Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Locked On Penguins 1/29-What to talk about?

Episode Date: January 30, 2020

In this episode of Locked On Penguins, Hunter starts off by discussing the Marcus Pettersson extension for the Penguins and what the defense will look like moving forward. After that, he mostly wings it as the Penguins finally come back to practice tomorrow after a week off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello and welcome to a Wednesday night edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm, of course, your host, Hunter Hodes. Apologies for recording a bit late tonight. I was just playing some video games with some really close friends to catch up. I'm glad I can get this out of the way now because I have to wake up. I'm going to wake up at 3.30 a.m. tomorrow morning to watch Roger Federer play Novak Djokovic to go to the Australian Open Final. So wish me luck on that.

You know, follow my Twitter at Hunter Hodes. follow the show's Twitter at LO underscore Penguins. Mercifully, the buy is just about over. The Penguins will return to practice on Thursday. They will play Friday at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. So we'll be getting some practice updates, I think, tomorrow. I think Justin Schultz is definitely going to be there. I think he's probably going to play on Friday.

Would not be surprising if Brian Dumlin is there. You know, take maybe this Mike Milbury report with a grain of salt. But last time he was calling the Penguin Flyers game in Philadelphia. He did say that the Penguins expect Doomlin to be back. right after the break. So, you know, take that with the Grandis-all right now, since it is Mike Milbury. But we'll see if he's back at practice.

Nick Bukstad, very well, very well. Could be back at practice as well. And potentially Dominic Kahoo, we'll see if his concussion symptoms have gone away. Hopefully he's doing well. So the Penguins could get as many as four players back at practice tomorrow. So look for that. I think you'll see at least one, maybe two. So, well, you know, we'll see.

We'll see what happens. But, of course, the big news of Penguins land the other day on Tuesday was, is the signing of Marcus Pedersen, a five-year deal, a little over $4 million per year. And you know what? I like it. I don't really think he can be mad about it. You know, a lot of people are going to look at, oh, well, he doesn't produce a lot. Where's the offense?

I mean, he's kind of, like, he's a little bit of a Brian Dumlin, just a clone kind of of him. You know, he, yeah, I know his play in recent weeks has kind of declined a little bit. We all know he doesn't put up the offensive numbers that, you know, someone like Crystal Tang does, though not a lot of players do. Or, you know, just even average offensive numbers from a different. But he's just really good in his own zone. He makes great decisions. He can really move the puck up the ice.

He's just great defensively. And he's really just blossomed into a really good top-board defenseman. And with that signing now for the next couple seasons, you know, with Marino on that ELC, the new penguin's top board, it's going to be Duman the Tang and Pedersen-Marino. And, you know, I think that's one of, that's an above-average top four. I'm not going to say, obviously, it's like a top-five. top four in the league, but you know, maybe you can make the argument that's down closer to the top 10, you know, maybe around 10, 11, 12.

I think it's a really, really good top war, especially with how Marino has just blossomed into, you know, just this outstanding rookie and he's going to keep getting better and better. But, you know, at a time, of course, with Pedersen, you know, and a lot of people were like, well, who's this? Like, who the hell is this guy? Maybe another bad trade by Jim Rutherford for a well, we learned out pretty quick that just how good this player is. You know, he played in, what, 84 games last season because of, you know, the hell.

I think he played a coached a few of the docs, then he played almost every game in Pittsburgh, and he did not look, he just, he looked, what's the word I'm looking for? Yeah, he did not look out of place at all. You know, he hasn't really looked out of place all this season. You knew this contract extension was coming. Jim Rutherford said that they couldn't do it during the off season

because they were tongue to the salary cap, but now with more cap room open, they're going to be losing some, they're going to be gaining some more cap room over the all season, with Justin Schultz probably moving on. Scout Chenyuk's going to walk. So they'll open up some cap to resign more RFAs because they have McCann coming up,

Matt Murray. There's even more coming out. The fact that I can't name them all at the top of my head is pretty bad. But yeah, this is just a really, really good signing. I'm really excited about it. I'm just really excited for him to be here for the next five years.

He's just turned into a really, really great defenseman. And they definitely want that top forward. Revy-Parrison, Marina, because now when Dumlin comes back, you can put Justin Schultz on the third pairing. You know, I've seen some people say, well, you know, just trade Justin Schultz, trade Justin Schultz. No, don't do it. We really don't need, I am of the opinion. I really don't think you need to trade Justin Schultz. I think you can just keep him on the third pairing, you know, have him as like another deadline acquisition, like in 2016. Basically put him in the same thing. Use them on the third pairing. I know it's probably going to be with Jack Johnson, because that's what they were doing with Jack before, uh, doing. Um, with Jack before, uh,

and of course Schultz got hurt. So, you know, you add them to you back. Then you can move Jack down to a role that, you know, not as bad as, you know, playing top-parring minutes. He's not going to be playing top-paring minutes for long. But, yeah, keep Justin Schultz. He's going to be back on Friday. It looks like against the Flyers, you know,

just probably have to go through another practice. I'm sure it'll be fine. He probably could have played against the Flyers before the All-Star break and then the bi-week, but they probably didn't want to risk it, you know, give him the extra week and a half off. And that was fine. But, yeah, I just, I thought, You know, really, really good signing.

I don't really know. I have much more else to add on it, I don't think. There's just not a lot going on right now with the penguins. It's just, I'm really struggling to find other things to talk about besides that. But I don't really think the lean of defenseman at the deadline. I think they could certainly, I wouldn't be surprised if Jim Rutherford gets one. But Jim Rutherford did do an interview with Josh Yowie this week from The Athletic. I talked about that on my Monday episode of Autop Penguins.

You can go check that out on the website. or out of Wall or Spotify. Keep the reviews coming in and the subscriptions, please. But, yeah, the Jim Ruther basically said, you know, he likes the defense as is. He's probably not going to go out and get another defenseman. You know, when he says that, and Rutherford is a very, very candid GM. So, you know, when he says that usually what he says comes true, so I'm not going to be too, too surprised if they don't get a defenseman. Of course, Chad, Chad Nolan came on the podcast last week and suggested Alec Martinez.

really, really wouldn't mind that. But I just don't know what other defensemen are going to be available. The deadline, you know, maybe MacDumbah Jonas Brodine from Minnesota. But I'm not really sure if Billy Garon is going to trade them, especially with the Jason Zucker trade because I feel like that's going to come just any day now. But, you know, we'll get to Elliot Friedman's thoughts. His 31 thoughts coming out of the break. I always like to look at that.

There really was not a lot of trait. There's a couple things in there that I found that were interesting. You know, we'll kind of go around the league with it, you know, talk about, Mario Lemieux Foundation, his foundation account, tweeted out a potential third jersey for next year. So we'll get to that, I think, coming out of the commercial break. But yeah, man, it's just been a weird time, you know, for a lot for, for, Pangan's good thing that the practice starts back tomorrow. And then the game start back on Friday because, I mean, I mean, wow, this is just, you know, it has been a little, we've been a little bit starving for some, for some content here. that's that's for sure

all right so as usual Elliot Freeman's 31 thoughts came out today though I do want to announce actually that if you guys are tuning in well if you guys are tuning in right now so Calgary Edmonton is about to kick off out in Edmonton if guys want to go tune into that

that's going to be a potential bloodbath tonight because of Zach Cassian and Matthew Kachuk I hope Matthew Kachuk just keeps giving Zach Cassian all the business even though Zach Cassian just got a funny funny fun funny contract extension that was that was pretty gross but um so yeah elliott had his 31 thoughts this morning not a lot of

trade talk um in his 31 thoughts this morning though there was one thing that did stand out to me um he apparently he talked to uh you know he basically said you know every year brian burke tells you that the trade deadline is going to be a dud and every year i tell him that something big will happen that we don't see coming i think this is his best chance to be right i don't really sense a lot of excitement with what we know is available in the rental market so um you Yeah, I mean, when you look at the trade bait board and you see, you know, someone like Alck Martinez is the number two, you know, that this trade deadline is most likely going to be a done. And, you know, now that you're hearing it from the Elliott-Friban, we're about, what, 25, 26 days away, almost three and a half weeks away from the NHL trade deadline. Yeah, there's just, I think there's just a lot of teams just don't know what they want to do yet.

And, you know, a lot of prices on rentals, teams just don't want to pay the prices. Like, people, GMs don't want to give up, you know, a first-round pick for a rental anymore. You know, people do that in, like, an actual hockey trade, but, like, with players with turn, but they just don't do it a lot anymore with rentals. And it's just, they used to happen all the time. Of course, the Penguins did with the Jerome McGillet trade. I know Chris Kreider, I think last year it had, I mean, not Chris Grider, Kevin Hayes, my apologies. I mean, it used to happen a lot more.

You know, I remember that the Thomas Vanek, I think, was probably a first-round pig. you have to go way, way back for some big, for some big trades at the deadlock. That included a first-round pick because they just don't happen much anymore. What else is here in the 31 thoughts? The fact that I'm using Elliot Freedman's 31 Thoughts for this podcast when there's not a lot of Penguins content is pretty sad. Though I do want to say before I get back to Elliott Freedman's 31 Thoughts. So Marilyn Vue Foundation, they tweeted out the jersey that they were wearing during the camp today.

And he was basically like, does this look good on them? and it was the penguins diagonal Pittsburgh jersey. And, you know, are the penguins maybe testing that out to bring it back next season? Maybe, perhaps. I would be in favor of it. You know, of course, that's a snup dog famously wore, you know, riding down, riding the bicycle. You know, I just, I love those jerseys. I know people are like, well, you know, they're kind of a rip-off of the Rangers.

And, you know, I mean, a little bit, yeah, probably. But, you know, they're still beautiful jerseys. I love them to bring those back. And also, I would love them to bring the robo penguin back. I absolutely love the Robo Penguin. I think that is an amazing and amazing jersey. But I think there's a good chance that they may scrap those yellow jerseys at the third jerseys next year and bring back the diagonal Pittsburgh jersey because I think that would make a lot, a lot of people happy.

So getting back to L.E.T.T.m.310-1 thoughts. Wow, the Predators, as I'm recording this, the Predators actually just beat the Capitals on the road. And, of course, it was during a Braden-Hulpie start. But he's just, he's gone to the tank this season. And, you know, someone is going to pay Raiden Holpey, a lot of money this all season. And that's going to be a mistake because he has just not been the same goal he has we're used to seeing from Holpey at all. But, you know, back to Elway Freedman's 31 thoughts. You know, the same, yeah, he talks about the, the sabres a lot in it.

And, you know, they're also a mess. Apparently, a lot of the losing is wearing on Terry Pigula. I mean, you know, that's, I understand it because. You know, they've been a below 500 team ever since he bought them. They barely made the playoffs. In the time that he's been the owner, I think they've only made the playoffs once. I think it was what, the 2009-10 season or the season after? It was one of those seasons.

And they missed the playoffs every year since. So, yeah, it's just been a disaster for the Sabres. And, you know, they need a rebuild from their rebuild is basically what they need. You know, poor Jack Eichel. He's having a hard trophy caliber season with the same. the points that he's producing and the way that he's playing. And it's just all going to go to waste because the Sabres are like, what, 10 points out of a playoff spot and they just lost to the Ottawa Senators.

The other than I, it's just, it's been a disaster for the Sabres. And the thing with them is they, they just don't have a lot of, like, players that you can move to get good players in return. Like, we all know they have Jeff Skinner, but he's been injured this season. Sam Ryan Hart is, he's there. He's not bad. You can maybe move him to get a big-time player. They can move Rasm and Sister Lyon into CF a team.

take a fly on him and try to see if they could get a team to overpay for him. But there's just, they don't have a lot of talent on that team. I feel bad for Jason Botterill because he hasn't gotten the job done in Buffalo. I could definitely see him potentially getting fired after this season. And, you know, when he took that job, I know a lot of Sabres fans, and there's a couple, there's a big one at the Virginia Tech that I have named George. You know, he's just, he's fed up with the team. He's just fed up with the general manager, the coaching.

And, you know, it looked like a good start with Ralph Kruger, but it's just been a slippery slope since the beginning of the season. Just like it was last season, you remember that big point trick, the winning trick that the Sabres had. They were, I think, what, the top-eye team in the league? And then right down to the bottle of the NHL standings, because that's what blows under their fans. But, you know, they have Ross Vestalien.

He's going to be a superstar in this league. He's absolutely phenomenal. But their goal-tending is kind of men. They don't have any depth anywhere. And they have, like I said, they have Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, who's not bad, Sam Ryan Hurd, and that's it on their forwards. They truly do not have anyone else. Connor Sherry could probably fetch you something in the deadline. I know they have Jimmy V.C.

He could probably fetch you something maybe. I don't know what Jason Bottsle is going to do. Maybe he wants to add another four. I know they acquired Michael Froeke from the Flames in a trade. Maybe you could, you know, ship him off as a trade bait. but it's just a lot of there. It's just, they're a mess. It's just, it's not, it's not been good.

And, you know, same, you know, I know this is a Penguins podcast, but I know we're going around the league, but, you know, same with the predators, too. You know, they're kind of a mess, though. That was a really good win, like I said tonight against the Capitals. It's the number one team in the League, and the Penguins will finally be seeing the Capitals this Sunday night. I think we'll be having one of my buddies on Friday,

on the Sunday night, the Sunday afternoon, Sunday night is, of course, the Super Bowl. We'll put one of my buddies on to preview the game and starting of the season series since we're finally going to get Penguins Capitals. But yeah, the Predators, that was a big win for them. They don't really have a lot of time. They got to make up ground very quick and fast because of their schedule,

but, you know, they squandered that lead. It looked like they scored an own goal on their goalie tonight, and yet they still won. You know, it was thanks to their – thanks to a shorthanded goal that would tie the game, and then they ended up winning the game. later in the third period. So, you know, at least that helps, at least that helps the Penguins.

But also really great that I saw Alex Ovechkin honored Kobe Bryant in the warm-ups with his number 24 jersey. And they're going to, he's going to autograph it and put it up for auction. And apparently, they're going to proceeds are going to go to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. So absolute, just outstanding. That was just really, really good by Alex Ovechkin to do that, you know, very, very, very classy. And I saw the Kings players walking into the Staples Center today and wearing a bunch of Kobe Bryant jerseys. That was awesome. I'm almost at the point that at this point where, like, if I see something involving Kobe Bryant,

I'm probably just going to start crying again because, like, that's all I've really been doing with Kobe Bryant. It's just, it's just been a complete, it's just been still so shocking that this happened. And, you know, also, guys, just remember, you know, if this goes out to our advertisers, if you've been a listener of this podcast, I'm sure you've heard all the great advertising and you're just working with locked on to reach sports fans, but it may not know that locked on penguins is a great way for your local business to reach passionate penguins fans, just like you.

Unlike any other podcast, Locked on gives your local company the unique ability to reach local podcast listeners, not just any podcast listener, a locked on podcast listener. If a company wants to connect with Penguins fans, that are well educated with disposable income, that lets put your company right here on this locked on podcast. Local fans love to support local businesses.

Text the word, advertising to 33777 or visit. Lockedon Podcast.com slash advertising and let us know who you are. We'll get our team to help your team achieve locked on advertising success. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit locked on podcast.com slash advertising. All right. So let's see here. What else could we talk about tonight? There's just nothing to talk about. But, you know, we'll maybe talk about some trade talk. You know, I just, it's one of my favorite times of the years we get now into February. It's hard I believe that it's basically February now.

And it's a leap year this year, which is awesome. I think Jim Rutherford is going to be doing the thing next week. I don't think it's going to be this week. But you always know he always loved strike early at least two to three weeks in advance. I think next week is when you'll potentially see him pulled off. I think it might be the Jason Zucker trade. You know, once he zeroes in on a target like that, he usually doesn't back off from it. And with all the interest that, you know, Michael Russo has said, you know, Josh Yoey,

just all the beat writers from the athletic, the trip, you know, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, et cetera, et cetera. It seems like it's going to happen sooner rather than later. Craig Kustan put it in the article there's a trade scenario that someone, he asked executives about these trade proposals that fans sent in, and Craig Kustin's basically it seems like at any point now Jason Zucker is going to be a penguin with how much traction that it gets. And apparently the executive said you could probably get Zucker out of Minnesota by not

even including Greek State with probably just a first round pick and maybe another prospect, you know, in that point, in that case, yeah, do it because why not? You know, you don't need to trade Kailen Addison for him. And we're going to have a lot more trade talk coming with tomorrow's episode. My buddy Jeff is going to come on. That's Jeff's also his favorite time of the year. He has a lot of fun doing trade talk. You know, he also, you just, you just,

It's really fun to talk trade and talk stuff with him because, you know, he just, he can't get enough of it. So we're going to be doing that tomorrow. But, yeah, I think at some point now, Zucker is going to be here. I just, I can't see it not happening, though. We all know Rutherford is going to make a trade just for him or potential some other player. If it's not Zucker, I think it's going to be for a player that is potentially not on the market. I don't know if it's going to be someone like Chris Kreider because, you know, we all know the Rangers. Maybe don't want to trade with him within the division, though, even though the Rangers are,

are pretty far out of the playoffs, but I think they would maybe ask more from the penguins for Chris Crider as opposed to a team, maybe in the Atlantic or out west, central Pacific Division, whatever, whatever. But yeah, yeah, I just, you know, Jim Ruther, he seems a bit antsy. He kind of wants to make a move.

You know, when he gets in these kind of moves, he probably doesn't stop calling other GMs. I wonder how much he's pissed them off lately. But, no, I apologize for Rana having, you know, a lot of content for this week's episode. other than those things in the Elfreyman's 31 thoughts, there wasn't a lot in there. There was some stuff about the All-Star game.

There was stuff about the potentially, you know, apparently there was no deadline. He's not, there's no deadline for Olympic participation, even though they should just announce that they're going, because this is just stupid at this point. You know, it helps grow the sport, so I don't understand why Gary Bettman just won't do it, or the owners just won't do it.

It's one of the two. I just don't understand. But thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I've walked on penguins. I know it was a bit shorter than it usually is, but I just apologize again for not having just a lot of content. It'll be a lot longer tomorrow because Jeff is going to be on, so we're going to have talk some trade, talk with him,

just ask him how he thinks the team will do the second half of the season if he thinks they can potentially make a big cup run. And maybe if he sees, could he see Jake Gensel, of potentially coming back for the penguins if the penguins make a very, very deep playoff run. So thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Locked on Penguins. Please go and maybe check out the Battle of Alberta tonight.

George Peros is in attendance, even though that's not going to do jack shit. I'm going to hope Matthew Kachuk gives Zach Cassian a bit of fun. So like I said, thank you guys so much for listening. And we will talk to you all tomorrow.