Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins preseason comes to a close!

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Penguins are back in action on Friday night for their final preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres. And with that comes the final preseason game preview. Pat and I are going to get into that 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.

Starting point is 00:00:39 I am one of your hosts, Hunter Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. And joining me, as always, is the man, the myth, the legend. Patrick, damn, the best co-host in the world. You can follow him on Twitter at Send Them for Wet. And you can follow the shows, Twitter, at L.O. underscore Penguins, of course. Thank you all so much for making this your first lesson slash watch of the day. We are free and available on all platforms.

Starting point is 00:01:03 So this is the final preseason episode of the year. On Monday, we get into regular season mode. We're going to preview the game against the Blackhawks, give some bold predictions, just do a full regular season preview because at that point, the official 23-man roster will be finalized. So super excited for that.

Starting point is 00:01:21 But first, one more preseason game, the big dress rehearsal. Penguins are playing their A lineup tonight minus Jake Gunzel, of course, we'll be back sometime, hopefully, at the end of next week, or maybe for the opener, if all things go even better for him.

Starting point is 00:01:37 But everyone's playing for this one and for the Sabres, Pat. Their whole 18 is playing, including Zach Benson, who I'm really excited to get another look at tonight. But this may as well be a regular season game with all the players that are playing. I'm super excited to watch this one. Yep. Call Buffalo the garage tonight because this is the final tune-up before we get to actual hockey. And like you said, you look at both teams lineups tonight with the exception of a couple of guys on both sides. this is who we're going to see when the regular season kicks off.

Starting point is 00:02:09 So I'm excited for this one because anytime you can see that final dress rehearsal game where you want to see what training camp looked like, you want to see what they're going to look like coming out of camp. And you also want to see those couple of guys on both sides that are making their final push to become full-time NHL players. Right. And it'll be nice to see the regulars get another game under their belts during the preseason. They haven't played that many games yet, but this game obviously means

Starting point is 00:02:41 so much more to a couple of the guys who are really fighting for roster spots, including Colin White. He's on the PTO. He'll be playing tonight. Jansen Harkins, he was claimed off waivers, looked really good in the preseason game on Wednesday. He will be playing, and of course redeems the Hornah as he battles for a roster spot. Those, I think, are the three main forwards that I'll be keeping an eye on. If you look up and down this lineup, everyone else that's playing forward-wise is going to be on this team. But when you look overall at the training camp roster right now, and we're going to get into more of that later on,

Starting point is 00:03:13 16 forwards, I'm counting Jake Denzel because he's going to be on the roster when he is healthy. It's kind of at this point where two guys are going to make it out of five guys battling for those spots. And you're seeing a few of them tonight, though Vinnie Hino-Straza is not playing, and Austin Wagner's not playing, which is interesting.

Starting point is 00:03:34 The fact that they're giving White, Harkins, and Zohorna the final chance, I think says something to me. But again, we're going to dive into that later on. And then defensively, it is interesting that Ryan Shea is included. I don't think he's going to play. I think they're just kind of used this as a just rehearsal for a POJ in Chad Rueedle. But it's also interesting that Mark Freeman is not there. But we'll get into that in a bit too. But I don't know.

Starting point is 00:03:59 I don't think Shay is going to play. But maybe you seem to think he will. I was going to say that's where I kind of disagree with you is that they know what they have in Chad Ruehiel. He's been here long enough. He's got a large enough body of work that they don't need to see much more out of Chad Ruehdle, if anything at all. I also have to reference Phil Bork on the radio broadcast from the other night. He brought up the fact that Brian Shea kind of went from a guy that you saw on the training camp roster and went, okay, they got another body to have some competition and get some depth and Wilkes.

Starting point is 00:04:36 And he's been good in this in this preseason. Now, I know that I said earlier on the show that like, I don't get what the end game is. I don't know what they're trying to do with them. But he's been a steady presence on a bottom pairing throughout the preseason. And realistically, that's all that they need out of a guy who's going to be in that position. He doesn't have to wow you. He doesn't have to be great. He doesn't have to do anything spectacular.

Starting point is 00:05:05 And he only makes $775,000 a year. So it's not like this guy's on a PTO and he's expecting a big deal. He's not a guy they brought in on a contract that somebody didn't want. And if you ask me, the way I see this working out, is they're going to scratch Chad Ruehdle and let Ryan Shea play with P.O. Joseph and see if they got something there. That would be interesting, I guess. I mean, I think Ryan Shea's been fine.

Starting point is 00:05:32 He just hasn't wowed me enough to the point where like, oh, yeah, this guy needs to be the number seven defenseman over, you know, Ru-Weedle or Freeman or something like that. And, you know, speaking of Freeman, it is interesting that he's not in this lineup at all. And I honestly, I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is, has he locked up that number six spot and is it the number seven spot between Chad or Liddle and Ryan Shea? Or am I looking at it from a different angle? because that's the first thing that came into my head for my opinion on this, at least, is that I think Friedman has had a little bit of a better camp than Rueedle. I think Ruehle's been buying. He hasn't been bad or anything like that.

Starting point is 00:06:09 But the fact that they're not even including Friedman here, is that a hint that the bottom pairing is going to be P.OJ and him? Just get your thoughts on that. I think they kind of look at Mark Friedman as a calculated risk kind of guy. Yeah, he was a waiver claim a couple of years ago. But I think they look at him as a guy that, okay, we can have him as our seventh or eighth defenseman. We can put him through waivers and he likely won't get claimed.

Starting point is 00:06:36 We'll get them better time in Wilkes-Bair to keep him sharp, to keep him going. And then when the time comes, you can bring them up, tell him, hey, you're going to be on the bottom pair. Hell, you might even be the guy who sits in the press box for two, three games. But we're going to need you. We're going to need you sharp. So you're going to go up and down a lot. You're going to get more time in Wilkes-bear, so you're not going to go rusty. and then when you come up, you're going to play maybe not every night,

Starting point is 00:07:02 but you're going to play once in a while. And while I like what he brings, I don't think it has that much of a material factor on the game. Yeah, he's an agitator. Yeah, he's in your face. Yeah, he's going to start it up. And that's all well and good. But at the end of the day, you look at the Penguins roster, and they got a couple guys there who are going to mix it up.

Starting point is 00:07:24 You got Drew O'Connor. You have, you know, you've got. Redim Zahorna. You've got Nolachari who plays with an edge. You've got Matt Nielto who plays with an edge. I think in years previous, I would be more willing to say, hey, they don't need to put Mark Friedman in the minors. They need that kind of quote unquote physical presence. But right now, I mean, it's less in demand on this roster. See, that's interesting because I think Freeman brings more of an offensive presence than Rueidel does. I think Ruehiel is the better player in his own zone, but I do think Friedman brings more of an offensive capability on the attack. I think he's a better shot.

Starting point is 00:08:07 I think he has a better first pass coming out of the defensive zone, you know, into the neutral zone and all that. And I think he can also make more plays overall to help the forwards in the offensive zone. So you kind of weigh that against Ruehle with his really good defensive metrics and just overall I test. And I know he was a bit meh last year. But overall, I don't know. I'm just, I'm kind of preferring freedom right now, even though I do think where Wheedle would be a perfectly fine player for that number six five. And then obviously, Ryan Shea, I don't think he's going to win that number six job. I still don't. I'm just, haven't been wowed by him at camp. He's just kind of been there, has done anything bad, hasn't

Starting point is 00:08:46 done anything of where I'm like, wow, okay, there's actually quite a bit of talent here. But heck, maybe he surprises me tonight, comes out, has the game of his life. And I'm like, okay, this is maybe what I've been missing over the past couple of weeks. But I don't know. It's an interesting situation there with the defensive lineup. And then, of course, Chris Anjari is going to start a net overall. Outside of that, I want to see the PowerPlay get some work tonight, please. I mean, put the first unit out there.

Starting point is 00:09:13 I want to see what they've done in practice these past couple of days. You said it best earlier this week. Eric Carlson needs to be like, okay, I'm the guy. I'm the quarterback. PowerPlee is going to go through me. Chris, I know you. been doing this thing for a decade now, but you're going to be over here, and I'm going to be running the show. It has to be like that, in my opinion. And you've got to start getting these

Starting point is 00:09:37 players some more looks. I want to see of Gennie Malkin ripping the puck from his usual spot on the right half wall. That is his spots. I don't want to see him moving around other areas of the ice because his one-timer is one of the best in the league. Cindy Crosby, if you want to maybe drift him outside of behind the net, I think that's okay. But overall, man, this unit has to be so much better. And I'm not sitting here saying, oh, my God, this unit is doomed. It's the preseason and all this stuff. But it still needs to be better than what it's shown.

Starting point is 00:10:13 And I don't want to see these same issues, game 10, game 15 and all that. And what better night than tonight to make it happen? Because it's not like they're going up against a bunch of scrubs. Devon Levi is probably going to start a net, and he showed us at the end of last year. That kid is a good goalie. And then you look at their defense. They're bringing the whole squad tonight. Rasmus Dahlian, Eric Johnson, Yokiaharu, Owen Powers.

Starting point is 00:10:38 And then up front, Dylan Cousers, Zemgus Gergensons, Jordan Greenway, Casey Middlestat, Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuck. This, I said it the last time that they played Buffalo. Do not sleep on this team in the Atlanta. Do I think they have a chance to win the Atlantic? It's a toss-up because much like the Metro, it's a dog fight. But this is an underratedly good Buffalo Sabres team, and they are playing their guys tonight.

Starting point is 00:11:09 So I'm with you. I want to see the power play do more tonight. And this is a team that they're going up against that they're not going to feast, but this is a team where you're going to get some stiff competition on that PK. So go out there and show us what you can do because, listen, it can be a fully functional battle station. They just got to put the keys in the ignition and let it go. Exactly. And this is a young and hungry Buffalo team.

Starting point is 00:11:34 They're going to be aggressive on the PK considering how bad the penguins have been on the power play during the preseason. And I want to see how the penguins combat that. I want to see how they do going up against a PK that's a little more aggressive compared to some of the other teams around the league. And I'll give you a bowl prediction right now. Buffalo makes the playoffs is here. They end that drought. I think this team is going to be a lot better than what some people expect. They're going to score a lot of goals. Defensively, you might have some trouble, but power and Dahlina are really good. If Devin Levi, though, is the equalizer net, this team will make the playoffs this year. It's a good team, man. It's a good team. And the balance of power in the National Hockey League has once again shifted over to the Eastern Conference because both the Atlantic and Metro, man, they are not going to be easy outs. Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, it's going to be interesting to see whether it's four teams from each division that gets into the East or is one division going to have five. The other is going to have three.

Starting point is 00:12:32 I think overall this year, it's probably going to be the most competitive playoff race we've seen in quite some time. And yes, I know how competitive the East was last year. I think it's going to be even more competitive this year. But that will do it for this segment. Coming up in the second segment, Pat and I are going to give our thoughts on some more roster cuts that were made on Thursday and then some players that were reassigned to Wilkesbury on. Friday after a few cleared waivers from Thursday. But before we do get to that, we got to discuss bird dogs. They make you look ridiculously good. They stretch khaki shorts and they are designed to foot slimmer through the thigh and leg, giving you a truly sculpted look. They fit way better than

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Starting point is 00:13:52 water bottle at checkout. You will not want to take your bird dogs off. We promise you that. All right. We're back here on this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I am Hunter Hohde's, joined as always by Patrick Damp. So in addition to a few of the players being reassigned to Wilkesbury on Friday, Pat, the three players that were put on waivers, Juneau Koppinen, Alex Nielander, and Andreas Janssen, they cleared. So they are reassigned to Wilkesbury. They did not make the team out of Penguins training camp. And then on Thursday, They made a few other moves. Avery Hayes down to Wilkesbury, Ren Pitlick down to Wilkesbury, Sam Poulin, Ziavielette,

Starting point is 00:14:31 Daltari Pousson, and Ty Smith. Those clears waivers goes down, comes back up for a game, and then goes down again. Overall, though, I don't think any of us are super surprised by these moves. I don't think any one of these guys did enough to stand out during camp or the preseason to have a shot going into this final game to try and make the team. No. I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago in my column on KDCA, Penguin's Perspectives, which you should go read when you get a chance had a really good one today.

Starting point is 00:15:02 But here's the thing. Kyle Dubus made a very savvy move going into this camp. Signed a bunch of PTOs, gave a bunch of guys extended looks, and he did this. And obviously I don't have it on record him saying this, but if you have watched hockey long enough, you understand how this works. He did this because there are a handful of young guys in this organization that need to take the next step. That's Alex Nielander, it's Pustinan, it's Poulan.

Starting point is 00:15:35 And the reason you bring those guys in as competition is because they're trying to stay in the NHL or get another chance in the NHL. And these guys had every opportunity to make their mark and say, okay, we're the young guys in this system. and we belong in the National Hockey League now, and they didn't take it. Now, I don't think any of them were bad, per se. Poulan was good, but not good enough. Nylander was good, not good enough. I think Pustin is still maybe a year away. But this is the other thing I want to say.

Starting point is 00:16:10 I kind of hinted this to you yesterday. We didn't get a chance to do it. This is my little rant that I want to go on. Guys, stop saying the penguins need to get younger. I get it. there have been so many teams over the past few years that have had young players and had success, but the thing you're leaving out is this. Yes, it would be nice for the penguins to get younger,

Starting point is 00:16:34 but you're leaving out the part where they need to get younger talent. There are still guys in this system who are in their mid and early 20s, but they're not NHL caliber players, at least not full-time NHL caliber players. And I will add on. I know it was a long time ago. But when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009, Crosby, Malkin, Latang, Max Talbot, Tyler Kennedy, Mark Andre Fleury, the poor that drove that team to a Stanley Cup were in their early 20s. They just kept being great.

Starting point is 00:17:08 So what all these teams with young players are doing is trying to build what the penguins have. So yes, I agree. They need some fresh blood. They need some younger guys who can have some legs and make a difference. They just don't have them right now. I like Alex Nealander, think he could be a good player. I like Valteri Pustin. Think he could be a good player.

Starting point is 00:17:26 I think Sam Poulan's a good player. But they have not done enough to stay in the national hockey league. Yes, they're young, but that right now is the only thing they're bringing to the table. You took the words right out of my mouth, honestly. I think fans just attach themselves to any young player that they can. And they're like, oh, well, this guy should come up. Look at the production he's doing in Wilkesbury. but the jump from

Starting point is 00:17:48 AHL to the NHL, you know it. It's so massive. You're not going to produce like that. And the NHL, the competition is so much more stiff. And Neelander, again,

Starting point is 00:18:01 I liked what he did last year coming up. I thought he was competent. I wanted him to build off that coming into this camp and preseason. Newsflash, he didn't. Sorry, he did not. And Sam Poo-in,

Starting point is 00:18:12 I had a couple people asking me this on social media yesterday. Well, I was surprised he didn't make the team. but should you be though? I wasn't surprised. I mean, look, he's obviously, you know, still coming back from everything with a mental health situation. He's going to get quite a few reps down Wicksburg. He had a really nice prospect challenge, was good. He had a pretty solid camp, just not as good as some of these other guys. Like it was a horn of like a Colin White, like a Jansen Harkins, even though he's only been here for a few days. but if Poolean continues to get reps, continues to improve, because I think he's playing some of his finest hockey of the year right now, it won't be long until he probably earns himself a call-up from Wilkesbury.

Starting point is 00:18:50 Same with Pustin. I know he said a whole bunch to leave with Taylor Haas of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports really great article from her, by the way, because he said, oh, I'm here to take a job and all that stuff. Well, the camp competition was so fierce, and he's just not at that level just yet. He could, but we don't know. So I agree with you on that. It's good to have younger players, but they got to have actual competent talent because you look at Wilkesbury's team, especially last year. They stunk.

Starting point is 00:19:20 They were bad. And I think this year they're going to be better. But I don't think the penguins have a truly really, really, really, really good prospect ready to come up from there for this season. That's where I stand on that. And then here's the other way to look at it. too. A lot of these guys who are on in there still in their early to mid 20s in the system, they're good players. But what would you rather happen for them right now? Would you rather them come to Pittsburgh languish on the fourth line or sit up in the press box, not get a ton of reps,

Starting point is 00:19:56 not do a bunch of play, not get a bunch of playing time? Or do you want them down in Wilkeshire where they're going to be on the first line, the second line? They're going to play 20, 22, 23 minutes a night. They're going to become more impactful players and their game is going to develop more. I've been saying this forever. One of the most underrated things the Pittsburgh Penguins have done in the Crosby Malkin era is they have utilized a more baseball style development model. Because you remember, when they won in 16 and 17, it was on the backs of some of those younger guys. But here's the thing. They weren't first or second year pros. They were third and fourth year pros.

Starting point is 00:20:38 They spent time, some of them in Wheeling, most of them in Wilkes-Bare, and they spent time down there becoming good players. They weren't just guys who they drafted a year or two prior, and all of a sudden they were here. They took time to develop. And when you're a team like this that goes to the cap that has this much talent, that's how you want to run your organization. And now when you have a forward-thinking president like Kyle Dubus, he's going to do this

Starting point is 00:21:05 even more. He's going to bring guys in and he's going to pay attention to the minor league system. And these guys are going to get reps. They're going to get developed. And by the time they come to Pittsburgh, it's not going to be a gradual process. They're going to get inserted into the lineup and they're going to make an impact. But you have to have a little bit more patience with it. And none of the players in Wilkesbury right now are at the level that you just referenced 2016-17. They're not at the level that, for example, a Brian Rust was when he came up from Wilkesbury, a Connor or Sherry. Heck, even a Tom Kuhnuckle. Well, maybe some of them are close to him, but especially with Rust and Sherry and that obviously Gensel when he came up, none of these

Starting point is 00:21:49 players are at their level. But heck, maybe they can get, you know, at least semi-close to that if they continue to develop, get those reps down on Wilkes-Berry, continue to put up numbers, and at some point, their time may come 40 Penguins. It's just not right now. So I understand everyone's cries too. Yes, this team is the oldest team of the league heading into the year. I get it. But right now, that's just kind of how it is.

Starting point is 00:22:17 Because, again, they don't have that A stud prospect coming up. If they had drafted Braden Yeager maybe a couple years ago, if that was in the class, then maybe he'd be ready to make the team right now. But he's not. In a couple of years, that, could change, but they just don't have that A-Star prospect. And that's, again, also, that's the price you pay for three Stanley Cups people. Sorry, like, it is.

Starting point is 00:22:39 But I think that will do it for this second segment. Coming up to end the show, Pat and I are going to give our predictions as to who gets those final two forward spots for Monday's official 23-man roster heading into the regular season on Tuesday against the Blackhawks. But before we get to that, we got to discuss, indeed. It is the hiring platform where you can attract, interview and hire all in one place. Do not spend hours on multiple job sites looking for candidates with the right skills when you can do it all with Indeed. Find Top Talent Fast with Indeed's suite of powerful hiring tools like Indeed instant match assessments and virtual interviews.

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Starting point is 00:23:51 I am Hunter Hodes, joined as always by the best co-host in the world, Patrick Dam. So I kind of teased it earlier on in the show, but counting, Jake Gensel, 16 forwards on this team right now, without him, 15. Five players battling for those final two spots. You know the list. I mean, it's Jansen Harkins, it's Vinnie Hinoxha. It's Austin Wagner, Colin White, and Redeems Zahorna. Those five right there are battling for those final two spots.

Starting point is 00:24:21 I'll give you my prediction, and I'm probably going to go O for two on it. Redeems O'Horna makes this team next week, and I'm going to say Jansen Harkins makes this team. I think he's going to do enough on Friday night to make it. I don't think the penguins are going to want to put him on waivers because someone else may claim him. In fact, I think it's likely that someone will claim him considering the camp that he had for the Jets, considering how good he looked on Wednesday. And if he plays well tonight, I think those are going to be your final two forwards. That's just my take on it.

Starting point is 00:24:50 Here's the thing. I don't think it's two spots. I think it's one because I think Radium Zahorna is a lock. I don't think they're sending him down. He should be a lock. He has been the closest thing to a star in this camp for the Penguins. And I've said it on the show. He talked about how much he loved the Penguins organization and playing in Pittsburgh.

Starting point is 00:25:14 And the way he has played in this camp, he has proven his words to be true because he's playing like a guy who is sending a very clear message to management and coaches that I'm on this team. I think that the two that really, though, that I think are the ones that are battling for it most are, yes, I'm with you, Jansen Harkins. They seem to really like. And I do like his game so far. I think he's looked solid. I think the other one they like that might turn a PTO into a contract is Austin Wagner.

Starting point is 00:25:49 He's 26. He can play both wings. He can play up and down the lineup. And it's always good to have a guy. like that on your team. And as I ranted and raved about in the last segment, he's 26. Like, you want the team to get a little bit younger. That's a guy who's a little bit younger. And I like his game. I think he could be an impactful forward in the bottom six. He could bring a little bit of snarl, a little bit of aggression and a bit of an offensive touch that this team needs in the bottom six.

Starting point is 00:26:19 So realistically, I think it's three or four players battling for one spot because I think they'd be nuts to not give Redding Zahornah a spot. I would agree with that. I mean, I have to say two spots because you never know. I mean, maybe someone goes out here tonight and blows the horn away. Unlikely, by the way, Zohorn is going to go out there, I think, and kick a lot of butt. But hopefully you are right, and that Zahornah is a lock, because he should be a lock. Wagner, I would agree with you on that.

Starting point is 00:26:49 I liked his offensive game in a couple of the preseason games so far. We've talked about the goal that he scored, that beautiful one. hander in that earlier game. I believe was the game in Columbus about a week and a half ago. That was really nice. Colin White is interesting. I mean, he's more, I think, of a defensive forward at this point, but he played in Florida's bottom six for most of last year. I mean, this is a player that he doesn't make the Penguins team. Someone is going to pick him because he can be in the bottom six on, I think, most teams around the NHL. And then the other player, of course, Vinnie Hino Shroza, I don't know about him. That's the thing. Like, he started

Starting point is 00:27:24 off camp, getting a look with Cindy Crosby and Ryan Rust, looked fine in the first preseason game. Outside of that, though, just hasn't fully impressed. I mean, he did set up a couple of chances on Wednesday's game that I was like, okay, finally, he's making at least a little bit of a push for the roster. But I don't know right now. I think he's on the outside looking in, heading into this game, especially because, you know, A, he's not playing, but I just don't think he's had as good of a camp or a preseason as I hope he would. Yeah, I like them, but the best way I can describe his preseason and training camp is pedestrian. He didn't need to be a great.

Starting point is 00:28:03 He didn't need to be the dark horse, kind of like Zahornah, who popped up and showed that he was going to make the team. But it just, again, this was a very competitive camp. This was a training camp that was set up to give guys a lot of shots. And if you weren't one of the big names, you had an opening. You had a chance to make the team. And a handful of guys reached out and grabbed it and a handful of guys let it slip. And I think Vinny, well, that name's going to be a tongue twister.

Starting point is 00:28:35 Vinny Hino-Straza is one of the guys who let it slip. So I like his game, but through this camp, I can't say I have. Him and Andreas Janssen are kind of similar in that regard where I was hoping that they were going to take one of these spots, but they just haven't really seized the opportunity. You know, Jansans, obviously, down at Wilkesbury, but I don't think Hino Strosa has really seized the opportunity there either. But I will say this was probably the most competitive camp I've seen the Penguins have in quite some time. I have a lot of fun covering this camp.

Starting point is 00:29:08 It's been a blast, but I think I speak for you here and I think everyone else, I'm ready for this thing to get rolling, man. I'm ready for regular season hockey. I'm ready to start talking about games that actually matter. But still, excited to watch this one. We'll break it all down. on the Monday episode, at least a little bit, and then we'll also do a full season preview,

Starting point is 00:29:27 full predictions, preview the game against the Blackhawks, all that good stuff. I cannot wait for Monday. But I think that will do it for this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Thank you all so much for listening to slash watching this one. We will be back on Monday for the official start of the regular season. I know it starts on Tuesday, but for us,

Starting point is 00:29:46 the regular season starts on Monday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and we'll talk with you all. Amen.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins preseason comes to a close!

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