Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Should the Penguins keep or trade defenseman Erik Karlsson?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today on Locked-on Penguins, we look back at the season that was for defenseman Eric Carlson. Just as we thought Mike Sullivan is going to the New York Rangers and a penguins legend has officially called it a career. All of that coming up 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. Welcome to the Friday edition of Locked-on Penguins. I am back and I am one of your host, Patrick Damp. You can follow me across all social media platforms at Synonym 4Wet. Joined once again and as always by my co-host, the one and only Hunter Hodes.

Starting point is 00:00:50 You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can give our shows Twitter a follow at L0 underscore Penguins. And of course, as always, we appreciate you making us part of. of your daily routine. Don't forget that we are free and available wherever you get your podcasts as well as the Roku channel and YouTube. If you're following us on YouTube, go ahead and hit that notification button.

Starting point is 00:01:14 That way you can be among the first to know when we drop our daily Monday through Friday episodes. Before we get started, today's episode is brought to you by the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Turn any TV into your Xbox, no console needed. head to Amazon.com slash fire TV locked on to learn more. Like I said, I'm back. As you can see, the lights are back on at my home.

Starting point is 00:01:41 I was in the dark for well over 24 hours and unable to record. So that was as one in the business would call not very fun. So shout out to Hunter. Shout out to Jesse Marshall for picking up the reins because I was stuck in the dark. So happy to be back on the show, but let's get right into it, Hunter. We might as well end the week talking about one of the most polarizing characters on the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that is defenseman Eric Carlson. Not a terrible year, not a great year either.

Starting point is 00:02:16 You look at the top line statistics, plays all 82 games, scores 11 goals, adds 42 assists for 53 points. He also hit the 200 goal mark this season. and congratulations to Carlson for that, continuing to cement his legacy as one of the best offensive defensemen in the modern era. But let's start here with this. Rather than go right into the negative, because we've talked about the negative on this show throughout the last couple of years,

Starting point is 00:02:49 it's constantly a topic of discussion around this team, considering where they are and where they want to go. but he really increased his stock during the Four Nations face off with Team Sweden. And I look at it in two ways, excuse me. One, it shows that he still has it. It might not be what it was five, ten years ago, but he still has a lot of talent. He is still a very talented defenseman.

Starting point is 00:03:22 Then there's the flip side of it, which I have definitely mentioned, on this show before is if you have Eric Carlson, I often refer to him as a golden retriever. You need a big open field for him to run in, but you also need the owner with the leash right next to him as well. And going all the way back, we're not going to relitigate the trade,

Starting point is 00:03:48 but they got the first part correct. They got Eric Carlson in the offseason after missing the playoffs by a single point. The problem is they never really got a good, steady defenseman to go with him in these last couple of years. So that's kind of aided in it being disappointing. Now, that doesn't mean he's free of blame. That doesn't mean he hasn't disappointed because he certainly has. But when I look at the totality of Eric Carlson's tenure thus far as a penguin, I look at it as they got a guy that they needed but they didn't get what they needed to put around him. I understand what you're saying because when you look at the Four Nations face off,

Starting point is 00:04:33 him and Matthias Akholm were really good together as a pair. And that's exactly the type of partner that he needs. Someone who is really good in his own zone, also a physical defenseman that can punish any puck carrier that comes in. He can kind of babysit, I guess, could be the word, Carlson, while he kind of does his thing in the offensive zone. You saw Gustav Forsling. also do the same thing during the Four Nations face off.

Starting point is 00:04:58 Like those two, they let Carlson cook and do his thing in the offensive zone while they kind of peeled back and they handled some of the responsibilities in their own zone because you know, at Coleman, Forzling, they're two of the best defensive defensemen in the league. And you can make an argument that Forzling is the best defensive defenseman in the league. It's him and Jacob Slabin for me in terms of the best, you know, pure defensive defensemen in the league. They are both tremendous. But no, for a time, like, you know, him and Marcus Pederson, Carlson, that is, Him and Pedersen, they formed a pretty decent pairing at times.

Starting point is 00:05:29 Like you look at the numbers even for this season. They played 47 games together, almost 500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time. When they were on the ice together as a pair, Penguins had 52% of the shot attempts. They also had 55% of the expected goals, 51% of the swan chances and 57% of the high-danger chances. But when you take someone like Pedersen away from Carlson, so you have 82 games, almost 1100 minutes at 5-on-5 ice time, the shot set numbers go down to 50%, which is fine, but the expected goals goes down from 55 to 47, scoring chances goes down from 51 to 49,

Starting point is 00:06:06 and then the high danger chances goes down for 57% all the way down to 44%. Like, they didn't have anyone else that could play with him once Pedersen got traded. And at least last year, I thought Pedersen was really good with Carlson. This year, Pedersen's game went down a little bit, but he was still able to at least, you know,

Starting point is 00:06:25 play fine in his own son. The Penguins got a really good return for him right before the trade deadline. But after that, they really had no one that could play with him. So on the off chance that they decide to keep Carlson going into next season, because I think it's likely that he probably gets moved. But in the off chance that they don't move him, they will have to go out there. And I was talking about this with Kelsey on her show yesterday, Kelsey Cermex of the Hockey News. They will have to go out there no matter what, but especially in this case,

Starting point is 00:06:54 and get a bona fide top four defensemen that can play with Carlson. Someone like that is probably going to have to be a stay-at-home defensive defenseman who can still at least put up a little bit of offense, but that's what they're going to have to go after if they do keep Carlson. Again, they'll probably have to do that regardless. They have to get at least one, if not two defenders, to play on the left side because it's the left side right now, outside of Owen Pickering, not very good.

Starting point is 00:07:18 But again, they don't have a player that can play with Carlson right now. on this team. Outside of that, when you look away from the numbers with his Pedersen and otherwise, I will say this for Carlson, man. He had 33 points at 5 on 5 this year that is tied for 5th in the league with Evan Bouchard, Bowen, Byram, Adam Fox, Lain, Tumaz, Shabbat, etc. Only Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlene, Kail McCar, and Zach Warensky had more points at five on five this season among defensemen. Carlson can still do that much. Yes. He can't defend it anymore. He was in the one percentile at five on five, even strength defense when they traded for him. You were never trading for his defensive capability. And while I would say he was inconsistent during his time here, I still do think from at least some fans, he got a little too much flack. So with that, I'll give him an average grade for the season. I'll give him a C. I'm not going to give him a D or an F. I don't really think that's fair. Again, he was. top 10 and five on five points among defensemen this year.

Starting point is 00:08:26 He had some really good games while also having some games where he wasn't that good. Again, that's why I kind of graded out to average. Had some really good, had some really bad. You mix all those together. You get an average grade. And I'll say one more thing, man, they trade him. And that's likely. I still need to know where the offense is coming from from the back end.

Starting point is 00:08:44 And I think a lot of other fans need to ask themselves that question too. Absolutely. I'm right there on the letter grade with you. somewhere between a C and a B minus. I think you look at, like you said, you brought up the five on five numbers. You finished top 10 and five on five scoring as a defenseman. It's hard to say that you had a truly bad year because that doesn't happen by accident. That happens because you're probably pretty good.

Starting point is 00:09:12 The other, there's kind of a connective tissue here as well that I kind of want to dive into really quickly with Eric Carlson. and it has to do with the other big-name defenseman on the penguins, and that's Chris LaTang. If you remember especially early on in Chris Latang's tenure and even into his prime, when he would make a mistake, he wouldn't just make a mistake. He would make an insane mistake that it was impossible for you to not notice it. The same thing kind of happens with Eric Carlson. when he messes up, boy, oh boy, he goes for broke. He completely screws the pooch.

Starting point is 00:09:56 But at the end of the day, both players have something in common now. And that's, you can tell that they are starting to slow down. They are starting to become not quite a shell of themselves because they still have plenty of talent. But they're trying to do things that they could do five, ten years. years ago and they just don't have the talent to do those things anymore. You saw it a lot with Eric Carlson's game this year. We lamented it every time it happened. He would go for a pinch and he would hesitate, whether that's a lack of foot speed,

Starting point is 00:10:38 whatever else. The thing I continually said about Carlson throughout this season was, if you're going to do it, do it. no half measures because if you're going to do it and it doesn't work, it's going to lead to a scoring chance against regardless. So go for broke. Don't go halfway down the wall and then decide to pull back and put everybody else in a bad position. Because if you go all the way out,

Starting point is 00:11:06 good chance some of the forwards are going to notice the pinch and they're going to at least attempt to cover you. But if you're halfway down the wall in that pinch attempt, they're probably not going to come back and it's going to make the scoring chance against even worse. So if nothing else, very similar to a couple other players we've talked about throughout the season, it just needs to be more decisive for Eric Carlson, which is something I never thought I would say about him.

Starting point is 00:11:32 But say they hold on to him and let's even put aside how much work that Kyle Dubus is going to have to do on the defense, they do hold on to him next season, whoever's behind the bench. just look at Carlson and go, go be you, do what you do. We will figure everything else out aside from that. I do think a new system if he, if, if he does not get traded, I do think a new system with a new coach in place could be beneficial if that system

Starting point is 00:12:04 also suits his game. Because I think a little bit part of the reason of his struggles. And again, we'll get to Mike Sullivan in a couple of seconds, was that out of maybe he didn't really fit the way Mike Sullivan. wanted to play with this team. So maybe a new coach coming in here could be beneficial to him if, again, if Kyle Dubas doesn't move him. Right.

Starting point is 00:12:23 And I think that's the best place to leave it. If they hold on to him, I do think he would benefit from a new system and a new coach, just because you can maybe find a way to better utilize him if they hold on to him. But we will see what happens with him this summer. It does appear that there is interest in him around the league. We'll see how Kyle Dubus decides to go about that. because if you do look at some of his comments about Eric Carlson at the end of the season, while it doesn't seem like he's slamming the door shut on a trade,

Starting point is 00:12:53 he does seem to admire him quite a bit and wants him to be part of the solution. So if you don't get the right deal, given where this team is, I don't think there's much harm in holding on to him. Just see what happens, see what you got, because you're not gunning for a Stanley Cup, and you don't need to suddenly free up all that cap space to get somebody. else or a couple other players. But we'll leave it there for the Eric Carlson season in review. Both of us kind of give him an average grade C, B minus, something in that range. We'll keep an eye on

Starting point is 00:13:26 everything around Eric Carlson throughout this offseason. But that's going to do it for our opening segment. When we come back, just like we thought at the start of the week, Mike Sullivan will be the next head coach of the New York Rangers. We'll get into that when we come back right after this, but first we got to tell you about today's first sponsor, and that is the Amazon Fire TV. Did you know that your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with the Fire TV Stick 4K. No console required. Just grab your paired controller, subscribe, or sign into Xbox GamePass Ultimate with EA play included,

Starting point is 00:14:05 and you're ready to play. Dive into hundreds of premium titles from EA Sports College Football 25 to Call of Blackop 6 and avowed. As easily as you stream your favorite shows, it's gaming made simple, and it's all on your fire TV. I do have a fire TV down in my living room, and it absolutely is my entertainment hub.

Starting point is 00:14:26 I've got all of my cable subscriptions on there, all my streaming services. It's all that convenience all in one place. So head to Amazon.com slash fire TV locked on to get started. Xbox GamePass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required. Available on select devices, including the Fire TV Stick 4K, 2nd Gen,

Starting point is 00:14:48 fire TV stick 4K Max, first and second gen, and Fire TV cubed third gen. All right, we're back here on the Friday edition of Locked on Penguins. I'm Patrick Damp, running alongside the one and only Hunter Hodes as always. And I mean, sometimes the obvious things, well, they are just that, very obvious.

Starting point is 00:15:10 made official this morning after some rumors on Thursday evening that Mike Sullivan is officially the newest head coach of Metropolitan Division rival, the New York Rangers. It was extremely obvious. This was who Chris Drury wanted. He's got experience with Mike Sullivan in the last two years that Chris Drury was the captain of the New York Rangers. Mike Sullivan was one of the assistant coaches. And Drury pretty much came out and said,

Starting point is 00:15:39 as soon as Sullivan became available. Their coaching search was one of one, and it was Mike Sullivan. Let's start here, Hunter. This is a great hire for the New York Rangers. However, it has to be just that. Because I look at this Rangers team, and I have two thoughts about it, whether it's the Rangers as a whole or Mike Sullivan as the head coach. The Rangers as a whole,

Starting point is 00:16:08 still a pretty good team. You look at that roster, a lot of talent. They have some holes to fill, but the foundation is there for this to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. And then when you relate it to Mike Sullivan, I'm going to steal a little bit from our good friend Josh Yohe, what is the one thing that has consistently failed Mike Sullivan over the last five years, goaltending.

Starting point is 00:16:35 Now he's got arguably the best goal. in the world at the very least a top three goal tender in Igor Shisterkin. So this is really not so much for Mike Sullivan because he's he just got here. But for everybody else on the Rangers, it's put up or shut up time for them. Well, especially for the GM too, right? I mean, this is what Pat, the third coach he's hired as GM, Chris Dr. Roy, he's hired Gerard Galant. He's hired Peter LaVuette.

Starting point is 00:17:05 And now he's hired Mike Sullivan. He's out of excuses at this rate. He doesn't get this one right. He's going to be fired pretty quickly. I know he just got extended by James Dolan for whatever reason. Don't know why he decided to extend Chris Churie after the season that the Rangers just had. But it's put up or shut up time for a lot of these Rangers players. I think Sullivan can guide the Rangers to the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:17:27 I don't think you're going to win a Stanley Cup with this score. Could be dead wrong on that. But I feel like the court right now has kind of passed. its peak, like, dates of being a contender. So I don't see it as or right now, unless they make a whole bunch of changes this offseason. I'm sure there's going to be changes. They have less than 10 million of salary cap space right now and they have some

Starting point is 00:17:50 pretty big RFAs to sign. But still, I think Mike Sullivan can do wonders with the way they play in their own zone, especially with the way the Penguins defended 2016, 2017, even to a little bit of a lesser extent, 2018, the Rangers were horrendous defensively last year kind of rivaled the penguins with how poor they were in their own zone. I think he can help in that regard. He obviously will have Igor Shisterkin. This is the best goal he's ever had as a head coach. Mr. Sturkin is one of the three best goaltenders on the planet, in my opinion. So that's big. But again, with the Rangers, I understand that this is a win now situation. I understand he's

Starting point is 00:18:28 getting a lot of money and a lot of term. I mean, this is probably going to be one of the richest contracts a head coach has ever gotten in initial history. I know I was listening to 32 thoughts this morning and Friedman said he wasn't sure if it's going to break the Babcock one with eight years, but it may break the record for the biggest Aavd average annual value. Like there's there was I saw a couple of reports that it could be seven million per year. We'll have to see when the official number comes out. If so, that's a again, Pat, pretty nice payday for one of the top coaches in the league.

Starting point is 00:18:59 but if they don't get this right over the next couple years, I know he signed a five-year contract. He's probably going to be out of there pretty quickly. Peter Wavillette lasted two seasons. Took them to the Eastern Conference final. They missed the playoffs this year. He's out. They're going to have a very short fuse.

Starting point is 00:19:14 Even though this is Mike Sullivan, they will have a very short views if this does not go according to plan because that's how the Rangers are. And they have wanted him for the last few years. It's funny, before you join the show, it was actually almost two years to the day. I believe it was May 10th, 2023. The Rangers were talking about maybe trying to poach Sullivan away from the penguins.

Starting point is 00:19:34 They're like, oh, we're hoping that they fired him and stuff. And I put an episode, it was 25 minutes long. And the title was, or the caption with the thumbnail was, Dream on Rangers fans. And the title was, no, Mike Sullivan is not going to the New York Rangers. Well, two years later, they dreamed and, well, they got it this time two years later. But I just wanted to mention that because I found it for me. I think I saw a couple Rangers fans found that one.

Starting point is 00:19:58 This morning. Of course they did. Fair play. I get it. Fair play. Two years later, didn't think it was going to happen. But you know what? That's a fair play.

Starting point is 00:20:06 I appreciate it. But there's no more excuses for the GM there. We don't want to turn this into a Rangers episode here just because we're not the host of Longtime Rangers. John Chick does a really good job with them. I'm sure we'll do a crossover with him at some point. But, you know, I'm happy for Mike. It took him not even a full week to get a job as we both expected.

Starting point is 00:20:24 But he has his work cut out for him. That's for sure. I will say this. You hinted it's something I was going to bring up, which again shows we've been doing this show together long enough that we are very much on similar wavelengths. The way you describe the Rangers, Ina sort of describes the way the penguins were in 2015, 2016, when Sullivan came on. Obviously different situations. Penguins have maybe the best player, definitely at the time, the best player in the world on their roster.

Starting point is 00:20:55 The age gaps were a bit different. Like the Rangers core right now is a bit older. Well, outside of Fox, he's still a lot younger. But, you know, Zabinjad's older now. Crider's older, Trochecks older. I just don't really see it with that core. I feel like with their situation, they might have to move out one of those guys

Starting point is 00:21:12 to bring in some better younger talent if they really want to take a swing of this. But I'll say this. They've picked a direction. They're not trying to rebuild slash retool next year. They're all in to win. But to continue what I was. saying, you, you kind of compare the two of when Sullivan comes in for the penguins to now

Starting point is 00:21:32 when he's coming in with the Rangers. And again, we're not going to turn this too much into a ranger's pod. But you said, we love John. Does a great job on Locked on Rangers. But they've got another coach in because you remember the penguins go from Bilesma to Johnston, then to Sullivan. Bilesma's system, he's a little two player friendly. It's kind of wearing out as welcome. They're kind of directionless. They go get Mike Johnston. He wants to be a little more structured. He wants to be a little bit more defensive-minded. The Rangers go from Gerard Gallant, who everybody says, hey, he's a little too buddy-buddy with the players, a little too loose. They go to Peter LaViolette. We know how LaViolette is. Defensive-minded, kind of a crack-the-whip

Starting point is 00:22:15 kind of coach. And now you find that middle ground for a team that's been kind of looking for a direction. And Mike Sullivan, who again, hits that middle ground. He's not. not going to open it up and say, forget defense, go play fast, do whatever you want. But he's also not going to come in there and go, don't you dare make defensive mistakes because we have to defend. He is going to put them in a direction where he's the guy in charge, but he's not your best friend. He's also not going to crack the whip every time you make a mistake. And he's going to let the top players be the top players. He's not going to have, if he's still on the roster, Artemi Panarin out there blocking shots and turning into a two-way player,

Starting point is 00:23:00 he's going to tell Artemi Panarin, go out there and score because that's what you do. And you mix some of those things with a pretty good goaltender and Igor Shasturkin. There's a lot of similarities there. Again, like you said, age difference is there. Age difference is a bit bigger, but it's a core that has the talent, should be doing. doing better. And you finally, hopefully found a guy who can put all that together and go on a run. Now, they're going to be in a very difficult Eastern conference, especially at the top of the table. You look back at when the Penguins brought in Sullivan, wasn't as jam packed at the top.

Starting point is 00:23:42 You had two or three, maybe four teams. You didn't have such a stacked Atlantic division at the time. That was kind of in transition. but at the end of the day, I do think there are a lot of similarities and this does feel like a very good opportunity for Mike Sullivan to add to

Starting point is 00:24:02 what is pretty much already a Hall of Fame resume. I wish him well, just not against the Penguins. Sorry, that's how I feel. And he's going to get a great ovation when he comes back to Pittsburgh for the first time.

Starting point is 00:24:14 Obviously, the next season schedule probably going to come out if I had to guess June, July, somewhere in that vicinity. we'll have to obviously circle the games when he'll be back in Pittsburgh. It's going to be at least once, if not twice, depending on how many times they play the Rangers next season, whether it's three or four. Right now, again, stolen the Rangers. They can be a playoff team, maybe went around if not too, but I still would not take them to beat the Panthers or a couple other teams in the conference right now.

Starting point is 00:24:39 But hey, I think we've talked about Mike Sullivan and the Rangers enough during this episode. We sure have. And like you said, that first meeting back, big ovation, but once the puck drops, Sorry, Mike, you're the enemy now. That is going to do it for our middle segment. When we come back, speaking of former penguins, speaking of former Penguins legends, last night, the career of goaltender Mark Andre Fleury officially has come to an end. We will talk about one of, if not the best goaltender in Penguins history and take a trip down memory lane when we come back.

Starting point is 00:25:18 But before we do that, we've got to tell you about. today's last sponsor and that is game time. The Stanley Cup playoffs are here and if you have never been to a Stanley Cup playoff game live and in person, it is truly unlike anything else. The intensity, the speed, the energy in the building, it's completely next level. And thanks to game time, getting in the door is easier and more affordable than ever before. Game time is the fastest way to grab playoff tickets, even for those must-see matchups. prices actually drop as the puck drop gets closer with last minute deals you can save up to 60%.

Starting point is 00:25:55 I'm a huge fan of that. The last minute deals I used game time this season for Penguins games, saved a boatload of money waiting until the day of to get those last minute tickets. Saved me a bunch of money. Cannot recommend that enough, especially the all in pricing because we all hate those surprise fees at checkout all in pricing. gives you your total up front so you're not hit with any of those annoying last minute

Starting point is 00:26:23 fees. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime, download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that's code L-O-C-E-D-O-N-N-H-L for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today,

Starting point is 00:26:41 last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. Welcome back to the Friday edition of Locked-on Penguins. I'm Patrick Damp. That's Hunter Hodes. And what a career for the surefire first ballot, Hall of Fame goaltender Mark Andre Fleury. The Minnesota Wild were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights. And that means the final season of Mark Andre Fleury has come to an end. We all know how the saga went with Mark Andre Fleury here in Pittsburgh. He was exposed in the 2017 or the 2017 expansion draft taken by the Vegas Golden Knights,

Starting point is 00:27:27 spent a couple seasons with Vegas, had a small stop in Chicago, and then he was off to Minnesota where his career comes to an end. But there's no two ways about it. He is the best goalie in Penguin's. history for my money. They do not win the 2017 Stanley Cup without Mark Andre Fleury stepping in in the first two rounds, poetically eliminating the Washington Capitals once again. He was extremely good in the 2009 Stanley Cup run.

Starting point is 00:28:00 We will always in forever remember the Secret Service save in game seven against the Detroit Red Wings to seal the victory. And it gets lost a little. bit in my opinion to history because they ultimately did not win the Stanley Cup, but they made their run to the 2008 Stanley Cup final. And Mark Andre Fleury in that playoff was sublime. I maintain that if they would have pushed the 2008 finals to game seven, there would have been a very real case for Mark Andre Fleury to get the consmite. trophy, even if they didn't win because he was that good.

Starting point is 00:28:46 I would make the argument in that final. Without him, they probably get swept by Detroit. Some people forget that man. Like 2009, yes, he was great. 2017 for the first two rounds. He was great. He hands it off to Murray. The rest is history.

Starting point is 00:29:02 They went back to back cups. But Pat, he was better in 08 than he was in 09. Like, yeah, we know the penguins were a juggernaut in the east during the playoff. that year, they mowed right through the east. It just stunk that they ran into one of the best teams I have ever seen in my life in the 2008 Red Wings. That team was stacked from top to bottom. They had a great coaching staff behind the bench. That team was unbelievable with the amount of talent that they had.

Starting point is 00:29:32 And I'll still say this, my friend, it is a miracle that the Penguins even got to six games against the Red Wings with a chance to get it to seven. I still, when I load up highlights of that series and it gets to the Hosa chance, I still feel like one of those times, Pat, that puck's going to go in the net at the buzzer and it's going to go to overtime. And it makes me sad every time that obviously they lose in that situation. And the Red Wings raise the cup at Mellon Arena. But Florey was so good throughout that run. He gave them chance after chance to get back in the series against the Red Wings.

Starting point is 00:30:10 obviously the game five was insane game six penguins did as well as they could have but again that red wings team was a machine i'll always have the lidsstrom save forever etched in my memory the two big saves on ovechkin one in 2017 and then the one also pat in 2009 really early in game seven just two again outstanding saves and you can argue either one him or tom barasso as the best goaltender in franchise history they're they were both so good for this team. And I know Fleury's been gone a while, but I do think whenever the penguins want to do something, whether it's a ring of honor, he should 100% be in that.

Starting point is 00:30:54 Jersey retirement, we've had our takes on that on a bit more reserved with who they retire. I think the big three should 100% go up there. Mark Andre Fleury, while I would understand why they would do it, I personally would not retire his number. That's just, again, my opinion, other people can disagree. And you know what? That's totally fine. I totally get the reasoning why people would want that. But I wish him all the best in retirement. Also, Pat, we've gotten some comments about this. Like, oh, he could be the next goalie coach. Let's give the guy a little bit of time to breathe here. It would be cool. Don't get me wrong.

Starting point is 00:31:30 It will be really cool if he got to work for the Penguins organization. Though I do think the Wild will maybe try to get him to stay on as an advisor or something like that. But it's still. would be cool if he got to work for the Penguins organization at some point. But no matter what, he is going to get honored by the Penguins, whether it's a Jersey retirement or whether it's some sort of ring of honor. At the very least, my friend, he should be in a ring of honor for everything he did for the Penguins. And I wish him the very best in retirement. What a career. First ballot, Hall of Famer. One more thing, though, can we leave the Flurry Murray debates in 2018, man? And like we really do not need to be doing this anymore.

Starting point is 00:32:12 It is so annoying. It's seven years ago. We can praise Mark Andre Fleury for everything he did as a penguin without bringing that up. Just drop it. It doesn't. It doesn't have. We don't have to relitigate it every single time you bring up Mark Andre Fleury. Last thing I'll say about Mark Andre Fleury.

Starting point is 00:32:33 And it's going to start off sounding like a cliche. But he's everything you'd want in a professional athlete simply for the fact that he knew he had the greatest job in the world. Nobody, and I mean nobody, had more fun being an NHL goalie than Mark Andre Fleury. I always think back to HBO 24-7, Road to the Winter Classic, when they had their first practice at Heinz Field ahead of the game, and they do their shootout contest, and 99 out of 100 goalies in that net would be locked in, intense, not giving up a goal. What's Mark Andre Fleury doing, smiling, laughing, talking smack on everybody who comes down on

Starting point is 00:33:22 them and just having an absolute blast while doing it. Truly, one of the greats and all the best in retirement to Mark Andre Fleury. can't wait to see what the penguins do to honor number 29. But that is going to do it for the Friday edition of Locked-on Penguins. Thank you, as always, for tuning in. Hunter's got his pups with them, so we definitely got to get rolling here. But we will be back with a brand new episode on Monday to get you ready for the NHL draft lottery. That's right, folks.

Starting point is 00:33:57 It's going to be here before you know it. We'll talk about that. Do some more season and reviews and go over any. news that may break over the weekend. But for now, for Hunter Hodes, I'm Patrick Damp. Thank you, as always for tuning in. We will be back on Monday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Should the Penguins keep or trade defenseman Erik Karlsson?

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.