. Maybe you could, again, maybe in a trickling deal, but also at the same time, again, he plays on the left side. He's not going to play on the right side. You know, you're kind of just, you know, You're adding someone better on the left side, but you're also subtracting someone that was good on the right side there. I think in the article, Kngerski says, you know, you have to give to get with these kind of deals. But I don't really think teams are going to be looking at acquiring Jeff Petrie.

Starting point is 00:14:50 Definitely do not think that. I think Petrie, look, he's been fine. You know, has he been as good as I thought he would be? No. Has he been as bad as some other people thought he would be? Also, no. He's just been perfectly average. that's probably not good enough because he is making over $6 million per year.

Starting point is 00:15:09 He's a bit older now. But he has been fine in the games that he's played, but I still want him to reach a level. You saw his game come to a good level on Monday Night against Islanders where he really let that shot bomb from the point. He also keeps things very simple on the power play, which I like. He was never really touted as a good player on the power play when he was coming over to Pittsburgh in the trade from Montreal.

Starting point is 00:15:35 all. But from what I've seen this season, he looks like he's been doing it for years. Keeps things very simple. His puck movement is crisp along the point. You know, he only does a couple of passes where he fires a one-timer. And you saw that last night, the second unit, keeps things simple. He gets the puck. Bombs a one-timer goes off the crossbar. Jason Zucker's able to clean up the garbage. You know, you don't see as much of that from someone like Crystal Tang, just because I think he's always trying to set up ball in Crosby. And I understand that because those two are also short-fired Hall of Famers. But sometimes I do want to see LaTen keep it a little more simple on the power play.

Starting point is 00:16:12 And I'm liking what Petrie is doing on that unit. So I think he's definitely been improving there. I like the Patterson Petrie paying. I think it's been one of the best second pairings in the league this season. So I think that's another reason why he's probably not going to get traded. Again, I think it's kind of just, I think it's kind of nonsense. That report, you know, I think Dan's a good guy, at least. you know, at least from what I've heard, I just don't think that's true.

Starting point is 00:16:38 So, you know, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he does get traded. Probably not, but I'll eat crow if he does. But, you know, I just don't think it makes any sense for them to trade him. And I also don't think a lot of other teams are going to be really wanting him at the doubt. If there's one defense, then you could maybe trade or want to, it's Yon Mruja. He's a luxury you just really don't even need right now. They didn't have to sign him for three years.

Starting point is 00:17:01 What was it? 2.75. Oh, the all season. You had a good top six. Even before, even after the Petro trade, right? Duman Lentang, because they weren't going to trade Dumlin. Patterson Petrie, Joseph Roodle, Freeman's right there. You usually could have locked in this season with that.

Starting point is 00:17:17 And yet, you let Jan Ruda go somewhere else. And again, that's almost 3 million more cap space. You take away that, Ankesbury Caput and Steel. That's over $6 million in Cap Space this summer. That's a Nino-Nina writer. And it goes back to Ron Hextal. Wow, he really screwed up with a lot of decisions this summer. goes back even further than that.

Starting point is 00:17:35 But, you know, this team, they could have had a lot more cap space than they currently than they had going into this season. And it really screwed them by not having Ty Smith up to start the year because had they have the cap space available to them, especially with in Jan Rudas case, have they didn't sign them or maybe captain. He's probably up to start the year. And who knows where POJ is right now. Maybe he's the number seven guy, but, you know, things could have been way different.

Starting point is 00:18:02 the same belief. So that wraps up this segment when it comes to Jeff Petrie and that rumor that I saw. Coming up in the third segment, we're going to get into something I heard during the Jeff Merrick show today. And why, please, Jeff Merrick, the penguins do not need to add toughness at the deadline. I am so tired of hearing about this. I'm going to tell you why they do not need that at the done. And why the player that he suggested is just a ridiculous suggestion. But before I get to that, our next partner, price of the product I use early every day. I start taking Athletic beans because I never really have time in the morning. I want to better gut health, more energy and all that good stuff.

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Starting point is 00:19:42 I'm back here on this episode of the Locktime Penguins podcast. I am your host, Hon. Hodes. Remember to follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Follow the show's Twitter at Lawrence for Penguins. And of course, thank you all so much for making this your first listen of the day. My Twitter is just getting blown up right now. Did a trade happen or something?

Starting point is 00:19:57 Or am I just, like, people were just blowing on my mentions. Okay, no, it's just in reference to my capital suite, because that would have been funny if a trade broke. while I was recording this, but no, Ron Hextel is still asleep at the wheel. I love listening to The Jeff Merrick Show. Let's start up with this. I think he does a great job with it. He brings on Elliot Freeman.

Starting point is 00:20:15 It's a segment I listen to you every day while I'm working. But let's the time go by. Helps my anxiety and all this stuff. It just takes my mind off a lot of things. My anxiety was really bad at the weekend, but, you know, having some better days these last couple of days, thankfully. But while I was listening, and his thumbnail for the episode he uploaded on Apple Podcast was, should the penguins add toughness? I'm like, oh boy, here we go.

Starting point is 00:20:40 Am I going to have to listen to this? Yes, I'm going to have to listen to it. And I did. And his main takeaway from that game against the Islanders was thinking about Brian Burke and how they used to work with him and how he would be seething and how this team doesn't have enough toughness.

Starting point is 00:20:54 And all I could do was this for those on YouTube. For the sound effect, people at home that are not watching on YouTube, that was just the sound effect. That was made face-falling. Because I am just, just like, that is the furthest thing this team needs right now. I am all for a player who brings a little bit of an edge, but they have to be able to play the sport of hockey.

Starting point is 00:21:16 And the player that he named in this segment was, you know, he's just spitballing here. I don't, he depends upon, not interested in him. But he was like, he basically just says, like, well, you know, and I'm Brian, you know, I'm thinking when Brian Bergson is or Brian's work's head, and I know how we used to work with him and stuff, you know, maybe they're giving the Ottawa senators a precursor call about Austin Watson. I'm like, Austin Watson, what?

Starting point is 00:21:42 Like, let's just focus on the all-nice stuff here. Off-eye stuff. You all can look that up. That's a whole different story. Details are bad. I'll say that again. Let's just focus on the all-nice up here. This season, 52 games, four goals, six points.

Starting point is 00:22:02 That's the player you all want to Jeff Merrick wants to add to the Penguins bottom six? Hello? Is he an AI drone here? Or something like that? It makes no sense to me. His underlines are also brutal. I know the senators are not that good,

Starting point is 00:22:16 but well below 50% in coursey, well below 50% in scoring chances, well below in high danger chances as well. What? Like the whole, the fan base and a lot of the media members have been saying, oh yeah, like third line and center, maybe getting a goaltender, maybe a left-handed defenseman like Jacob Trichron,

Starting point is 00:22:35 that's a little bit of a lower possibility, but you all get catching my drift here. Jacob McKay or something like that, just another, or again, those are the main ones that I think a lot of the fan base, a lot of the main members, including myself, have been saying. But toughness just because Crystal Tang and of Guinea Malkin were in the box once, I understand, you know, the Islanders won that tradeoff and they win that 100% of the time. But this is not something that has gone on any time this season. It is very rare for the Penguin Stars to get that riled up. And again, I don't mind adding a little more snarl to the lineup

Starting point is 00:23:09 and a third-line wing or third-line center as long as they can actually contribute offensively in play. I don't need to sound like a Tom Sistido or an Austin Watson coming in here or something like that. That's not going to improve the team's bottom six. Austin, he will make the bottom six worse. I understand Brockman, again, has gone 23 games without a goal. He is still probably better than Austin.

Starting point is 00:23:30 that is a sad, that is a sad reality. Because for a captain, he is maddening, he is better than Austin Watson. Jeff Carter. He's, okay, maybe the only player you can argue that is better than, that Watson is better than his maybe Jeff Carter. Outside of that, maybe Teddy Bluber, but he's also, you know, he's been washed all year.

Starting point is 00:23:50 Outside of that, you know, he's not even a really a pure center. He would just play away. There's no need for it. I just, I had to bring that up on the show because I'm like, wait, again, certainly from an on-ice perspective, he doesn't bring anything that they need. That is so far down the list of deadline needs that are for this team,

Starting point is 00:24:12 where it's like, what? Again, I know he's spitballing, and maybe I'm just overreacting you a little bit, but it just makes no freaking sense. I just, ugh, you know, silly season really just get the best of you sometimes, isn't it? But, no, I really wanted to touch on that today. just get into that for this final segment.

Starting point is 00:24:33 All again, with this is this. This is a joke right now. GM's got to do something very soon. Tomorrow, it's going to be nine days until the deadline. It's crunch time here. Got some tough games coming up. The Oilers are coming to town on Thursday. We're going to preview that game on Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:24:51 It's going to be very tough to win, obviously. But got the blues after that. Got a lot of tough games next week. Got Tampa. I got some Tampa Bay on Sunday. day, I believe. You go to Nashville next week. Put up for shut up time, man. Got to start winning some games, banking some points. GM's got to come out and help this team. I will also say this one more time. For the people that think they are probably going to sell the deadline, I got some bad

Starting point is 00:25:16 news for you. One Hextall keeps doing these interviews. He just didn't, he just didn't want to Peter LeBron. They're not going to sell. They're not going to sell. Unless they lose, every game until the end of next Friday, and even then maybe, they could still theoretically be in the race. I still don't think he's going to sell. I think it's more likely that he would stand packed and punt on this season than sell.

Starting point is 00:25:45 I still think he is going to add a piece or two. I don't know if it's going to be a blockbuster, but I still think he is going to come out of his shell, come out of hiding, and make a move to help this team. We'll just have to see what it is. And your confidence level and him is probably lower than mine. Well, it's probably about the same as mine, I should say.

Starting point is 00:26:06 But it's time. There's no excuses. Mr. Passive needs to come out and make a deal ASAP. You know, it's pastime because this team has never felt more in danger in terms of missing the playoffs than it has right now in the Cigino era. And I'm going to end with that. So thank you so much for listening. I really, really appreciate it. Tomorrow we're going to preview the game against the ever.

Starting point is 00:26:29 into Oilers, and then Thursday we'll recap it, and then finally we'll get you set for this weekend, slate against the blues and the lightning. So thank you all so much for listening. Really appreciate it. I'll talk with you all again on Wednesday. Have a way tonight.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - How did it come to this for the Penguins?

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