Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Jesse Marshall returns for A LOT of Penguins talk!

Episode Date: May 1, 2025

It's a Marshall Thursday on Locked On Penguins as Jesse Marshall joins Hunter Hodies. Patrick Damp couldn't make this episode since he's at work and has no power at his house, but don't worry, he will be back on Friday. Hunter and Jesse start their conversation around Mike Sullivan, and Jesse gives his thoughts on the Penguins letting him go. Hunter also gets Jesse's thoughts on who could replace him going forward before they pivot to some draft talk. Jesse gives his takes on who some Kyle Dubas and Wes Clark targets could be in the draft, and the two go back and forth on some other draft notes before ending the show with some playoff talk!Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.Wonderful PistachiosGet snackin' and get crackin' with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more! GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins! Amazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more—experts ready to help you take your business to the next level. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's a special Marshall Thursday on Locked-on Penguins, as Jesse Marshall is going to talk all things penguins with me right after this. You're Locked-on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Usually I'm joined by Patrick Dan, but we got hit by some nasty stories.

dorms on Tuesday. He's still without power. He's also at work right now. So he won't be joining us for today's episode of Lock on Penguins podcast. But don't worry people. Patrick Damp will be back for Friday and then he'll be back all of next week as well. But I am joined today by special guest Jesse Marshall. He's been on throughout the season. We try to do this once a week, but sometimes some other things get in the way. So Jesse really appreciate you coming back this week. And it's been really busy so far in Penguins Land. Yeah, busy off season, despite not being in the playoffs. And no shortage of discussion topics, I'm sure. 100%.

And with that, did want to say, thank you all so much for making this your first lesson slash watch of the day. We are free and available on all platforms. And finally, this episode is brought to you by Amazon Fire TV Stake 4K. Turn any TV into your Xbox. No console needed. Head to Amazon.com slash Fire TV locked on to learn more.

So, Jesse, obviously the big news of the week came on Monday morning, right around 9 a.m. as the Penguins parted ways with Mike Sullivan, though when you watched Kyle Dubus's press conference, he kind of fired him. That's the vibe that Pat and I got. You obviously had a lot of thoughts about this on Twitter, and I wanted to get your thoughts here. What did you think of the decision to let go of Mike Sullivan? And did you think it was time for the Penguins to do that? I mean, I would say probably a little bit shocked by it just based off the rhetoric. I mean, you know, shame on any of us for listening to anything, any, general manager says in a press conference ever because it's always, you know, veiled in

a sliver of truth. But you got the sense anyway, right, that they seem to think that, you know, at least for now, there was some kind of marriage between the coach and the management staff. I think that the turn probably, if I had to guess, and I don't know this, I'm just speculating at best. I just don't know what the disconnect was and what changed, right? I mean, I think it was time for the Penguins to move on from Mike Sullivan for a number of reasons, most notably their performance and the lack of playoff performance they've had over the last couple years.

I mean, roster stuff aside, I mean, there's decision-making processes that he's gone through with who gets on the ice that I think everyone's been frustrated with. There's been decision-making, you know, around different positions. I think that people have been frustrated with. I don't think the system is a shoe that fits anymore, you know, given the makeup of the team. But I just wonder what the precipitating event was that caused the divorce. You know, I think that's probably the question we'll all be left with. There was some kind of weird, you know, speculation that I think for me, it's just that the penguins are going to stink.

You know, I mean, they're about to go into a period where they're not good. They are already there, right, despite how long they've wanted to avoid that. But I think now that it's going to be more intentional to some extent. And I just think Mike Sullivan, from his perspective, probably thinks, and I'm channeling him for a minute, but probably thinks he's in the prime of his coaching career. Right. Like, you know, the keys, this is as good as it's going to get for him. So, you know, the route to the Penguins being a Stanley Cup contenders, nowhere in sight right now.

Does he want to, you know, sludge through that? And, you know, there were people that came out with word while. He had a list of demands. I don't know that he had a list of demands. I think demands is the wrong word. I think there was a philosophical disagreement between both parties in which direction they should probably be going. And I think at the end of the day, that is ultimately what facilitated the divorce. That's what Pat and I were kind of thinking about because it seemed like to us,

and we were just kind of speculating about it, that Mike Sullivan maybe wanted them to really, really mobilize this summer and try to get back to the playoffs maybe this year. and Kyle Dubas is kind of like, no, I'm not going to do that. I don't want to make the playoffs for one year and then just go back to missing the playoffs for two to three to four years in a row. I want to do this right. And with that, I don't think we're going to be that good this year. I'm probably looking towards 2026, maybe 2027.

And then maybe Mike was like, okay, while I get what you're saying, I think I just, I want to go to a situation where I can win right now. So I think that's something that may have been a disagreement between the two parties. And Pat and I were just kind of speculating on that, but it sounds like it could have been maybe something like that. And with that, Jesse, what type of coach do you think the Penguins will go for in this search? I know it's very early. Kyle Dubas said it's going to take probably at least a month to name a new head coach. But do you see this becoming someone who is going to be a first time NHL head coach, something else?

What's on your mind about that? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we really can only go off of what Dubis has said so far. which, you know, I think from, if we, if we parse through his words, it's that it's not going to be a pick off of the carousel, you know. John Tortorella is not going to be the next head coach, the Penguins are like Peter Lavillette or any of these like traditional quote unquote style names. I think now, again, I did just say a couple minutes ago that listening to anything a general manager says in a press conference, you know, do it your own risk. So who knows how much truth there is to the stuff that he had to say this week or if you. he was just posturing, but you kind of got the sense anyway that it was, it was going to be

a forward thinking, you know, type of a coach. Look, the reality is the name everybody wants to know about is David Carl, right? I mean, that's at the end of the day, that's what it was going to. I don't see any reason why David Carl would want this job. You know, he's already put a couple, he's put the Blackhawks off already. I mean, you know, people could say that, you know, the ability to coach Sidney Crosby's a reason. I'm sure, yeah, I'll give you that. Fine.

but he's looking for success at a team level. Look, and I don't know that he's a really good forward-thinking coach. I don't think he's reinvented the wheel. Like, I don't think Denver plays its style of hockey. No one's ever seen before. He just seems to be someone who has a very sensical understanding of how to, how to organize his team best based on the skill sets that they have available. So I think he's waiting for the right moment,

and I don't think are rebuilding Penguins team in the twilight of city. Crosby's career is going to scream right moment to him. So I don't want to deflate everyone's hope balloon around David Carl. I just, I don't, that to me would be a shock. You know, a name that I mentioned on the fan the other day and it's come up a couple times as Todd Nelson. Yeah. You know, like I also would think that Washington Capitals as a franchise are probably going to

want to do whatever they can to hang on to him, especially not let him go to Pittsburgh. So whether that be create an assistant position for him somewhere or what I don't know what the situation is. But I mean, he, you know, Hershey's a great team, right? And he's not an old retread, right? He's not had an H.L coaching experience before. But he runs a really good organization. I mean, you can perennally count on the bears being a tough out and a good hockey team, regardless of the circumstances around what's happening with the capitals and where their roster is.

So that's a great compliment to him. I think it's names like that, right? Like, you know, and if you're looking for NHL, like, I don't want to say retreads, quote, unquote, right? But, like, you know, maybe like a Jay Woodcroft, a name that comes up, like, and I thought him earlier this week. I thought he's had one gig, but I don't really classify him in the same category as like a lobulet or a torturella, though. Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know.

that's what I think will happen. I think whatever the case is, at least for me, you know, the pressure's off. This doesn't have to be the guy. You don't need to solve, you know, it's not like the pressure's on to win a cup tomorrow and the next pick has to be the right one. You're going to go through a rebuild. I think the preference for me is how is this coach with younger players, right? Like how does that work?

Like what's his developmental skills like? And you have to have a balance, right? because you still have a roster full of guys that have been there, done that. So it can't all be focused on youth. There's got to be a balance. But I, you know, who fits that bill, right? You know, I jokingly said Bruce Boudreau would, like, be the perfect guy if he was like 30 years younger and had less experience, you know what I mean?

Because he kind of has that ability, I think, I deal with both sides of the coin in terms of youth and veteranship. But yeah, I think it'll be, it'll be exciting to see. But I don't, you know, I think it's interesting. and that, you know, we haven't seen this happen in Pittsburgh in a while. And the last time we did, it came with the expectation of win now. And, you know, years later now, I think the higher is going to be, you know, surrounded with a much different expectation. Right.

And I've also seen David Quinn thrown out there a lot, Jesse. Personally, I don't really see it. I guess, like, if you really, really want to tank the next year or two, that's really the only way you could, I guess, sell that. but I'm not sure they're really going to go down like that path, like where they're going to be like, I don't know, sharks or Chicago level bad next year. I don't really think that's on the agenda. So I guess some of the David Quinn talk, man,

I just don't see it. I think he might follow Mike Sullivan. Good call. I mean, I think that's kind of a likely scenario to me right now. And I don't, he's just, you know,

I view him as like an albatross to this staff, right? Like he's been here for a very short amount of time. but as a Boston guy and, you know, seem to mesh well with Sullivan, I don't know that he's, you know, head, I don't want to, it sounds like an insult to say this, but I don't know that right now he's head coach material. He seems like a good assistant. And I wouldn't be surprised if Dubus is interested in having a fresh staff here.

So I just, I don't think he'll be in the running. Yeah, I would be shocked by that. Yeah, I agree with that. But I think that would do it for this first segment of today's episode. coming up in the second segment, we're going to discuss a little bit more about the coaching stuff and try to get a little bit of draft talking for Jesse because this is the most prepared I've ever seen him for an NHL draft. And I'm really excited to pick his brain a little bit because the draft lottery people is coming up next week.

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Use code locked on NHL at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's monarchmoney.com code locked on NHL for half off your first year. All right. We're back here on this episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes. Join today by special guest Jesse Marshall. Remember people, Patrick Damp on my host, he'll be back on Friday. He's still without power right now.

He's at work. He wouldn't not be available until three up. clock so we wanted to get Jesse on when he was available during his very busy day at work. But Jesse, something that I discussed earlier this week during one of our episodes was that during the presser Kyle Dubus hinted that Andy Kyoto, Mike Volucci and Tihannis, their contracts are set to expire. They're free to explore other opportunities. I don't see that being talked about enough.

I touched on it for a couple of seconds during one of the episodes because I think getting a new goaltender coach is very high on the priority list for this. staff just because you need that coach to really do a good job with the development of Blumenquist and Marashov. Kyoto just had not been doing that good of a job these last few years. The goaltending has been really bad also these last few years. And you have to get the development of Sergey Marashov, right? So I feel like that is a fairy, and I mean a very crucial hire. And then for Volucci, penalty kill also has to be much better.

But really wanted to pick your brain on the potential Kyoto replacement because I know getting the head coach, that's the biggest priority. Getting his assistance, that's also high up there. But getting a legit goaltending coach that can help these two young goalies, that's so crucial for this off season, I think, in my opinion. Yeah, I don't have any insight into who. I don't know. I'm very little into the world of goalie coaches.

I mean, I would agree with the sentiment that, you know, I think that the big thing that you could say, and like many people have pointed this out already, on a number of platforms, but the lack of experience, you know, from Kyoto's, like, I don't think he's really had a job in this space before this, right? Like, he's obviously a goalie, right?

Like, he's played in the NHL. So, like, that's obviously, like, not, that aside, like, I don't know that he has a wide breadth of experience. I mean, I think it's just at the end of the day, like, there are still remnants of, like, the former regime that are in, the organization that haven't been cleaned out yet that are still ongoing, right? Like um,

Katerina Wu, right, is not with the org anymore, right? Like she was a hex doll hire, right? Um, there's been changes in the, the ops space like that. So I think there's just, I think it's just a changeover. I think Kyle Dubus is just getting his people in, um, and is finalizing more or less his hierarchy, if you will, of, um, you know, what he wants. but yeah, I mean, I don't think anything can be done with Tristan Jari. I don't think a new goalie coach helps him much. And you know, I really, dude, here's the thing. I've been looking for this for weeks and I can't find it anywhere.

And when the Penn's blog closed and changed servers a couple times, like a lot of stuff got wiped. So this article I wrote was on, like somewhere in, and I'm trying to find it in the wayback machine. But Tristan Jari, people don't know this. The school that he went to in junior, when he played for the oil kings, was the same school Laurent Brasois went to. All right? And I remember, and I wrote an article about, and again, this was so long, not so long ago, but I've had a child between now and then. So anything like that excess information just gets wiped out. It was unique.

And I'm trying to be like careful with my words because I don't want to misquote. it was a unique school that taught the position in an unconventional way, right? And at the time, it was like this new flavor of the weak thing that people thought was going to catch on and become bigger and it didn't. And I'm not even sure now of like anyone that's still in that pathway. But the reason I bring this up is like I sometimes wonder about it. I think about that all the time, right? And it was all based on... angular focus and neck craning.

Like I just specifically remember it was vision, like peripheral vision, neck craning, like, posture-based. And I wish I could find it. Maybe I'll dig it up one day. But I just, the reason I bring this up was like, how does that, is it impacting him now? Is it harder? And I don't know the answer to this. Is it harder for a goalie coach that's traditional to come in and like give a guy like the men in black pen that erases their men or, like, so they could start over again? like is it hearting him i don't know the answers to those questions but i always think about it

because like if that's if it was quote unquote non-traditional like is it difficult does it make it harder for him to be coached right like is is someone not familiar with that theory or that approach going to have a more difficult time articulating their thoughts to him but um let's be clear like what you saw at the end of the year was why i wanted everyone pumping the brakes on sergey Morshov. Like, I'm not going to sit here and tell you he was awful for Wheeling and for Wilkes-Ber. Like, he wasn't great. Right. And like, the mystique, if you will, was not there. Like, that sort of, like, unconscious effort level that he was giving, you know, where it looked like it was all automatic. Like, the warts I've been telling you about showed up, right? So, again, I just mentioned this because not to say that he's a bad prospect or, like, kill people's vibes.

Like, this goal-tending development is a roller coaster more than any other position. And you can't get too high and you can't get too low with what's happening. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. And the worst thing that you can do, in my opinion, is smash the accelerator pedal and shove somebody upwards before they're ready to get there. Because that is the kind of psyche damaging stuff that ruins people's ability to get it back ever. right like it's it's a bizarre mental position that it's a guy against himself more often than not right like it's someone fighting with themselves like it wasn't that long ago guys that mark andre flurry like got a sports psychologist in this city right like lest we forget so i i just

mention it because i do yes you're right hunter and i've now gone on a really longer diatribe than i expected to but you're correct and i would say you're correct because of the youth i'm less concerned about the up swing of that and like the upstream flow as I am like Blomquist, Murashav, like getting those guys straightened out, if you will. Right. They just can't rush the development of this kid. He has all the talent in the world. You're right.

Some of the wards did show up. But I also will say Pat and I were discussing this when we were really following the runs here. Moroshov was not getting any help. No, Wheeling didn't score of goal for the first two games of that series. He got no help. He was out to drop. He was being left out to dry, excuse me, almost every game that he started for them.

It was really sad. Yeah. I mean, the playoff experience organizationally was horrible for this whole organization top to bottom. It was bad. Like the whole, like, yeah. And I, you know, I've said this before. I'm not excuse making. I just objectively, even if Wilkes-Bare wasn't in the playoffs, I would still hate the best of three format in the first round.

I just hate it. it's hockey is not conducive to that it's that is as stupid to me as having a single elimination tournament because momentum doesn't work that way and the first game like look hey lehigh valley went on they they felt good talking smack in the room because like that was a trial by fire for a lot of really young players they got their first taste of professional playoff hockey and i know that like lei had some players that were in that bucket too um but it Wilkes bear took to it a little bit slower than they did Yeah, I agree with that. They got blown out in the first game.

You had Lehigh Valley talking all a bunch of smack going in the game. So I'd actually thought Wilkespray played well in game to. Harrison Brunich, Jesse, had a great snipe in the third period. Yeah, couldn't hold the lead, which was unfortunate. We also really stunk that we couldn't get to see Rucker McGority in the playoffs, but he was still great down the stretch for the main squad. And Pat and I both expect him and Dillie Covenan to make the team next year. I think they are both ready at this point.

Real quickly here, before we go to the final. segment, discuss some playoff talk. Got to get your thoughts on a little bit of this draft class. I've been putting together my top 10 for this draft, my annual Penguins draft board. I am very much a Eklundle over Fondell person. I think it's close. I understand why people put Fondell over Eklundle, but I am going with Eklundt just because I think he is the better all-round player.

He is a better playmaker. And I really love his hand-eye coordination. For someone who is so small, Jesse, he sure loves going around the net and beating up. on all these big adults around him. I absolutely love it. But in your mind, who are some prospects that are total Kyle Dubus, West Clark targets in the first round? I have a couple in mind,

but I wanted to see what yours are in mind that you think, oh yeah, Kyle Dubus and West Clark, they're definitely going to look to draft maybe some of these guys with whatever pick they get in the top 10. I mean, I don't, first of all, you're stealing my Eklund Frandall stick. I'm beating the hell out of that drum for quite some time.

And it's not like I don't, it's not that I don't dislike, it's not that I dislike Anton Frundel. That's not the case at all. I mean, I think like if you're grading, if you're grading releases, uh,

among draft eligible players like easy top three probably for me. The one time is discussed. I don't have like a list of prototypes for West Clark and Kyle Dubus, but what you can do is follow the breadcrumbs on where they've been, right? Which I think is an easier thing to find sometimes is where they've been spending their time. They've spent a lot of time in Brantford with Jake O'Brien. I mean, I know that for a fact. That's been a big in-person space for them. I've had people in that area tell me that the penguins have basically had a nonstop constant presence in that arena.

So I think that, you know, with the slide to nine, that's probably a more likely outcome, I think, is becoming a more likely outcome is I think that there's this, and I think it's stupid, by the way. I'm not saying this is good. I'm saying it's stupid. there's this weirdo bizarre question now about like jake o'brien's like for lack of a better term like ceiling and people are starting to say like oh well he's a he's actually going to be a bottom six two-way guy and i'm like if you watch him and come away with that that impression god bless you and i will agree to disagree because i have never seen a bottom six two-way center with hands like that ever in my life There's never been one. Yeah. So anyway, that's one.

They obviously went to Sweden, right? Like they went and physically saw Frondell and Eckland in person, who by the way, that series just ended. Frondell now is at the U-18. So if you have an interest in the draft and you want to watch more of him, you can do that along with several other high-profile prospects for Sweden this year and next year in the U18 that is continuing. So that's one.

I think the Swedes are definitely in play. And I, you know, it's a trope. So I hate to say it because people are going to laugh at me. But like traditionally speaking, Dubus does love his greyhounds. That's just his, that's his group, right? That's like his roots. And I, there's one specifically that I wouldn't particularly be upset about if they took and that's Brady Martin.

Fun stat for you. He had the most completed dangles of any forward, including Michael Mesa, in the CHL this year. I think that the fact that he's so physical, and so committed to defense and so high energy, the basement on him is like the first floor. Like the bare minimum,

like you draft him, you're getting a guy who can contribute to your, fourth line in three, four years, like bare minimum, right? So like knowing that is a pretty good feeling, right? Knowing saying like, hey, the basement for this guy is playable, right? Is a playable basement. And there may be a higher ceiling based on some of the stuff we're seeing him do on video. He's having a phenomenal world. Phenomenal worlds. Stocks increasing. So those are some names that I think you know, are sneaking around as far as like I said, if you follow the breadcrumb trail in terms of where they have spent their time, that's where they're spending their time.

So I think those make those, any of the aforementioned, I'm going to exclude Frundell because there's just, if he fell to the Penguins at nine, I would eat my shoe. On film on the show. I know my camera's not working today. I would eat my shoe on your show. I just don't think there's any way that he would slide down that far because, again, size, you know, Eklund, I'm, I'm. I'm the conductor of the draft Eklund train and have been for months.

He'll get less hype around him because of his size. The funniest thing in the world to me is when people tweet me and say, Eklund, look at his size. You don't need another soft European perimeter player. And I'm like, you want to watch videos I have of him standing over adult men that he has put three feet into the earth? like he is destroying grown humans but I don't want to hear anything

he might be 5-8 but he's built like a brick shit house you know there's just no two ways about it there's not an ounce of fat on that person's body I don't even think he has muscle he's just made of like a hard like stone like he's just built out of like rock but anyway that yeah that's where I'm at

and then look I'm going to throw this in I get flamed for this a lot people love to chirp me for it I think I've only been proven correct as the playoffs have gone on. But Kishon H.S.N. H.S.N. H.S.N. H.S.N. H.S.S. His fun rating is through the roof. I think that there's a consensus, an incorrect consensus from people that say, oh, well, he's just a big hitting defenseman that has a booming shot. And that's all he is.

And I don't know that those people are watching the same games I'm watching because he's impacting the game in every single zone that he's in defensive zone You find them between the dots Between the circles and the offensive zone just sitting in a slot waiting for an opportunity like back in the back door carrying the puck up ice I I don't know what's going to happen with that rangers pick You know I think we're all kind of wondering but my perfect scenario in my head is that is, you know, some combination of Victor Eklund and a center or a center and Kishon, Aitchinson. Like, that to me would be like my home run draft if they had nine and 11 collectively.

But I'm going to do a top 40. I'm almost done. I'm trying to get the videos all out before I do the ranking. So I could just link to the videos and the rankings. So that's why I'm waiting. But, yeah, stay tuned for that too. Yes. Jesse's draft coverage is awesome people.

And Jesse, I know you disagree with me on this, but I'm a big Colin Potter fan. I know you don't see it a little bit. But yeah, to be, yeah, and to be clear, like I, I think he's talented, right? I just think that he relies too much on his legs, right? He's so fast, right? Oh, yeah.

That speed, to me right now, this is present state. This could change is one of, is one of the only tools he reliably and regularly uses to beat defensemen. He reminds him a better version of Carl Haglin, especially with his speed. That's not a bad comp because Haglund's hands weren't dirty. They were good, but they weren't dirty. And I think that's kind of where he's at. But I don't think he's got the element to Hagelin of like the physicality.

Like, you know, Hagelin was a little bit punishing. And Potter has that right now. I think he gets more often than not he's the one that's getting punished. And again, I don't want to be like, you know, there are small forwards like i just mentioned victor eckland who i love it's not a small forward thing to me it's what do they do with the size right you know what do they do with the size and does the size affect them positively or negatively as they go through their game and for potter it's just like a hundred miles an hour all the time i need more variance like i want to see him use more hands i want to see him distribute

the puck more and when he gets it on a stick he's got one speed right and it's ahead like wide you know So I don't hate the player. I just probably will have him ranked a little bit lower than some other people. Well, I think he'll probably, I mean, he's definitely going to be in my top 20. There's no question about that. But I have him more of like a probably more of an 18 to 20 guy. Hey,

and then finally, man, my boy Ben Kindle. I have him right in my 10th spot right now. I love him, man. I could watch Ben Kindle play all day, has speed for days, great motor, great release, really good at winning the one-on-one battles. If the Rangers give the paint,

wins that pick and say it's a number 11 and ben kindle is there jesse and say with a night pick or something eclan falls to them and they take him and at 11 ben kindles there if i'm cow dupas and west clark i might roll the dice and take ben kindle i i don't i don't think it's an out-of-line spot for them to take that shot like you know especially if they have 11 right if they have 11 i feel a lot better and it sounds crazy to say it's only two spots but it makes a difference i someone said something so let me just say first that like putting together ben kindle's tape was the most some of the most fun that i had like in this whole draft i i've done 18 mixtapes so far um that one goes top three for like i goes carbineau maybe kindle second carbineau is the most fun hands down but

someone said something that he's so we know he's got disgusting hands right he's got a good she's unbelievable participant defensively but someone said something to me that resists And this is a professional scout that said this. I've seen so many Ben Kindles come through the CHL and not go to the NHL. Like that exact prototype of player seems to be one that excels a ton in their CHL environment and then they lose it at the next level. That's the big question. It's like what happens next for Ben Kendall?

Because he's not necessarily for me. Like I don't view him as a third line grinding out, you know, wing. I don't think that's it. I think his, you know, he's, it's like a Daniel Sprong situation, right? It could go that way, right? It could go that way. Like, what happens next is super important. There's more risk with that pick for me than there are some other ones in that area. But it's just because I have a really hard time saying, like, who is this player at the next level? But what do I project Ben Kindle to? Like, well, it's not Braden point, right? Like, he's not that, right? We can't go that far, right? It's somewhere in the middle and it's like that quasi.

a space that makes me nervous. But again, like, I would argue that he's more technically talented than a lot of guys I've watched. Forget this class, like, over the years that fall into that category of, like, guys that have tried and failed and have the same skill set, they weren't doing some of the stuff that he's doing. And they weren't half as good as he is defensively. So he's got that going for him.

I just, again, I question, what is the future hold for him? like what is what does he turn into later i don't know the answer to that right now no that that's a very fair take and hey jesse we can probably keep going for two hours when it comes to draft stuff especially with how many mixed tapes excuse me you've had how many players you've scout your top 40s coming out we'll have to bring you on especially as the draft gets closer because we're going to have you want to discuss you know a whole bunch of other targets the penguins could look at again i'm getting closer to finishing my penguin specific board but still not done yet and hey, I still got plenty of time.

But hey, really appreciate talking about the draft here. But that would do it for the second segment coming up here to end the show. We're going to do a little bit of Stanley Cup playoff talk because the first round is just about over. And there have been some really good series. And then there have also been some duds like the Battle of Florida. I tweeted about it last night. Can't believe how much of a dud that was. But before we get to that, we got to tell you all about our final sponsor.

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cube third generation. All right, we're back here on this episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by special guest Jesse Marshall and Jesse will go rapid fire here. I can't believe how much of a dud the battle of Florida was this year. And I thought it was a dud last year. I knew Florida was the better team. I came into this year thinking, hmm, not sure if Florida is fully healthy. I didn't like the way they were playing down the stretch. I like the way Tampa is going. This is a very good Tampa Bay team, probably the best team they've had since they won their

back-to-back cups. And then the Panthers get healthy and they're like, oh, yeah, we're going to go back to what we did last year. And they took an absolute dump on this elite lightning team. I think when this team is humming like this, they're the best team in the East. And as of right now, I think they probably will come out of the East if they keep playing like this.

The only question now I have is, are they going to be too gassed coming out of the playoffs considering how much hockey they have played these last few years? You saw Washington advance. last night. I thought the HABs gave them a pretty good fight in those five games, and I thought the HABs exceeded expectations, but Washington, their goaltending and their finishing continues to be too much. But I do want to see if Carolina can beat them in a seven-game series. I think the Cains have what it takes. I think they can be stingy enough, but I'm still curious to see if

Logan Thompson can keep up that elite form that we saw against Montreal. The Dallas-Colrado series has been fantastic, a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Heck, the Minnesota, Vegas series has been a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. Connor Hellebuck has not been beating the big game allegations so far in this series, but Winnipeg is up three games to two. But those are just some of my early thoughts about the first round, even though it's almost at an end here. What are some of your thoughts so far, Jesse, about the playoffs?

Florida's just built for this, man. Yeah. Like Paul Maurice got that group dialed in. They look great. I really thought Tampa was going to be a tougher out. that series was very violent. This playoffs as a whole has been brutal. It's been a lot of craziness.

Yeah, I can't believe the turnaround of the caps. Like, it's unbelievable. Like, Ovechkins just juiced up right now. I think that's going to be a good series. I think that the kryptonite, as it were, maybe of the Carolina hurricanes, seems to be like really physical up-tempo forechecks, right? And that's kind of like the way the caps have decided to play the game right now. So I don't know it would be tougher on Carolina than they,

then we might think. That's going to be, I think that'll be a must watch for me. I'm not going to miss a game in that series, though I'm very much looking forward to that. Out West, man, I really thought the Kings were going to sweep them. I'm kind of disappointed in L.A. a little bit.

They really let this get away from them. they had them in a chokehold and a complete chokehold. The, you know, speaking of not beating allegations, the goaltending allegations for the lawyers had come immediately back into the, into the frame and they're going to look out to lunch at the beginning of that series. But they've got one of the best players in the game right now. I'm enjoying a lot of Quentin Byfield. I think he looks great.

This has been a little bit of like a, you know, everybody has that moment, Hunter, where like they put their name into the household mouths of like everyone across the league, right? Like not just your city or your region or your division, but like everyone across the league starts talking about you. And I feel like this is like that moment for Quentin Byfield. Outside the game four when he made that really. Yeah, that's true. Yeah.

Dallas shocks me. I thought they were dead. I really did. And the injuries I thought were just going to be like way too much for them. But I am friends with AJ out in Colorado for the Denver who writes about the abs. and he's like been singing their death sentence for a while so maybe i didn't listen to him enough when i did my bracket because i was like you know you look at the state of the stars landisogs coming back you get a huge lift from that emotionally right like that should be enough but no dallas is

scrappy and they're not going down without a fight and i question what happens next phase of the avalanches life cycle if they lose this series uh what decisions get made uh from their front office and what happens to Bednar and their coach more specifically. So, yeah, that's all I got. Yeah, that's all totally fair. With L.A. Edmonton, man, it's really Connor and Leon against the role. Evan Bouchard a bit, he was great, especially in game four. But it really goes to show how great Connor and Leon continue to be.

That's why I took the Oilers in Seven, man. I'm like, until they can beat Connor and Leon in a seven game series, I'm just going to take the Oilers. but it's been a really fun series to watch. I'm excited for to see if St. Louis can bounce back in game six. I still need to see Connor Helleladuck play a lot better for Winnipeg. I don't really trust him still in the playoffs. His road record, especially in the playoffs, is what it is. He especially struggles on the road.

It gives up basically four goals at game at this point. But there have been some good series so far, some absolute duds. But hey, really looking forward to what should be a pretty competitive second round. But Jesse, thank you so much for coming on. today's episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. I really appreciate it. Don't worry, people. Pat will be back on Friday once his power's back,

and then we'll discuss everything relating to the Penguins. But Jesse, do you have anything to plug before we let you go here? Any new mixtapes coming out? Anything like that? I dropped a Philip Pollander one yesterday. So that's fresh for consumption. And I think I got, I did an entire James Hagan's mixtape that I lost, but I have recovered it only without sound.

So you'll have to deal with that. But that's coming out probably Monday. Probably be the Hagan's Day. Hey, that's all great. And we're looking forward to watching that one. And then, yes, very glad that Philip Hollander is back. I can definitely check out that makes tape from Jesse as well, people. So member people, Jesse, we'll try to have them on once a week if his schedule allows it throughout the offseason as well.

But for Jesse, I'm Hunter Hodes. Thank you all so much for tuning in. We are both appreciated. And Pat and I will be back with another episode for you all. Friday.