Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins forward Lars Eller more than exceeded expectations this year

Episode Date: May 7, 2024

When the Pittsburgh Penguins signed Lars Eller, Hunter and Patrick didn't have high expectations but he certainly had a very solid season as their third-line center. They do his season in review and look at what he can do next year. Does he still need some help on his line? Can fans expect him to score 15 goals again? After that, the guys talk about some more UFA candidates they would like to see the Penguins take a run at in order to bolster the team's depth, especially up front. Who are some of those forwards? Are any of them "dream signings?" Finally, the two discuss how the Penguins have a slim chance of moving up in the NHL Draft since the lottery is tonight before the Warrior Helmet makes a surprise appearance on Tuesday for the MVP of the first round of the playoffs.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Monopoly GO!Get in the game and join your friends. Click HERE to Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Pay. The mobile hit twist on classic MONOPOLY.PolicygeniusCheck life insurance off your to do list in no time with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/lockedonnhl to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.IndeedThere is no “I” in “team.” But there is one in “Indeed” and that’s the hiring platform you need to build yours. When you’re hiring, you need Indeed.Claim your SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDIT now at Indeed.com/LOCKEDON. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. 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.

Today, Hunter and I continue our season and review series, and we're going to talk about a player who greatly exceeded expectation. Your Locked on Penguin. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello and welcome back to another edition of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp. You can follow me on Twitter at Synonym 4Wet, joined as always by the one and only Hunter Hodes.

You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can give our show's account a follow at L.O. underscore Penguins. And we thank you for making this your first listener watch of the day because we're your team every day. And we are free and available wherever you get your podcast as well as YouTube. And before we get started, today's episode is brought to you by Monopoly Go. Game off, we got to talk more about Monopoly Go.

This fast-paced game lets you team up with friends for tournaments to unlock awesome. some prizes like unique stickers for trading, cool playing pieces, and hilarious emojis for taunting your friends. So download Monopoly Go Now free on Google Play or the app store. So Hunter, as I said at the start, we're going to continue our discussion, our season and review series of this penguin's roster. And we start today's episode talking about a guy who, when he was signed on July 1st, we didn't have the highest of expectations for him. We didn't think much of the signing. but all things considered, Lars Eller was a very solid third-line center for the Penguins.

But we said if this team got to the point in March and April post-trade deadline with the opportunity to chase the Stanley Cup, we both pretty much agreed that Lars Eller would be a better fourth-line center than a third-line center. And he heard us talk in that mess because he had a very solid season as the penguins third line center. 15 goals, 16 assists for 31 points. He was pretty reliable all throughout the season.

Chipped in for power play goals. He was rock solid on the penalty kill. And while the penguin's depth issues aside of everything we saw this season, overall a very, very solid season for Lars Eller as a Pittsburgh penguin. Yeah, I have ate a lot of crow when it comes. to Ella. I was definitely someone who did not think much of the signing when it occurred on July 1. I was kind of like, really, this is your plan at third line center heading into the season? And then he goes out there, as you said, 15 goals, 31 points was great on the PK.

His shorthanded goal that he scored against the Kings was flat out awesome how he came in, dusted a couple of Kings players, and just roost it past the King's goalie. That was a net. That was a big goal in that game because the Penguins didn't end up winning that game in overtime. but he was great on the PK all year long, even had four power play goals this year. He was getting quite a bit of time on the top power play just because the Penguins power play was struggling so much throughout the season. But you dig into the data a little bit, and it matches the eye test. With him on the ice, he played all 82 games, almost 1,000 minutes at 5 on 5.

The Penguins had 51% of the shot attempts. They also had 50% of the expected goals, 51% of the scoring chances, 53% of the high danger chances, a little below water and high danger goals for versus high danger goals against 15, 4, 21 against. But overall, a really good season for Eller. And I'm excited about him heading into next season. I still think the team would be better served for him to maybe move down to the fourth line.

And again, I'm not trying to dogg on him. I'm saying that he's going to be another year older. And I think they could use someone a bit more younger in that 3C spot if they want to get back to the playoffs. still think Eller can be a very good player on this team. I think he can give you 11 to 13, 14, heck, maybe even 15 goals again next season. But I think if they're able to get a better center for the third line,

having Eller on the fourth line is going to be a huge luxury for this team next year. It really will. And I mean, for the production you got out of them, the 31 points, 2.45 million against the cap next season. And then he's a UFA after next year. That's good value for 31 points. especially with the salary cap rising once again. I mean, overall, I'm right there with you.

I think they do need to find a better bona fide 3C. And again, like you said, that's not to dogg on Lars Eller. I mean, his body of work spoke for itself this season. He was on a team that was wildly inconsistent. He was a fairly consistent presence in the bottom six. And just like we've talked about with a couple other players, he suffered from having a rotating cast of wingers that he couldn't really get any sort of consistency with. And even in the face of that, he puts up 15 goals.

I'm skeptical that he can do the same next year. But between 10 and 15, if Kyle Dubus goes out and betters this team's depth in the offseason via free agency or the trade market, which is something that we're going to talk about later on the show today, having him at that contract with 10 to 15 goals. that only is going to further this team's mission of trying to get back into the postseason. Agreed. If you can get someone that can give you a little bit more offense to play on Ellers line, whether that's the third or the fourth,

again, I prefer the fourth line for him, even though he had a good year. That can go a long way towards this team getting more depth scoring and also having their bottom six just be better for next season because, I mean, I think you agree with this. The bottom six, I think is still this team's biggest concern heading into next year. It's funny. was the biggest concern heading into last offseason, and that remains the case heading into this offseason just because the moves, a lot of the moves that they made, not Eller, obviously,

just didn't really work out. So if they can maybe give Eller a little bit of help, that can go a long way. That said, Pat, I really liked the ESP line at points this season. Eller with Smith and Puson, I know Riley Smith did not have that good of a year for the Penguins and won't do be a season review at some point soon. But I do think he played his best hockey us have a few games with Gino when he was on that line with Eller and Pusinin. And I wouldn't be surprised if you do see Pusin with Eller again next season with potentially a different winger. Yeah.

And I think that would be good for Pustinan overall because he's still very green. He's still figuring it out. I'm very much of the assumption that they're going to resign him despite his UFA status. But when you put a younger, inexperienced player like Pustin in with a guy, like Lars Eller, it helps them out because they don't have to do too much. And you don't have that mental block of being the young player who plays with a Sydney Crosby or an Fgeny Malkin, because we have seen it in instances, even when this team was winning Stanley Cups, you would put those younger pieces with one of the big two

centers and they would almost feel like they have to do too much and it would hurt their game. But when you play with an honest player like Lars Eller, a very simple, solid two-way center, they do the same. They simplify their game and it accentuates the best parts of their game. And you were seeing that quite a bit this season with him. I mean, I know Pusinen kind of trailed off a little bit towards the late stages of the season, but when he was on his game, he definitely simplified and he was winning battles along the boards.

He was using his beautiful release to his advantage. And I was a big fan of it. So if you can just get, again, a little bit more help for that line, someone who maybe is a little bit more of a playmaker, that can help because Eller can be that two-way center for a line. And then Pustin can be kind of that finisher that finishes the chances of a playmaker if you add via free agency or a trade. So that's what I would be looking for in terms of a line with those two

and then for some help for next season. No doubt. And then you look at the Penguins bottom six. right now, at the very least, I think they actually are in a little bit better of a position than they were going into last offseason because obviously Dubis and Company made the bet that they wanted the bottom six to be a little bit more defensively accountable than they were previous because we saw it two seasons ago. The bottom six didn't only not score. They got caved in defensively. They were just a genuine liability. But then you look at,

look at some of the pieces that are coming back. You've got Drew O'Connor. You got Lars Eller. You have hopefully Noelle Achari to come back again. And now you have some pieces in place who may not be lighting up the world, but they'll be solid defensively. And maybe they can add five, 10, 15 goals. And you go out and get another piece or two in your bottom six. And I think they might be in a better spot going into next year than they have been the last two seasons. You also have Yassie Poyarvy coming back for another year. I would like to think that he's going to perform a bit better for the Penguins throughout that season. I do think he's going to start the season in the bottom six, but I agree with you.

With O'Connor, he can play on Crosby's line. I just don't know if I would like that for all 82 games. But if he is on your third line, that is a beautiful luxury that not a lot of teams have, I think, in the league. You already discussed Eler. We already discussed Pousson and Pooley-Yarvi. Achari if they want to bring him back. I do think, as we discussed on Monday, he could be primed for a bounce back year.

But yeah, if you can go out there, get at least one or two more players for that unit that have a history of putting pucks in the back of the net, whether it's 13, 14, 15 goals, maybe even close to 20 goals, that is going to make a huge difference because when this team has won cups during this era, they've had four lines that can score. I understood to a degree the plan that Dubas and Company had

heading into last off season where you wanted the top six to carry the load, you wanted the power play to carry the load, and then you wanted the bottom six to kind of draw the other teams every night. Well, that didn't work. So Pat, they got to go back to the drawing board and switch it up a little bit. You can't just bring in a bunch of defensive specialists again this off season. You have to go out and get a score or two for that unit while also having some of the players from last year come back. You can have a nice mix for the bottom six. Yeah, for sure. They They have to find that mix of defensive accountability and a little bit of offense. But to put a bow on it, I would give Lars L or B plus a minus in context for the expectations we had for him.

Going into this season, a very solid year. Here's the hoping he can keep that going in some capacity next year in the last year of his contract and help this team get back to the playoffs. When we come back, we are going to talk about a couple of more UFA targets we think would fit the penguins should they have the opportunity. this off season. But before we do that, we're going to tell you about our first sponsor, and that is Monopoly Go. All right, game off. We got to pause here to talk more about Monopoly Go. And I know what you're saying. That's a two-minute penalty. You've already talked about that, but there is just so much good stuff in this game. In Monopoly Go, you can team up with friends for time tournaments where you work together to build up each other's boards. The more you win

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so get off the bench and go download it now, free on Google Play or the App Store, Game On. All right, we're back here on the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm Patrick Damp, that's Hunter Hodes, and we're going to get into another discussion here of a couple of UFAs that we think the penguins could target come July 1.

because this team is going to need a little bit of a facelift this offseason, given the way the last two seasons have gone. We're going to start with a guy who Hunter and I have brought up before. He's a very solid player. He can play up and down your lineup. And I do think there's a very real possibility he's going to hit the market come July 1st because he finished the season with the Winnipeg Jets. And that's a team that's going to be a little bit in flux this summer

because head coach Rick Boness has announced his retirement. They had another first round exit with a season where they had high expectations, maybe not cup contention, but definitely more than one and done in the playoffs. And that player is Sean Monaghan. He had a very solid season this year, 26 goals, 33 assists, 59 points. In his career, he has come close to or scored 30 or more goals, a handful of times. He's really a solid player who can put the puck in the back of the net.

And he brings a little bit of snarl. He's not the most physical guy. He's not going to go out and get in fights and crash and bang. But he is going to play a very up-tempo game that is something we saw at the deadline when the penguins got a guy like Michael Bunting that really gave them a shot in the arm. I kind of laughed at the price that the Jets gave up to, get Monahan, but he was awesome in the 34 game sample that he provided the Jets. 13 goals, 24 points in those 34 games overall this season.

You said it, 26 goals, 59 points, and he wasn't making that much money. I think he could be in line for a pretty decent payday. The Penguins may have to open up some more money to make this one work, but he would be a great middle six to potentially top six player for this team. And if you are like me where you think Drew O'Connor would best suit this team as a third liner, well, you could maybe move Monaghan up to the top line and have him there for quite a few games. And if he were to struggle, you can move him down a little bit. But Monaghan, he had a really nice year with both Montreal and Winnipeg.

And his underlying numbers jumped big time once he got to the Jets in 34 games, over 400 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time with him on the ice. the Jets had almost 53% of the shot attempts, 26 goals for 15 goals against, about 51% of the scoring chances, 53% of the high danger chances, and 15 high danger goals for seven high danger goals against. Most of his underlines were below water during his time in Montreal. And sure, you can chalk that up to the Canadians not being a good team.

They were one of the worst teams in the league this year. But he was still one of their better players, and it only continued once he got. to the jet. So overall, you might have to pay a pretty big price. You might have to give him at least a bit of term. But he's someone that could be a real difference maker in this lineup for next year and for years to come. I agree with you.

And I know that people right now, you know, including us to a certain extent, are very much on the penguins need to get younger train. And while I'm still very much of that mindset, at 29, this guy has had a solid handful of seasons the last few years. But the other thing to keep in mind is he's been on teams that haven't been that great until he got to Winnipeg. It was Montreal and Calgary. We've seen what's happened with Calgary the last couple of years. Obviously, he went to Montreal as kind of a somewhat veteran presence.

And really a guy that they brought in that they could just get some value out of, assist their rebuild, which is exactly what happened. They showcased him on a bad team so they could go out, get some return to help with their rebuild from Winnipeg, which is what happened. So now you hope that he's probably going to want three, four, maybe five years on a deal depending on the money. But the way he plays the game, the way he produces, this is a guy that I would not hate seeing in a penguin's uniform for the next couple of seasons. Agreed, especially if you can get him on kind of a shorter term deal, but maybe you load up the money, at least a little bit more. And speaking of that, another player who kind of fits that bill, Pat,

Anthony Mantha. And I can't even believe I'm saying his name right now, considering how bad he was just a season ago. Do you remember during that Penguins' Caps game, he was the one that had that awful turnover to have Genie Malkin, and Malkin scores the goal in the final minute to effectively end the cap season. He had a miserable year that year, and there were plenty of trade rumors surrounding him in the office,

season, but the Capitals decided to keep him. And they made the right decision because Manta had a really strong year this year. Overall, 23 goals, 44 points in 74 games. The Capitals get a pretty decent return for him at the deadline. He then goes to Vegas, plays really well there. He's going to be a UFA on July 1. And this is someone who, again, really nice middle six player in 18 games with Vegas. When he was on the ice, the Knights had almost 55% of the shot attempts, 14 goals.

four, nine goals against, about 56% of the scoring chances and 65% of the high danger chances, eight high danger goals for, three high danger goals against. Again, I know, only an 18, 18 game sample size, but he was awesome once he got traded to the Knights. And he is someone who, if I'm Kyle Dubis, I'm looking at him as an option on July 1 as well. Yeah, and that's another guy. I will say, though, if we do the kind of direct comparison, Monahan to Mantha, this is a guy who I wouldn't give a ton of term to if that's what he's looking for,

because he is very similar to somebody else that they got from the Vegas Golden Knights via trade in Riley Smith. It's up and down with him every couple of years. He has a year or two where he's very solid. He kind of dips back down. and then he comes back a couple years later. So that's a bit of a volatile piece. I do agree, though, this season he was very solid.

And he definitely has earned himself a little bit of a payday going into July 1st. But that's a risky move. But if you can get them on an affordable deal for a year or two, I take that flyer all day long. Agreed. Yeah, that's not someone you want to give four, five, six years to. I think anywhere, you know, one to two, maybe three years, I think could work for Mantha. Again, you just have to be, what's the word I'm looking for?

Careful that he doesn't revert back to the form that we saw last year where he was just awful for the Capitol. So yeah, some sort of short-term deal with maybe higher money, kind of like what I'd be looking for with Monaghan. That's what I'd be looking for for Mantha here. For sure. Last one I'll mention. And if I'm the president of the Jeff Carter fan club, then I would say I'm the vice president of this guy's fan club because I have loved his game. forever. He is going to be a free agent. We'll see what Tampa Bay decides to do with him after their first round exit. But that's Anthony Duclair. He had himself another solid season in total for 73 games, 24 goals, 18 assists, 42 points. I've liked this guy's game for years. And the thing

that I can never understand with him is he doesn't seem to stick anywhere. And it's not say a case where this guy goes somewhere, plays well, but people don't have good things to say about him, not good in the locker room, all the other buzzwords you want to use. He just seems to go about his business everywhere he goes and for some reason hasn't been able to stick anywhere. And if he hits the free agency market on July 1st, if I'm Kyle Dubas, he's going to be one of my first handful of calls with an offer. Yeah, I mean, 24 goals, 42 points this season. It's funny, when this team still had a chance of buying right before the deadline. We were thinking about, oh, maybe they could go out and get Duclair from the sharks just

because he was playing really well for them at the time. Then obviously the Penguins had a really bad spiral before the trade deadline. That led to them selling off at least a couple of their assets, namely Jake Gensel. But that was someone who we really circled about a month before the deadline as like, if this team is able to go on a run here, I know they didn't. But if they're able to go on a run, that's someone who I would circle. And you're right. He's been great everywhere he's gone. I mean, heck, even with Arizona during the 2015-16 season, Pat, 20 goals, 44 points that year. Heck, he just scored 31 goals with the Florida Panthers just two seasons ago, 20-21, 2022. He had 23 goals with the Ottawa Senators. He's been a really sound player throughout his career. So, yes, that is someone who I would go after. And one more for you. This is Max Domey, nine goals, 47 points this year. I know he didn't score that. much overall, but he was a very good playmaker for Toronto. I still think it's more likely that he

goes back to the Maple Leafs. He only signed a one-year deal worth $3 million. He's definitely going to get a raise wherever he goes, but I still think, again, it's likely he goes back to Toronto. But this is someone who brings a lot of snarl. He's very physical, good along the boards, has a good shot, really good playmaker. Someone that can play up and down the Penguins lineup, his underlines were also really good throughout the season. When he was on the ice, The Leaves had just about 51% of the shot attempts, 57% of the actual goals for, 50% of the scoring chances, 51% of the high danger chances. He was very strong for the Leafs this year. So again, someone that if you want to sign him to maybe a two to three year deal with maybe a bit of a pay raise, that's someone who I would go after if I were the penguins.

I know a lot of people out there have been wanting the penguins to get him for the last couple of years. Well, they could have a shot if he does get to market. I would love Max Domi as a penguin. Zero questions asked. I will add this, though. I'm with you on that I think he returns to Toronto. It kind of feels like that's a natural fit, given who his dad is and how much he loves it there.

He is pretty much born and bred to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. And I will add this. Our guys, our friends at the Steve Dangle podcast have talked about this in the fact that I don't think, Kyle Dubus likes him because there was always a link of him going to Toronto and Kyle Dubus didn't seem to be very interested now. Obviously things can change. Circumstances change. He has a good season. Looks like more of an attractive piece. So we'll see on that. But if I were putting the betting odds on it, I would say he probably stays in the blue and white up there in

Toronto. Agreed. I think he'll probably go back on at least a two to three year deal. Maybe if they want to give him more term, that would make sense for Domi. One more player, I will throw out there. I'm not going to dig into his stats just yet, but this is for something in the future. Another former Vegas player, he's going to hit the market. Chandler Stevenson, he's someone that can play center. He can play wing. Had another really good year for Vegas this year, made less than three million, so he's going to get a raise on the open market. If the penguins want someone that could potentially be their third line center, that's someone who qualifies.

He's played both wing and center, and he's been really good since Canada Vegas. So he's a UFA. The Knights have their usual cap complications heading into another summer. So if the Knights aren't able to afford him, the Penguins could potentially swoop in there and get him if he does hit the market. It's not a bad option either. But that's going to do it for the UF.

When we come back, it's the return of the warrior helmet. We're going to do it for round one. Since we made our round two picks yesterday, we're going to name our MVP's for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as well as a quick check in with the draft lottery being tonight and what that means for the penguins. But before we do that, we're going to tell you about our next sponsor, and that is Fandle. It's winner take all time in the NBA and NHL and Fandul's giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own. Now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 to bet on spreads, money lines, player props, and more. Visit fandul.com slash locked on and make every playoff shot count.

Fandul, America's number one sports book. Okay, we're back here on the Tuesday edition of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm Patrick Damp, joined as always by Hunter Hodes. And despite it being a Tuesday and not a Wednesday, with the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs underway. Hunter and I are going to bring back the warrior helmet. For those of you who may be new here, this is our homage to the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins

when they made their run to the Stanley Cup. Their post-game MVP trophy was a warrior helmet, so we hand that out to somebody we consider to be an MVP. And since we made our second round predictions on the show yesterday, we're going to look back on the first round real quick and give out our Warrior Helmet, our MVP, for the first round. And mine is one that you might not expect. I'm going to the Western Conference.

I'm going to the Edmonton Oilers. And everybody here's going to wait for me to say, oh, it's Connor McDavid, it's Leon Drysaitle. No. I'm giving my Warrior Helmet to Zach Hyman, an unbelievable first round, scoring seven goals. He has been an absolute. absolute machine for the Edminton Oilers, both in the regular season with a 50 goal campaign.

And he has just kept that right on rolling into the Stanley Cup playoffs. And I love this guy's game. He goes to the net. And everybody who likes to take shots at him because, oh, he just gets these tap-ins because he's playing with great talent, you still have to put that puck in the net. And he has done that with efficiency. That's a good one. I easily could go to the Oilers as well and do McDavid and Drysail just because

McDavid was on another level in the first round. Pat, he had 12 points in five games. He destroyed the L.A. Kings and that series. I was also amazing. I could go Mika Zabenejad with the way he played against the capitals in those four games. But I'm going to go out west and I'm going to go to the Colorado Avalanche. Nathan McKinnon is my MVP of the first round. two goals, nine points in that series.

And once he went God mode, it was good night Irene for the Jets. There was no way the Jets were going to stop him. Whenever McKinnon had the puck on his stick, the Jets players, they would just back up because they're like, oh, crap, he's coming in. We don't want him going around us. But the thing is, he still did that because he's that good. And there's a very real chance that he's going to win the Hart Trophy. this year. He was phenomenal in that series. And I think he's going to have to be at that level,

if not a little bit better if the avalanche want to beat the stars in the second round, because the stars, the Jets were really good this year. Let's make no mistake about that. But the stars, they are a better team than the Jets. And the way they came back against the Knights was no slouch. That's going to be a hell of the series. And the abs are really going to need McKinnon if they want to win that. So he was on another level. McCar was also amazing. And also Arturie Lekhinen was great for that avalanche in that series. Casey, Middolstadt has been a great fit for them. But I'm going McKinnon for my warrior helmet for the first round. There was no stopping him once he got into high gear. No. He is playing like a man who believes he is going to win the Stanley Cup. And there is not a

person, team, or entity that will stand in his way. Real quick, before we wrap up the show, Tonight is the NHL draft lottery at 630. You can watch it on ESPN if you are here in the States like we are. And the Penguins, it doesn't mean a whole lot for them, but it does look like they will hold the 14th overall pick going into this draft lottery. And that gives them a 1.5% chance to move up. Should they win, that means they will move up to the fourth overall pick. and then Kyle Dubus will have to decide whether or not to forfeit that draft pick to the San Jose Sharks as part of the Eric Carlson trade.

I think we're both in agreement here if they move up to fourth. You hold on to that bad boy. Oh, 100%. There will be a couple of very, and I mean very good prospects for the penguins that I haven't gone into detail yet just because I haven't done my full draft prep yet. That will be available at number four if the penguins somehow win that one. point five percent chance when the draft lottery. Is it going to happen? Probably not.

The odds to stay at number 14 for the penguins just about 95%. 94.7% exact. So I know anything can happen, but it's very likely that they are going to stay at 14 and give the sharks the pick this year rather than win the lottery and move up to the number four pick. But yes, if they were to somehow win the lottery move up to number four, I don't know. am keeping that pick and giving the sharks the pick next year. And if they win it and move up to four, lock your Twitter accounts, stay off social media

because it's going to suck. But that is going to do it for us on the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Thank you, as always, for tuning in. We will continue our season and review series as well as whatever else the penguins give us newswise. But for Hunter Hodes, I am Patrick Damp. Thank you as always for tuning in. will be back on Wednesday.