Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins Training Camp Day 2 Analysis with Josh Yohe!

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

Hunter and Pat wrap up the first week of daily episodes with Josh Yohe from The Athletic. They start with Josh's thoughts and analysis from the second day of training camp and what stood out to him on Friday. That includes Evgeni Malkin and Reilly Smith starting to form some chemistry, as well as Colin White looking good on a PTO. Is there a chance White makes the team out of camp since he was good enough to be on the Florida Panthers last year? They also dive into Erik Karlsson and how he's looked so far with his new team. After that, they get Josh's thoughts on how the core group of players are feeling with camp starting and if they feel hungrier than in year's past. They also get his thoughts on some of the other battles that are going on, including the No. 6 defensive spot and the backup goaltending spot. Does Ruhwedel have the inside track to play with PO Joseph? Is Ned going to be Jarry's backup? Finally, the two get Josh's thoughts on how he sees the team for this season and he even drops a small Jake Guentzel nugget in.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNHL or enter promo code LOCKEDONNHL for a free water bottle with any order. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you.AG1If a comprehensive solution is what you need from your supplement routine, then try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase. Go to drinkAG1.com/NHLNETWORK.Jase MedicalSave more than $360 by getting these lifesaving antibiotics with Jase Medical plus an additional $20 off by using code LOCKEDON at checkout on jasemedical.com.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS - GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire 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) 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.

It's Friday, and that means Josh Yoey of the Athletic is here to discuss everything regarding the Pittsburgh Penguins in day two of training camp and it all starts 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, welcome back to this episode of the Locked On Penguins podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Hunter Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes.

can follow these shows, Twitter at Eleanor for Penguins. To my right is my co-host Patrick Dam. You can follow him on Twitter at Sendem for Wet. Of course, thank you all so much for making this your first lesson slash watch of the day. Today's episode is brought to you by Thandandul Sportsbook, the official sports betting partner of Lockdown. Make every moment more right now. New customers can bet $5 and get $200 and bonus bets guaranteed. Visit fanglundle.com slash locked on to get started.

And just a little below me here is the man, the myth, the legend, Josh Yoey himself from the athletic, welcoming him back after, I guess, a couple of months away from the show. But, you know, we are in full training camp mode right now, day two of practice was today. Josh, really excited to have you back on. Hunter, it's good to be here. You know, I need some stability in my life, which is why I'm here. I'm going to miss camp tomorrow. Do you know why? Why?

I have to go to my cousin's wedding in Kentucky. I don't know if there's going to be hillbillies there, if there's going to be shotguns, if there's going to be moonshine. I don't know what my weekend has been served for me. So at least right now I can just relax and talk with my pals about the first two days of training camp. There might be all of that down there, Josh.

I'd be disappointed if there weren't. Hey, you know, got to be careful driving through that new tropical storm because that's where I'm going to have to, I'm going down to my mom's tomorrow in Northern Virginia. And they're going to get hit pretty hard by that new. That's coming up a coast. So that's going to be fun, at least for that kind of drive. But day two of training camp was today.

Josh, what was the biggest thing that stood out to you for today's camp? I know it's early, it's only the second day, but what was your big takeaway from today's practices? Well, lots of things. You know, it's so early in camp that I always cautioned people not to get too carried away by what they see. But what I saw today in particular, they do the scrimmage at 10 o'clock every morning. and Evgeny Malkin looked fabulous today, in fact. And he and Riley Smith, man, where they click in the day. And again, it's only a couple of practices.

But you could perhaps see the early signs of some chemistry forming there. It's very clear Mike Sullivan wants those two to play together, and it's obvious why. And we know Sid wants to play with Jake, and that's going to be your top line. So Smith and Malkin clearly are going to be on the second line, probably with Raquel. Although I think Raquel and Rust are kind of interchangeable. we'll see both of them on those lines. I just liked everything I saw from Smith and Malquin today. Riley Smith is kind of a straight line player.

He just does everything well. He's kind of big. He's kind of fast. Pretty good finisher. And Malcon was looking for him and finding him all morning long. They looked really good together. And I think Mike Sullivan was really happy with what he saw too. So I think some encouraging signs from what we might see on the second line.

So it's the thing that. everybody's talked about everybody wants to know we might as well just get it out of the way early eric marlton's a penguin josh and uh even though again only two days what are you seeing from because we've seen some clips and some tweets or exes if you're so inclined but it looks like he's making an impression early oh yeah as expected a couple of things uh whenever his team gets the puck in the scrimmage no matter where on the ice the puck is or who has it the dude just takes off like he's jumping into the rush every single time. I mean, there's no hesitation.

It's who he is. I talk with Marcus Pedersen about it. He's like, yeah, you know, I'm not going to be joining the rush much this year. He knows he's sitting back, right? So that's why, I mean, even more than letang, he just, he literally looks like a forward the second the penguins get the puck. Now, he's been really good. I'm just watching him today.

He's so good in tight quarters. Like he had the puck in the offensive in the left corner in the offensive zone and people were charging after him and he just sidesteps them back and forth like it's nothing um he he doesn't look like anyone else on the ice um a really good form i was actually talking after practice today with tie smith i said we think about carlson he said i'm supposed to like working on my own drills but you can't help but watch the guy when he's on the ice like he just looks so different than anyone else um and he made this one play in the skirmage yesterday He has the puck behind the goaltender in his own

and his defensive zone on the left side on the left wall. And he just real slowly, skates kind of diagonally to the center of the ice, and then to the middle of the rink to the right side. And the defense swings over with him. Then he just snaps this little pass like 90 feet to a left wing. I forget who it was.

Some guy who's never going to play in the NHL. The kid had no idea the puck was coming. He totally whiffed on the pass because he's like, like how'd you make that play? I mean, you can see the way he, the creative mind that he has, it's just different than anyone else's. And it has been a blast watching him the first two days of camp.

It's all gas, no breaks with him, I think, at this point. You're going to see that every game, I think, this season, to be honest. He is, you know? He's going to the Hall of Fame for a reason, not because he's a great two-way player that he's going to sit back. So, now, he's been a lot of fun to watch. And it looks to me, and we kind of could have guessed this, I guess. You're going to see Latang and Graves on the ice a lot with Crosby,

and you're going to see Pedersen and Eric Carlson on the ice with Evgeny Malkin an awful lot. That's going to help Vigna Malkin so much. And Pat and I have discussed this a lot on the show recently, too. Evgeny Malkin has never played with a defenseman this good so often during a season because usually it is always Latang hogged up by Crosby because that's just how it's been. Evgeny Malkin kind of gets the quote unquote scraps, if you will. not really scraps, obviously here, but, you know, he played a lot with Jack Petrie last year.

For that, he played some with John Marino and, you know, going back to other people. But this year, a healthy dose of Eric Carlson, I think that could lead to Evgeny Malkin having an even better year this year than he was last year if he stays healthy. Boy, I do too. The day after the Carlson trade, I happen to be in Boston at Kevin Stevens' golf event, and lo and behold, Mike Sullivan was there. So I did the whole, hey, Sally, I'm not trying to, buggy in the off season, but you just traded for a Hall of Fame or do you have a minute

to talk about it? And of course he did. And one of the very first things Sullivan said was, boy, is this a big deal for Gino? And he even told me, Crosby and Malkin were the first two people to text Sullivan when the trade went through. He said, they are giddy. And you're right. LaTang always does play with Sid.

And that's best defenseman, best forward. Sure, it makes sense. Carlson, though, you know, you insert him now. And we know Carlson's greater on the power play, and a lot of people talk about that. But really, I think what separates him is just the five-on-five offense that he creates from the blue line. And Malkins never played with anyone like that. And I have to think it's going to enhance his production this season pretty significantly. I can't wait to watch it.

And as we've been saying all along, Hunter, I think it was you who tweeted it the other day. We're only a few days away from seeing Chris Lattang and Eric Carlson on the ice for 80% of the time. that's a real thing. And just the hockey fan and me, I can't wait to watch the Penguins this season because of that. I mean, you wrote it, I wrote it. It just felt almost predetermined. Like this was the most Pittsburgh Penguin thing to ever Pittsburgh Penguin.

Like we don't do the whole lock it down, the whole get a defensively accountable guy. It's like, no, we're going to beat you eight to seven and we do not care. But with that in mind, with the defense and the bottom six, it's something Hunter and I have been racking our brains over. You know, you can see that Kyle Dubus signed a bunch of PTOs, bottom six guys. You know, obviously Carlson was the big splash, but he did a lot of depth signing. And we all know how much of a liability the bottom six was last season. So anything, anybody in particular standing out through the first two days that you think might have a shot, somebody we won't expect that could fill a bottom six role or bottom defensive pairing role?

Well, yeah, first of all, you know, the bottom six is going to look a lot different. I don't think there's any question about that. I'm fascinated by the third line because I think I already know what the fourth line is. I think it's a Curry centering Don't Get Mad, Jeff Carter and Matt Niedo. I really think that's the fourth line. The third line, it's going to be Lars Eller at center. the question becomes who flanks him on either wing. And, you know, it could be guys that the whole key to the bottom six could be Drew O'Connor.

Like I just keep waiting for this guy to kind of erupt, right? Because you see him, I see him every training camp. It's like, man, this guy's got serious talent. He's a big kid. He can skate. He can do everything. And then when the regular season comes, he hasn't played poorly. but he's never really put it all together.

He also doesn't get a lot of ice time sometimes, so that makes it difficult. And frankly, he was surrounded by crap on the bottom six last year, which I suspect did not help. I'm waiting for him to make that jump. I think it could make a huge difference. And one guy, there's a few candidates. Colin White's a guy through two days of camp.

I've really liked what I've seen from him. We know he's pretty good defensively. He's not going to light it up offensively, though he did score a goal at a scrimmage yesterday. He was good enough to play every playoff game for the Florida Panthers. We made it to the Stanley Cup final. That tells me he should be good enough to play in this bottom six. I'm curious to see if he makes a team or not, what kind of a role he has.

Through two days, I kind of like what I've seen from him, though. He's an interesting name, you know, someone who doesn't bring too much offense. He did for a time a little earlier on in his career. But it's gone down a little bit recently. It's kind of in tune with a lot of their other bottom six moves this offseason. But I think I'll wrap up this first time. Coming up in the second segment, we're going to get into the mindset of the big three with training camp starting. And some of the other roster battles that are taking place, including backup goal with how Alex and Belkevich maybe did on day two.

Plus, who is the top favorite to play with P.O. Joseph on the third pairing, assuming P.O. Joseph wins that battle with Ty Smith. And I think at this point, he's probably winning that right now. But before we get to that, we got to talk about bird dogs. They make you look ridiculously good. They stretch khaki shorts, and they are designed to fit slimmer through the thigh and leg, giving you a truly sculpted look. They fit way better than regular shorts that are made of a stiff or straight and cotton. They also fix this issue by inventing cloud knit fabric that looks just like khaki but stretches. So you get a way slimmer fit without having a sacrifice movement.

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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 Lockdown Penguins podcast. I'm Hunter Hodes, joined as always by my co-host Patrick Damp, and our guest today is Josh Yewe from the Athletic. So Josh, Pan and I kind of hinted at this a little bit on Thursday, but we also discussed some other players with their mindset hitting into camp. But when it comes to the big three overall, it seems like just to me, they definitely have something more to prove this year. They took the end of last year really personally, and they just really, really, really, really,

weren't used to obviously what happened at the end of the season. What do you think their mindset is heading into camp and obviously through the first couple of days of camp? Because based on some of their interviews so far, they seem pretty fired up to get this thing started. Do they ever? We have not heard from Gino yet, who does not speak to the media quite as often, like the others, although he does much more than he used to.

I bet he'll talk tomorrow. If I were a betting man, Gino always likes to talk on the first. Saturday of training camp because there's no media there. Everyone's like the college football games and stuff. That's a little more comfortable for him. I bet he'll talk tomorrow. But talking with Crosby and Latang the last couple of days, there is very clearly an enthusiasm that was not there last season.

You know, their future Hall of Fame are these larger-than-life people in the game. But in some ways, they're just like the fans. And they were aware that that team. wasn't good enough to do anything last season. They were aware that Ron Hextall and Brian Burke were in over their heads. Like, they knew that. Of course they knew that. And I felt like by the end of the season, those three and Mike Sullivan were as united as ever.

But they kind of felt like, hey, can somebody please give us some help here? And along came Kyle Dubus. And now there is some help, I think. So there is a feeling of enthusiasm. That same enthusiasm that the fan base clearly has right now, I sense it in that locker room in a big, big way. They think this team can be good. How good, who knows, I don't think they know yet.

But yes, the mindset is clearly a very positive one and their physical conditioning. You know, you always worry about their ages at this point. But first two days of camp, they look an awful lot like crowds, be marking on the tang. Yeah, you wrote about it today in your observations about how Sullivan said this might be the most competitive group we've ever put together going into camp. So with him saying that, you know, this applies to him, applies to the big three, applies

to Carlson. We know the big move this summer was getting Kyle Dubus. It didn't seem like that was going to be a thing. We had it. It looked like all signs pointed to him staying in Toronto, but then he comes here. have you heard or seen anything about the relationship these guys all have? Obviously, it's early, and, you know, there's kind of still a honeymoon phase of this guy's new. He made a big move. But how does that relationship seem to be forming with all of them?

Well, I mean, I know for a fact, Crosby really likes Kyle Dubus, for one thing. And he has spoken glowingly of him in the past. and I had more than one person in the organization tell me he was just thrilled when the penguins were able to get this guy. He thinks he's great. And everything's rosy right now, you know? I mean, we know if you've ever read anything I've written or just paid attention to the penguins over the years,

you know, Crosby, Malkin, and Lantang are incredibly close. Like I always tell people, you don't know how tight they are. Like, they're not just teammates. The bond between those three, like I was, right before Christmas last year, the Penguins played a game in Raleigh on a Sunday afternoon. And the day before, I saw the three of them walking to the mall to go Christmas shopping together.

They're besties. They really are. I'd watch that sitcom. Shopping with Gino, yeah. Gino's credit card has a very high limit. This is going to be a fun day. Yeah, so those three are so close. And Dubas, they're so excited about him.

And they're also so close with Sullivan. And so there's just a nice little circle, right? And Carlson, I'll tell you what, everybody likes him. And I know for a fact, Crosby and Malkin and Latang, but they all had a little bit of a relationship with him. And they had nothing but good things to say. They were all really encouraging the move. Carlson was my favorite line from Carlson's press conference back in August.

He said, well, I've got to know those three from numerous All-Star Games. Like, you know, you're great when you're had numerous All-Star games. Over the years, you get to know these guys. just a little bit of a flex. And I don't sense that Latang and Carlson are going to have any issues. Ten years ago, maybe. I don't know if LaTang would have been thrilled about this ten years ago. He is so different now.

He is a different person, I'm telling you. You talk about people who just want to win. As Sullivan said yesterday, talking about Carlson. He said, every conversation I've had with this guy about strategy or, you know, different drills or his offseason, all he does is talk about the Stanley Cup. It's all he cares about. It's literally all he talks about. So they're all on the same page right now.

There's a, as the young people like to say, there's a lot of positive vibes right now around the Pittsburgh. There we go, Josh. There we go. You just got to wait for people to start saying that Eric Carlson is him this season on social media. That's what you got to wait for. But, no, I mean, I can't wait to see him just play a live game for the Penguins and seeing him and Crystal Tang out there late in games, whether it's the power. player, even a six on five, if they're trailing or something like that. That's just going to be a sight for sore eyes because both of them out there at the point

guiding the offense, I've been waiting for something like that for a long time. And Sidney Crosby and Eric Carlson, I feel like I've always been close. I mean, I'm sure you remember the handshake they had. Game 7, 2017, Carlson goes up to him and just says, hey, go with another one. And, you know, he gave him a pretty long hug in the handshake line. He's always had a lot of respect for someone like Sid. And I think that's carried over, obviously. that they're teammates.

And, you know, someone like Carlson, he's won everything except the Stanley Cup. And that's why he wanted out of San Jose. He knew that team was not going to be good. They're projected to have the worst record in the league. If you look at some of the articles from Dom and Sean and Shana from their previews from the athletic, now he's on a team that's potentially going to be a contender this year. You can't help but feel, you know, super happy for him and just all the core players involved. But by the way, Hunter, Patrick, I got to give ESPN some credit.

I'm often critical of them. Opening night, we got Connor Bedard against Eric Carlson making his debut in Pittsburgh. I can't wait. That's going to be incredible. I do think, like, Connor Bedard is going to be incredible. He all signs point to it. But, man, if there were ever a welcome to the NHL kid moment, he's going to walk out to Crosby, Malkin, Littang, Eric Carlson. And that's just like, it's funny.

because these guys have been around for so long for us. Now we're taking for granted. You know he's going to say multiple times and the lead up to that game. Oh, yeah, I grew up watching those guys and we're all going to go, what's the age limit for AARP again? I said, it might be a good night to bet the over.

Oh, God, yeah. There's going to be some fireworks on October 10th. With how young he is, I feel old, and I'm only going to be 26 this year. That's just, yeah, we know. Yeah. But switching gears, Here's a little bit, Josh, the competition for the third pairing this year. That's one of the big

competitions for this camp in the preseason. I think we all assume P.O. Joseph is going to take up half of that pairing unless you're seeing something from Ty Smith in camp so far that's saying otherwise, I know he has some offensive skill, but defensively I would put P.O.J. a bit higher than him at this point. But on the right side, you got Chad Riedel, who I personally think is the favorite. You got Mark Pissick, who is on the PTO. Mark Freak. can play there, but I know Mike Selvin like to play him on his offside. What are you seeing so far from that competition and who do you think the favorite is, I guess at this point? Obviously, there's a long way to go, but what are you seeing?

You know, Ruiedel is the safe choice. I'm not so sure Pissick isn't the favorite, though. He was really good today. He certainly has more of an offensive game than Ruehito and even more so than Friedman, I would say. He's former first round pick. He's never, I wouldn't say he's had a great NFL career, but he's been okay. I've really liked what I've seen from him the way he can skate. I think the penguins want him to be the guy because I think to them,

Ruehiel was more valuable as a number seven guy. And that's not a knock on him. Not everybody can go a month and go into the lineup and do a serviceable job. Rweedle can't. So I think that's probably what we're looking at right now. It is a very interesting competition. As for the left side, I think PO is certainly the likely candidate there. I don't get the sense, the coaching staff,

or the organization is thrilled with Ty Smith. It's not personal. I think they were a little disappointed last season and what he brought to the table. They really don't like his work in the defensive zone. And that's pretty clear to me. You can see watching today, and he jumps into the play,

and he can really handle the puck bowl. He's got a lot of talent. But he was a very big defensive liability his last season of New Jersey. And I think maybe he's made some minor strides, but I don't think they're completely comfortable with him just yet. And I'd be surprised if he got past PO. And PO still has a lot to prove. I thought he really wore down in the second half of last season.

He's not bad, though. He can certainly do some things. My biggest concern with the blue line, we know how good the top four is. And I think if you have Pissick and P.O., that's an okay third pairing. Who's going to kill the penalties? Like, P.O. is not a good penalty killer.

Carlson's not a good penalty killer. And Lantang can kill penalties, and he's going to have to. So Graves and Pettersen obviously are very good penalty killers. I only bring this up. It makes me wonder, you know, people talk about the power play. La Tang and Carlson maybe being together on it.

I wonder if when everyone's healthy, if they don't just go Carlson is the only defenseman on the top power play, partially, well, I think Raquel's really good in the power play, but also, you know, watch La Tang's minutes a little bit. I know he never gets tired. He's for his let's Tang, but maybe because he's going to have to kill penalties, maybe a little more than in the past, you might have to watch his minutes, and maybe the power plays the place to do that. Yeah, that makes sense.

I also think when it comes to P.O., I think he's got a really, really good mentor in Chris LaTang. I agree. He wore down pretty heavily at the end of last year, but by all accounts, it seems like Chris LaTang is treating him as a son. So he's seeing the way that guy trains, the way that guy takes care of himself. I think that's going to be an underrated factor for PO going into this season. No, you're absolutely right. La Tang, I always tell people, Chris Lattang, I never disliked Chris. I don't mean to imply that. He has grown up so much in the last five or so he's a different guy now i don't know if it was being a father or all the stuff he's dealt with off the ice what it was but he was the guy like right

when the n-h-l came back from from covid i think the first full season after covid he was literally having one-on-one meetings and if there were any players who hadn't gotten the vaccine he wanted to talk with him to let them know that they were getting the vaccine and here was the medical reasons why. He's like very, very fatherly. And with P.L. He works out with him in the summer. He really is taking him under his wing. And it was interesting talking with Ty Smith today. He told me that Carlson's done a little bit of that with him. You know, Carlson and Latang are not just two of the most important players on the team, but they're really trying to mentor some of the younger guys on this blue line, which you love to hear. So yes, there is some real, the word leadership gets a little

overused in sports, but I think you are seeing some of it there. And P.O. has talent. I'd like to see him have a little bit more of a green light in the offensive zone. Same. I really think he can do some things offensively. And I feel like he was holding back a little bit last season, perhaps out of fear of, you know, messing up in the defensive zone, whatever. And that happens with the young defenseman.

But I really think he can play. I just don't know if he can do it for 82 games. I mean, he needs to prove it. he's a small guy. We always talk about that, but there is not a lot of muscle. It's just the DNA thing. It's not that he doesn't work hard.

He's just got kind of a frail build for an NHL player. So does Marcus Patterson. And we've seen Marcus over the years, I think, learned to last all 82 games. He used to wear down two in the second half. We didn't see that last year. Hopefully that'll be the case with PO. If he can have a little bit of a breakout season,

I mean, man, what a big deal that would be for a blue line that I think is already really good. Yeah, I hope, he gets more involved offensively this year. I thought still last year he was better offensively than he was defensively, I think, in his own zone. He was lacking a little bit, losing some of those one-on-one matchups that he probably shouldn't at that stage of his career, even though he's still really young.

I still think he should have been winning some more matchups. But if he does get more of a green light offensively, maybe he gets some work on power play too. If someone gets hurt or something like that, I would maybe look at that as well. One of the other big, I guess, competitions, if you want to call it during camp, though, Josh, last thing we'll get to before. we head to a break. Back up goalie spot behind Tristan Jari. We finally have a new goalie tandem for the first time and quite some time now with Casey to Smith out of the picture. He's with Vancouver after

B. Canucks found a way to trade for him out of Montreal earlier this week. It looked like Alex Ndilkevich had a really good second day of camp. There was some video that the Penguins posted on their social media. He was out there sprawling making some really nice saves. Looking like the goalie that I kind of saw in Carolina and Detroit. He makes those saves that you're like, wow, oh my God, this is just crazy. But then he'll let in some of the stinkas where it's like, man, you shouldn't really be letting those in. I hope that he keeps making those sprawling saves during the season if he wins the job and, of course, cleans up some of the stinkers. But who would you say, I guess, is the favorite right now after a couple of days after watching

him and Magnus Helberg? Oh, I think Neveltevich has a huge favorite. probably. I had that sense before camp. He was the presumed guy, and I still think that he is. I thought he was really good the first two days, in fact. He's interesting. He's one of those guys. He's got talent. Well, you can see it. You watch, I'm not a goalie expert by any stretch, by the way. I will tell you that now, but I watch him play. You can see the talent. He played in Carolina, and they have a way of making goalies look really good. And he played in Detroit. They have a way of making their goalies look pretty bad the last few years. So it's hard to get a feel.

Wasn't he the goalie in the 11 goal game a couple of years ago? Yes. Yeah. So I think he's more physically gifted than Casey to Smith. It's not a knock on Casey, but Casey was one of the smallest goalies in the league. And, you know, sometimes you'd watch him play and you could see if in the press box, well, there's a gigantic gaping hole to shoot at. He's not that big.

So I think this is probably an upgrade. I think he'll be the guy. And that said, there's some depth now between the pipes and the organization that we really haven't seen that much of the last few years. We all know Tristan's health and the way he performs is arguably the most important variable for this team. But my gosh, there's something to be said for having some depth behind him, especially with the health issues he's had the last couple of years. And I think you're going to see that. Yeah, I always kind of likened it to the way both. Flurry and Murray were they always kind of seem to be at their best when there was somebody

that maybe not legitimately could, but plausibly could take their job. And I kind of feel like that's going to be a similar situation for Jari this year when he's got someone like Nadelcovic behind him. I think so. Boy, Jim Rutherford always used to tell me, point blank, Matt Murray is better when somebody's pushing him. We don't want Matt to be comfortable. Matt Murray was at his best one.

old number 29 was sitting there on the bench, right? I mean, you can't deny that. So maybe there's something to that with Jari. I'm fascinated to see what we witnessed from Jari this season. You know, the last time he was under this kind of microscope, I think, was after the Islander's debacle. And he responded with his best regular season in 21, 22. He was great that year.

And I'm convinced if Anders Lee doesn't break Jari's foot, I think they beat the Rangers in the first round. Not so sure they don't beat Carolina in the second round that year. They weren't playing very well. Who knows? So we've seen Jari when the stakes are raised a little bit in terms of people questioning him. He tends to respond pretty favorably. And I know people were questioning him after this contract now.

I think we all agree of all the great things Dubus did this offseason. The one thing people weren't sure about was that contract for Tristan Jari. So there's a lot of pressure on him. We'll see how he responds. He looks fine in camp. He looks healthy. That's the first step. But, boy, it's going to be interesting.

He just has to stay healthy throughout the season so that he can bounce back. I mean, that's just been the biggest thing. And, you know, he, I think before these injury situations really came up, he didn't really seem like someone who would get hurt very often. I think this was just a very recent thing with him, just with the broken foot. And then you had the bad luck last year with, you know, whatever, the groin and the back. and all that stuff. But I think he definitely does have something pretty big to prove this year.

If he is on his A game, this team could potentially do some real damage in the NHL this year. And speaking of that, we're going to get Josh's thoughts on the seasonal outlook right after this. All right, and we're back here on this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I am Hunter Hodes. To my right is Patrick Gamp. And below me is Josh Yewee of the athletic. So, Josh, I think a lot of people have just, different expectations for the penguins heading into the season.

I've seen some people say that, oh, they can maybe win the Metro this year, even though Carolina and New Jersey are very good. I've seen some people say, oh, they can maybe challenge for that third spot or be a wildcar team. And I've seen some people say, nope, this is the end. They're going to miss the playoffs. When it comes to your view on the team, after everything Kyle Dubus did over the summer and maybe stuff he still could do at the trade deadline, because I don't think he's

going to be satisfied with his team by then, do you think that they are a playoff team heading into this year right now? Yeah, Hunter, I do. They're not going to win the division because they don't care about winning the division. Right. They just don't. They never have.

I think they're just better in so many different departments this season. That top four in the blue line is way better this season. The bottom six is better, especially defensively. Because of those guys that have come in, the penalty kill is going to be better.

Eric Carlson is going to make the power play better. They're just better in so many departments. And Tristanjari theoretically is healthy now and we'll be better. So, yeah, I think they're a playoff team. I really do. And could they do damage in the playoffs? Sure, they could. I always say, if the payments could just win one series,

and it's been what, since 2018, it's been a long time. They can just win one and get hot in the playoffs. If Crosby and Malkin can just sniff it one last time, who knows? I could see them pushing the clock back a little bit in making a run. It's conceivable. It's in play.

The biggest problem for the penguins, the Eastern Conference is so frighteningly good and so deep. I mean, in the Atlantic alone, you've got Toronto, Tampa, Florida, Boston. I really like Ottawa and Buffalo. That seems are good. Then you've got Carolina, Jersey. The Rangers are still formidable. I don't think the Islanders are capital stink.

It's an unbelievably grueling conference. So I don't think they're going to just waltz their way into the playoffs. I don't think many teams are going to. I just think it's going to be a battle every night. And if you love hockey, oh, my God, these Eastern Conference games this season, I mean, it's going to be unbelievable. I don't remember a time when there were this many good teams in one conference. So it's going to be tough.

But I just think the Penguins are going to score a million goals this year. You know, and I really do. And I think they, barring any massive injuries, I think they're a playoff team for sure. Yeah, I think that playoffs are about the expectation this year and not just because of the roster. I just think, like, looking at it, they're going to get back. I also do think there is a good shot they can finish third in the division, just because, like you said, I mean, I don't think the Islanders or Capitals stink, but I don't think they're as good as they were last year. And unless they get the Laviolet bump, I think the Rangers took a step back too. So I think there's a real chance for this team to get a third place finish in the Metro.

The Rangers are old. I don't think he was a very inspired hire as head coach, quite honestly. They've got some issues. As long as they had that goaltender, I still think they're a playoff team. But yeah, I mean, the Penguins could very easily finish third. I don't know that they'll catch Carolina or Jersey. Carolina is such of a regular season machine. I think they just are.

Jersey is really good. I don't think they're going anywhere. but we'll see what happens. And I just, I feel like the penguins are so motivated and they have made upgrades. And I also feel like whether they get off to a terrible start or if they get off to a great start or whatever, Kyle Dubos is going to be aggressive. He really is. We saw it in his last year in Toronto.

We've seen it here. He's like morphing into Jim Rutherford more and more every year. He's got to move. He'll do whatever it takes to make them better. And the penguins, I just feel like they're. have a lot to prove. I think they were embarrassed by what happened last season. So I think they're a playoff team for sure. And that'll be a great theater, no matter who they would get in the first round. And I know some people definitely want to see, even outside Pittsburgh would probably want to see

one more last hurrah for the core players here before they ride off into the sunset with all the trophies that they have, not just Stanley Cuffs, of course. I do have a fun question for you, just for this. Who gets more points this year? Sydney Crosby. your air carlson so ESPN said Carlson right that's other little uh projections okay i would probably say crosbie i think Carlson will certainly put up numbers i don't know that he's going to put up 100 points again i some people are kind of assuming that that's a rare thing to do but i think he'll be a point for game player i would guess carlson and malcon both around 80 points crosbie probably closer to 95 maybe 100 in that range

as long as Gensel was back, which I think Jake might be coming back a lot sooner than people think, which will only help Sidney Crosby's offensive output. So I would still probably give the nod to sit there, but it will be fun to watch for sure. And listen, it's Eric Carlson. I was watching training camp today and actually said to myself, this is so weird. There's Eric Carlson in a Penguins jersey down there. This is wild. It still doesn't look real that he's here.

But that's the beauty of the Penguins organization. They know how to bring the star power in. And it's going to be a fun season. It really is. Hold on. I got to circle back on that. You think Jake Gensel is going to be back for like when? Okay.

So here's what we know publicly, right? People want to know. Mike Sullivan and Kyle Dubos have both projected he will miss around the first five games of the season. That would have him back October 24th against Dallas. Maybe that's the timeline. I can just tell you, he's been skating before the penguin skate in Cranberry. You wouldn't know there was anything wrong with him. You really wouldn't.

He looked great. And I hate saying, hey, I think this guy might be back by such and such day because it's not fair to put pressure on them. And we don't know what portions of the ankle might be vulnerable. Maybe he's just not allowed to skate even though he looks good. if he were to return before October 24th, opening day, I don't know, but if he's back before the 24th, I would not be surprised,

just basing that on how he looks skating. He looks healthy to me. So I do not think this is a long-term thing. Yeah, you just kind of casually drop that in. We were not expecting him to already be skating and to look as good as he has looked. There's a sense of optimism that he's going to be back. sooner rather than later.

And that's great news, obviously. There are so many people that were thinking, oh, they're going to have to LTIR him and stuff like that, if there was a minimum of 12 weeks. And for his sake, it's a contract year for him. Let's not forget that. And boy, is that going to be an interesting storyline as the season goes on, right?

How much money is Jake going to want? How much money are the Penguins willing to give him? We know a certain captain of the hockey team doesn't want Jake going anywhere. But Jake's going to be 29 in a few weeks. He's not a kid, but he's right in his prime. So I don't know. It's going to be very interesting.

And I've seen some people say, oh, man, he's not going to get over $8 million or even $9 million. I'm like, have you seen the way he produces? Did you just see what Cole Cawfield just got from the Canadians? And he's not even close to the goal score that Jake Gensel is. And if Gensel scores 50 this year, I predicted that last year to not come to fruition. They don't do it again this year. But he scores 50 this year, Josh. we're talking probably even $9.5 million per year, to be honest.

And I know that's very risky. That's a lot of cash. You would be paying someone well into their 30s. It would be, I think at that point, still a tough call. I would still lean towards doing it, but you're right. That's going to be a big time story. It is. And maybe he'll take a little bit less.

You know, all his teammates do it too. I don't know. It's interesting. His agent, Ben Hankinson's in Pittsburgh right now. In fact, I don't think he's in Pittsburgh because of any contract talks. The USHL games are going on at the Peguans facility. I'm pretty sure that's why he's in. I don't know.

I did see him today. I know Jake wants to be in Pittsburgh. And I know Crosby and everybody wants Jake to be in Pittsburgh. So my guess is it'll get done at some point. Will it be over $9 million? I don't think the penguins want to pay him more than that. But who knows? On the open market, man, that guy's getting paid.

We all know. I don't think the rest of the league considers him an extension of Crosby. Yeah, they play great together. But I think people acknowledge Jake Ansel's a great player in his own right. Yeah, that's going to be interesting. How does it affect the milkshake factory? I don't know. These are the things we need to consider.

I enjoy my half-off Jake Shake on occasion, just like the rest of the list. So who knows? Yeah, you know, they had to be breathing a sigh of relief when it came out that he was going to miss a few games. Oh, yeah. Well, and the funny thing is, you know, when that release came out, I think it was July or August, like it made it sound like Gensel was out for a long time. Like, it really did. Then Dubus kind of settled things down when he talked and said, ah, five games, I'll be back. I wonder if it'll be even before then. It wouldn't shock me.

And however long it is, whether it's even one or two games, three to five, Josh, who do you think is the favor? Just, I think this is probably the last question. had for you. Who is the favorite you think to replace Gensel for those first few games on Cindy Crosby's line? Is it Drew O'Connor? Is it Vinnie Hino Shroza? Because I've seen seen Mike Sullivan put him up there with Brian Rust to start training camp. Who do you think is a natural fit up there for the first few games? I don't know that it's Vinny. He's right-handed. And Sid made a joke today, like that he's never played on a line with two right-handed guys, which he hasn't. I don't know that he's comfortable with it necessarily. He loves having

right-handed right-wingers. I know he was joking, but I wonder how comfortable he was with those two. It's a great question. There's no obvious choice. There's really not... It's very clear on this team

who the top six is when healthy. And the rest of there's a big drop, right? Selfishly, I'd love to see Drew O'Connor get a few games there. I just added curiosity. He has all the physical attributes, I think, to be effective in that role.

I think he or Vinny would be the two most likely candidates, but there isn't an obvious choice, quite frankly. I wish there were. Maybe we won't need to find out, who knows. But as deep as the penguins are, you can't be deep everywhere, right? They have six really good top six guys, but there's no depth behind them.

So it's certainly imperative that those guys stay pretty healthy this season. Pat, do you have anything else? No, not really. I think I'm happy we got to do this because every time I get to talk hockey with you, Josh, it's a blast. Well, it is a pleasure, and I think I speak for most people when I say I'm a little more excited for this season

than I have been in previous seasons. Like I can sense the buzz in the city for this team. That's a great thing, and I'm telling you, that buzz is also evident in the locker room. They're really ready to go. I know this is a football town. I also know those Steelers have been struggling on offense recently. Really?

No. I know. I haven't heard anything about this. All right. I guess Matt Canada is a nobody in this town. How about that? I couldn't tell you who that is. Never heard of it before.

Those are coming right in the nick of time, I think, clearly. Oh, you aren't kidding. And it's the season's going to start in two and a half weeks. I think even the diehard Steelers fans will be happy that the Pankham are coming back just with how exciting this team should be this year. This season even starts right when the biweek starts for the Steelers. It's really central casting. It's perfect.

That is beautiful. That is, thank you, NFL schedule makers. That's how we do it right there. But I think that would do it for this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Josh, where can everyone find you on social media and what work do you have coming up on the athletic? Oh, it's always a pleasure, guys. Oh, my gosh. come to theathletic.com, find all the articles.

I don't even know my Twitter name. Is it like Josh Yoey at underscore PGH, Twitter? Or do we still call it Twitter? I still call it Twitter. I do. Yeah, just go to The Athletic. Rob Rossi and I are doing kind of daily recaps of everything that we're seeing in training camp.

In the next couple of weeks, I got all kinds of articles. I don't know exactly when they're going to run, but got some fun one catching up with our old friend Doc Emmerich. And a little trip to a little trip to the Sioux to talk with Kyle Dubus's family and some of people that really molded his childhood and stuff like that. So all kinds of good stuff on the way. Those are going to be great. I'm sure Pat and I can't wait to read them. And I'm sure everyone that's listening slash watching this can't wait to read those either if they're subscribed to the athletic.

And if you're not, well, shame on you. For six weeks. Yes, exactly. But that would do it for this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Thank you for coming on, Josh. Thank you all so much for listening slash watching. Pat and I will be back on Monday for another episode, recapping the, I guess, two intra-squad preseason games on Sunday.

There's one in Pittsburgh, and there's one in Columbus. And we'll be recapping both in seeing who stood out, both good and bad. I can really be able to draw too many conclusions, but enough to say that, hey, who's looking good versus who could still use a little more umph heading in the way. to more of the preseason. But again, thank you all so much for tuning in. We'll be back on Monday.