Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - So the Penguins won't be a cap team next season?

Episode Date: August 14, 2020

Hunter is back with this episode of Locked On Penguins and he discusses the big article that came out on The Athletic from Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe. He. shares his thoughts on what some players had to say about the goaltending situation, Sullivan being a lot more calm than normal, Sullivan gashing out at only Schultz and Aston-Reese, and so much more. Plus, is there a chance that Kris Letang is not on the team this upcoming season but Jack Johnson will be? Hunter tackles that as well, plus looks at some of the worst trades of the last decade. Finally, he goes around the league and looks at how some of the first round series' have gone and what to expect going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello, welcome to another episode of the Locked On Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes, follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes, follow the show's Twitter at L.O underscore Penguins. We're back today. Happy Friday, and we've made it to yet another weekend. I apologize for only having two episodes this week. That's what vacation will do to you as, you know, like I said, I've been at the Outer Banks all week, but regular normal episodes will return next week.

But on today's show, we are going to talk about that big article that Joshioe and Rob Rossi wrote for the athletic, basically about. What went wrong for the Penguins? What's next? There's a lot of interesting stuff in there that I'm going to get to. It was pretty frustrating to read. Makes me very, very nervous for this off season. If you guys have not read it yet or are not subscribed to the Athletic,

I very much suggest that you do subscribe to the Athletic and that you read this article because there is some damning stuff in there that you guys definitely need to read. Also today, I think I'm going to try to do like the five worst trades of the decade. Travis Yose was pulling out his Mount Rush. more from last night. So I put out of a tweet of my five worst ones. So I think I'm going to do that for a segment just because, you know, we saw Riley Smith's war last night for Vegas and overtime.

And I still can't believe the Panthers gave up him and Marches-so to protect Alex freaking Petrovich. So we'll get to that today. And we'll also just go around the league and look at the different playoff series that have happened. Well, that are currently going on, I guess, and just check in on how those are going. But in any case, let's get to the article that was basically heard around the world yesterday as Rob Rossi and Josh Joey had some fantastic reporting talking to team sources,

industry sources, and also rival executives and players on the Penguins team for this story. So in the article, you know, they were talking about like moves that Rutherford made, of course, close to the deadline. Rutherford talked openly about not wanting to mess with the team chemistry by making too many moves before the deadline. Apparently a player that they spoke to said Zucker was exactly what they needed with Jake, not coming back. And after a few games with Zucker, a veteran actually of the 2016 and 2017,

winning team said that if we can just get a few guys back and keep guys in the lineup, I like our changes against anyone in the playoffs, especially with Jari. He's kind of like Murray was for us in 2016. So there is a player right there that basically said, I want Tristan Jari to start game one of the playoffs. So it was a veteran. I'm not really sure which players said this. It wouldn't surprise me if maybe it was Brian Russ, you know, maybe Connor Sherry, or, you know, maybe even Brian Duman, because, of course, he was on those teams.

But I don't think it was any of the core players. I don't think. Scrolling down here more. Also a penguin player said, what do they say? If you have two goalies, you don't have one. It just seemed like the people in charge wanted Matt to be the guy, but we played better for whatever reason when Jerry played. That's how looked to me.

I guess the coaches saw something different. So, I mean, right there, I mean, that's just pretty damning right there. I mean, everyone knows how I stood on this. I wanted Matt Murray to start game one because of the experience. You know, I thought he was fine in that playoff. series, he really didn't cost them too too bad. But, you know, that was not good enough. Tristan Jari played absolutely outstanding in game four, only allowing the one goal.

There definitely usually was a case for him to start game one. I guess I was just nervous that he was going to let in a couple of stinkers and then Matt would have to come in because the Penguins usually have always used two goalies to go to their finals, well, except for 2009 when Mark Andre Fulroy just rode the horse all the way there. But still, in 2016, 2017, they used at least two goaltenders. during their run to back-to-back Stanley Cups. But as you scroll further and further down the article,

this was really what jumped out to me too. While Sullivan ultimately decided to go with Murray when the postseason began against the Canadians, his confidence in the goaltender had been eroding for a couple of years, according to a team source. And then the source says, Solly used to think Murray was the toughest goaltender mentally that he'd ever come across, but that was then.

So you thought he was the most toughest goaltender that he would ever come across, but that was then, and you still decided to start him in game one, but I just, I don't understand the logic there then. I guess I'm just questioning the coaching staff more and more after reading this article. So, like I said, if you're questioning his mental toughness as the article states, then what the hell are we doing here?

Why didn't you give Tristan Jolly the starting game one and have him write it out through the whole series and see what it would have happened? That just, that just doesn't really make any sense to me. I know I wanted Murray to prove himself because, you know, I think he deserved at least a chance to take his net back bully, but after reading this, it's just like, I mean, what the hell are we doing here, Mike? Like, that's just, that's not right. The article then goes into the really bad weekend, of course, against the capitals and the hurricanes

when they outscored 11 to 4. By then, three new forwards, veteran Patrick Marlow, Evan Rodriguez, and Connor Sherry had joined the roster. Rutherford intended the moves to supplement the Penguins Depp and provide Gensel with a familiar winger as Gensel was not projected to recover from shoulder surgery in time from the start of the playoffs in early April, and then the moves might have backed very fired. So a player actually says this quote right after. It's a bit weird, right? The GM talks about liking the group, not wanting to risk our chemistry, and then we add three new guys at the deadline.

I don't know. It didn't really make much sense to me, but it's not my call. Okay, that's unacceptable if players on your own team are questioning the general manager for his news. And you know what? I kind of agree. I mean, looking back at it now, it was cool to require Patrick Marlowe, you know? Oh yeah, Hell yeah, Patrick Marlow, maybe go win him a cup. But after seeing what he brought to the team in that playoff series, and for most of the time that he played during the regular season, I thought there were a couple games where he still looked good. That move just didn't work out.

Like, he just, he was not, he had nothing left in the tank. I don't know why they'd need to go out and get Patrick Marlow and give up assets to get him. I mean, the Sherry Rodriguez thing, I think that's just kind of a mismash for me, I guess. I mean, Cohoon was a good player. And a player does say that later in this article that they thought Cahoon was good, but I guess the coach exactly didn't agree.

But, I mean, I did like what Conor Sherry brought to the lineup. I think M. Rodriguez is going to be potentially a good player. I think if they would have made just that trade alone and not go out and get Patrick Marlow, I think it would have been okay. But still, it's not good when a player is openly calling out the general manager for making too much change before the playoffs begin. And, of course, before the pause happens. So, yeah, that's definitely a yikes for me. Another player said to them, apparently after the playoffs, we had too much.

change all year, so much change with guys, entrance in trades, we get healthy a little bit, and then we have more changes. Why is that? I mean, yeah, again, calling out Jim Rutherford again for having too much change, calling him out, calling him out for making these kind of moves. That's not good, guys. I mean, it really is not good when players are openly calling out management in the coaching staff for just some bizarre decisions, whether it's in the playoffs or it's starting the regular season. That's just absolutely not good at all. It does not paint Sullivan and Rutherford in a good light here. So then it gets to the really, real interest, part of this article. So the headline, what happened in Toronto? Apparently, some players were

troubled by Sullivan's loyalty to players who won with him before, specifically Sherry, Murray, and Justin Schultz. But apparently some of the players did not think that. One player says, look, we were one of the best teams in the league and we lost how many guys, not just any guys, but our top guys. We did that because Selly knows what he's doing. If you're saying he believes in guys too much, I'd rather have a coach who does than one who doesn't. So it looks like, like I said, a couple players were not wanting to criticize him and that they still believe in Sullivan. But this was the really big part, I think, about Mike Sullivan during the time in Toronto. Once the team arrived in Canada, Sullivan became more subdued with a quiet confidence

according to many players. The change was more noticeable after the game three loss, which put the Penguins one game away from elimination. One player said, I thought we deserved to be yelled at after game three with the blown lead, but Sally was just confident. He kept saying, I know you guys are disappointed and so am I, but let's just stick with this. He was being positive, which was fine, but it's not what we deserve. So that actually very much surprises me. I don't know how Sullivan is like not really yelling at them and just screaming at them, especially after that blown lead and how Jack Johnson and Justin Shultz basically vomited all over themselves while the Penguins blew that lead. That just really did not make any sense to me.

I really don't know why Mike Sullivan has kind of changed the way he's going at the team. He just usually has that booming voice that we're all accustomed to. You know, you see it in the videos in the locker with how loud it really is, how commanding he is in that locker room. It does not look like the Penguins got that in this series against Montreal, which is, that's a bit weird. But apparently, later on in the article, apparently he says Sullivan admonished only two players during a video session the day before game four. That's Justin Schultz and Zach Aston Reese. Wallace Johnson who received a beating from social media, which, I mean, that's not surprising.

It was Schultz who wore Sullivan's raft during the Montreal series. Days later, Rutherford also repeated the pattern. Sullivan also snapped at Aston Reese during the review, criticizing the winger for his retaliation penalty in the third period of game three. Sullivan said that if Crosby, who was continually harassed during the series, wasn't responding with retaliation, then Aston Reese shouldn't. Okay, that's where I kind of am like, what the hell are we doing here as well. I mean, you're going to go after Zach Aston Rees,

who I thought had a pretty decent series on the Teddy Bluger, Brandon Tannove line, which, I mean, in my opinion, was the best line for the Penguins during that series. I know Cindy Crosby was really, really good in the first couple of games, and that line was buzzing, but Brandon Tana, Teddy Blugger, Zach Aston Rees, I thought that line was just absolutely sensational. if you're going to snap at him for taking a retaliation penalty, why aren't you snapping at someone such as Jack Frick and Johnson who was on the ice for five of the eight Canadians' goals going into game four and who was outscored five to one and even strength during that series?

I really don't understand. I get you no snapping at Justin Schultz. He was really, really bad. But if you know what, if you're going to snap at him, why aren't you taking him out of the lineup? I mean, do you not trust Chad Roodle at all on that right side? I thought he was fine in the regular season. Do you not trust you so weakle on the other side with Jack Johnson? For some reason, he's in your doghouse for God knows why.

It really does not add up. It does not make any sense. Mike Sullivan is just continuing to dig himself a deeper hole here. And here is another pretty damning quote from this arc. Our team felt too good, I think, was according to a team source. It's tough to say, but maybe we're still playing and we score early in that first game. I mean, they should have won that first game. They had no business losing it.

Carrie Price just went off. And the power play, of course, suck. But he also says, but when you have players like ours, and they don't score and they may have to go against a trap like Montreal has, it isn't so easy for skilled players to settle for dumping the puck and going to get it. And I don't know if we had the type of team to do that. So my counter would be like, oh, really? Because the Flyers just won two to one against that kind of team,

and their skilled players are doing that the entire game. I know Montreal actually played their ass off against Philadelphia, but I saw the Flyers doing that same stuff that this team source just said the entire game. And oh, they won, and I think they're going to win the series in probably six games because they're going to actually know how to play against the trap, and they're going to dump it in and go get it. So, I mean, that's just kind of a moot point, in my opinion. So I guess we're just going to finish up,

just skimming this article a bit. Apparently, now they talked about the coaching staff dismissals. A former member of the organization apparently said, wow, I didn't see that coming at all. I think they're all good coaches, and the best of three is Gonshire. Ask any of the defensemen, they would tell you. I think Gonschar is going to have a coaching job somewhere else. I would be pretty stunned if he didn't.

I loved when I recorded this podcast just a few days ago. I said, oh, yeah, maybe only one of the coach will get fired. 10 minutes after I posted it, all three are gone. So, you know, that's just my luck. But, you know, I wasn't surprised that Rekke left, that he needed to go for a while now. Jacques Martin, I was definitely a little bit surprised. I think I would have had him stay as the coach of the defense

when he's going to be picked up pretty easily. I did not know. So thanks to Seth Rorbaugh, he had been with the Penguins coaching staff back to Dan Biles, on 2013-14. I totally thought he was hired when Mike Johnston came in, but he was hired during Dan Milesmas last year. I totally forgot about that. And then, like I said, Sergey Giontshire,

I was very stunned by that. But, you know, sometimes, guys, you need new voices, new fresh ideas in the room, people to challenge Mike Sullivan. And that's also what this article says. And then Angel executive said, Sullivan is a great coach, but he likes being surrounded by Yesman.

All three of those guys had low-key responsibilities. That doesn't always work. They need someone like Rick Tockech, someone who will challenge Sullivan. That would be best for Sully and the Penguins. I would definitely be down for that. You know, maybe someone like a Gerard Gallant, I would absolutely love if they hired him as an assistant coach.

I don't think they're going to hire Bruce Boudreau as an assistant coach. But, you know, just maybe have some former head coaches be Mike Sullivan's assistants because, hey, if the penguins really suck next season or if they just really struggle out of the gate, Mike Sullivan will probably be fired. And then you can go to someone like Gerard Goulon on the bench. I would definitely be down for that if it came to it. But now we basically almost reached the end of the article here. So this was, I think, the biggest thing that came out of this article.

The Penguins for the first time since 2007 will likely not. spend near the salary cap to start the upcoming season according to multiple team and league sources. Revenue is down in part because of early playoff exits and in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic and ownership believes costs, cutting measures are reasonable at this time. Ruther will be able to spend to the cap in season if ownership was convinced the club was a piece or two away from a deep playoff run. So it sounds like in this article they would have to cut to about 71 to 76 million or something like that.

So yeah, that's going to be a big change. they're going to be dumping, I think, a lot more contracts than we might have thought otherwise. But this is the thing here. You let Justin Schultz walk. That's $5.5 million off your payroll. You trade Nick Bukestead if no salary was obtained there. That's 9.1 off your payroll. You trade Matt Murray. That's, I think, what, 12 to 13 off your payroll? And then if you maybe think about trading Patrick Hornquist, which I'm kind of, I'm slowly coming around on that idea. I thought Hornquist had a nice rejuvenated season, but I could definitely see him getting the axe. That's around what, guys, 16, 17 million right there.

Oh, and if you don't bring back Connor Sherry, you don't bring back Patrick, Patrick Marlowe. I mean, that's a lot of money right there. Oh, and Jack Johnson as well, that's $3.25 million, even if a team makes you eat a million if his cap it. Like I said, that's over $15 million in cap space right there. And people are going to point to, oh, yeah, the penguins have to sign RFAs. But I think, guys, for the RFA situation, really the only big wildcards are, Jared McCann and Tristanjari. I think maybe Tristanjari will get 3 to 3.5 million.

This was really only his first season. He's not going to get over 4 million. I think they'll be cautious with him. And then you know the same for Jared McCann. I think maybe 3 to 3.5 million for him. And then you have Evan Rodriguez. So maybe for the RFA's. And then I think Sam Lafferty is there too.

The RFA's maybe 10 million for all of them combined. I really don't think they're going to have to use up a lot of cap space to keep their RFAs. But the Penguins have a lot of salary that they can dump this offseason. if they just make the proper moves. And, you know, what have you really lost if you dump someone such as Jack Johnson, Justin Schultz walks, Connor Sherry walks, Patrick Marlow walks, Nick Bukest is traded, and Patrick Hornquist is traded? What have you really lost besides a good net front presence player, but Jake Gensel can take over

those duties and whatever else? I really don't think you've lost a lot. You save a lot of cap that way. You still keep the core intact, and maybe you still have a little bit of money to go out and sign someone, you know, to play on your third line, or someone to play on your third pairing, whether that's maybe Dylan DeMello or someone else. So the answers are right there in front of them. It'll be just interesting to see if Jim Rutherford can actually make this happen.

I really don't think they're going to trade any of the core players. Jim Rutherford said as such during his end of season press conference, I would be stunned if Malkin or Latang or Deng, especially Lattang. It just makes no sense to trade him at this point. It makes no sense to trade any of the core players. Like I said, if you trade a core player, you send this franchise to its grave. It just sends it further into the void. It makes it so irrelevant.

You will go back to like the Gen X days when they were just so freaking bad. But that'll do it for this segment. I know this segment ran a lot longer than I thought it was going to. We'll do two quick segments after this. But in any case, it is now time to talk about Bilt Bar. It is the best tasting protein bar ever. The improved Bilt Bar is even more delicious. 18 amazing flavors.

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You can go to Billbar.com and use promo code locked on. You'll get $10 off your next order. Promote code locked on at Billbar.com. All right, so we're back here on this episode of the Locked on Penguins podcast. So like I said, I wanted to do for like a fun little cool thing this segment,

rank the five worst trades of this last decade just because, well, we saw Riley Smith happen last night with Vegas and Travis Yose had his list. So I kind of wanted to do mine, just have my own Mount Rushmore. You know, I tweeted mine out last. night. I mean, definitely in the top

five, Rhino Riley to St. Louis for basically nothing. That O'Reilly trade was just so bad for the Sabres. The Sabres got nothing in return. They couldn't even get Robert Thomas in return. They couldn't even get any of the Blues top prospects, and they settled for Frickin' Tage Thompson, who really hasn't done anything

for the Sabres. And, I mean, I think Patrick Berglan also got sent there. He's not even in the league anymore. It was just a really, really bad trade. I think the Pugulas just really didn't want to pay his signing bonus, if I'm not mistaken. trade was just absolutely awful. I mean, you know, a martini route for Philip Forsberg. It would be curious to see if the Capitals had Forsberg instead of Oshy, if the Capitals still would have won a cup

with Ovechkin. I don't know. I think it would have been interesting to see that. That's like a big what if for the Capitals if they hadn't have done that. I would have been curious to see just how good Philip Forsberg would have been if he stayed in Washington as opposed to going to Nashville, but still, yeah, that's one of the worst trades of this decade. Also on my list, I mean, this trade is worse, I think, than the Taylor Hall trade. So the Griffin-Rinehart trade that Peter Schrelli did for pick 16 and 33. So those picks ended up being Matt Barzel and Anthony Bovillier. So yeah, the Oilers could have had Barzell and Bovillier if they didn't make that stupid, stupid trade to get Griffin-Rinehart. And yeah, the Islanders are reaping the benefits of that one as Barzell is

slowly turning into a star and Anthony Bovillier is like turning into a point per game player in the playoffs. This playoff run, he's been absolutely sensational for the Islanders. The next one, Hall for Larson, I mean, that's easily going to be up there for forever. I mean, I still don't know what was going through Peter Srelli's head when he made that. Adam Larson is just absolutely terrible now. Tire LaHalle is a bona fide top line winger, one of the best left wingers in the league. The fact that he thought that trade was fair, if he even doubled down on it afterwards, it's just nothing short of pathetic.

And of course, my last one, so my list is actually the same as Yos and anyway, though I did have a 5B because I put Douglas Murray for two second round picks. I still can't believe Rayshare I'm made back. trade, the crank shout for two second round picks in back-to-back drafts. That's just absolutely unbelievable. But then, you know, the expansion trade nonsense. The Panthers traded Riley Smith so that they would not, so that Vegas would not trade Jonathan March or maybe the other way around, so that they could protect Alex Petrovich.

I don't even know where Alex Petrovich is now. Does he even still play for the Panthers anymore? In any case, don't know what Dale Tallon was doing there. Riley Smith has just been absolutely awesome. And I think Riley Smith was traded to the Panthers originally because, the Bruins wanted to have Cap room to sign Matt Valeski. So they said, okay, we're going to dump Riley Smith to Florida in exchange for Jimmy Hayes, who I think is in Wilkesbury right now, if I'm not mistaken.

I think he plays for the Penguins Farm team down in Wilkesbury, but still, yeah, that is what was just absolutely awful. Other honorable mentions, you know, the Ben Bishop for Corny Connickard won was really, really bad. I think one that doesn't get enough hate is that Seth Jones for Ryan Johansson. I think Ryan Johansson is a good second-line center on an elite team, but I think Seth Jones has really turned the corner became that top pairing defense and that some people

really didn't see coming. I know at the time I said it was an even trade. This was going back to like 2015, 2016, something like that. But I think the Blue Jackets really, really won that trade. Another one that doesn't get enough hate, the Blackhawks just basically trading Panarin and Terra Vinen. The Tarbino was a salary dump because they

signed, I think, Brian Bickle, but still, the combined trades of Paneran and Teravinen and they only got back Brandon Saad from those two trades combined. That was just absolutely brutal for them. Zach Rinaldo for a third, that's up there. If you had to make a top 10, that's up there, and one of the worst ones of all time.

Jim Rutherford, the Ryan Reeves one for a first and Oscar Sunquist. And I didn't really think much of Oscar Sunquist. I didn't really think he was going to return to much of an NHLer. I ate a lot of crow on that one. He definitely turned into a good bottom six forward for the blues. He's really good defensively, and his offensive game really came out as well.

Another one that I really didn't think of much of the time that's good honorable mention, the Zabanajad Brassard trade. I mean, at the time I thought, you know what, Brassard and Zabandad are kind of the same player. You know, Derek Brassad hit the tank, and then Mika Zabanajad turns into an 80-90-point player, and he's going to be getting paid for his next contract. So, yeah, that one turned out to be pretty bad for Ottawa. The Mark Stone trade, look, it could be pretty bad for Ottawa, but I think there's a prospect in that trade that could turn out to be pretty good.

So I'm not really sure about that one just yet. And you know what's going to be on there probably pretty soon? John Marino for a sixth round pick. And I know John Rino was probably never going to sign with Edmonton, but still, only getting a six-round pick in return for a potential franchise defenseman in the making. Absolutely awful asset management. I think that's going to be on Mount Rushmore pretty, pretty soon. But I just want to do a quick little segment about that since I saw what happened with Riley Smith

and Jonathan Marches-so last night as Vegas, it's just so hilarious how they build a powerhouse team in three seasons. They're just taking it to the Blackhawks, and we're going to touch on that more in this next little segment where I'll just go around the league and talk about some of the playoff series. All right, so we're back here on this episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. We're just going to do a quick two to three minutes segment and then wrap up this episode for the week. So just we're going to go around the league here for the different playoff series. As I just said about Vegas, Chicago, Vegas has taken it to them. I know that game went to overtime last night, but wow. I mean, Vegas is just absolutely lethal.

They're unstoppable. I think they're my pick to win the cup at this point, but still inject seven games of Vegas, Colorado into my veins. that would just be an absolutely amazing series. I knew that to be the Western Conference final. Last night I was watching The Stars, Flames Game, the Stars, I think, won very late in the third period. I went to bed, I think, during the third period, I was just very, very tired. Old Penguin Jamie Alexiak gets the goal, and he's been actually pretty good for Dallas since coming over back from Pittsburgh. I still want to know why Jim Rutherford traded him.

Oh, wait, I do, because Tom Wilson punched him in the face, and Tom Wilson had so much real estate in Jim Rutherford's head that, you know, he could have bought, like, five houses in it. But, I mean, Dallas is, they were fun to watch last night. You know, watching Miro Heiskin, and he's going to win the Norris, I think, in the next three years. That kid is just absolutely amazing. And I think this is only, what, his second year in the league or something like that? He's just going to be really, really good. Having him and Klinberg on their defense is just not fair. And, you know, Jamie Ben finally woke up last night, and, you know, Jamie Ben also went down.

Okay, I'm just, I'm going to stop after that. Because if you guys don't know the thing with Jamie Benning going down, please look it up on Google. It's absolutely hilarious. But other series from yesterday, Carolina also beat Boston. That was a great game to watch. It looked like Boston was just getting away with a lot of stuff during that game. Also, if Carolina would have lost that game, I think Rodbendomor would have been fined $50,000 for more comments

because of that goalie interference call that he challenged, but it was not reversed. He just looked so disgusted on the bench. I absolutely love Rod Rendemore. I love the way he coaches. I love the way he called out the league in the officiating the other day. I wish more coaches did that. I don't really give a shit if they get fine.

The league's officiating deserves to get called out whenever is the case because the league's officiating is just absolutely dog shit. But still, Carolina, that's going to be a really fun series. I have that going seven. I have Carolina winning that series. Today, the Islanders and the Capitals will play a game two. The Islanders stormed back being down 2-0 in game one. You know, Braydenholpe, I think people have been surprised that Brayden Holpe was really bad in

that game. But, guys, Brayn-Holpey's been pretty bad for the last couple of seasons. I think his numbers have been way. worse than Matt Marys. His same percentage goals against, you know, his goals saved above expected. I mean, they're all way worse than Murray. So, yeah, like I said, I just can't wait to see what team is going to give Bright and Hopey a lot of money after this season. You know, maybe a team like Ottawa, Los Angeles, if they move away, Jonathan Quick, you know, Chicago, I could

see that. Cory Crawford, his contract is going to be up. Stan Bowman is not shy about giving some really bad contracts out. But yeah, yeah, some team is going to make a big mistake of paying him a lot of money. You know that Columbus Tampa series, Columbus tied it yesterday, you know, just injected into my veins, the Tampa loses again to Columbus, especially, you know, without Panarin, Duchayne, to Zingle. And, you know, for God's sakes, Jonas Corpusallo has been like 962 this series already in like two games. You know, just, just come out of nowhere. So, yeah, that series is going to be a lot of fun to keep tabs on. I had, I picked Tampa in five games because I didn't think Columbus can keep this up, but, you know, I might be eating a lot more

crow if Columbus definitely does keep this up. And Tampa continues to struggle with that team for whatever reason. I don't know why they continue to struggle with them. So we already talked about the Chicago Vegas series in the West. Vegas is just going to wipe the floor. We are talked about Dallas Calgary. That series is tied. That's going to go, I think, the distance as well.

I picked the flames in that, I think. That's, I think, the only series that I don't remember which team I picked, which is absolutely pathetic, too. But we'll just go with that. Also, the Colorado Arizona series, my God, Darcy Kemper, I think he made a deal with the devil or something, just the way he was trying to steal game one for the coyotes to kite. Coyotes literally had nothing going offensive.

I think they were getting outshot at one point, guys. 27 to 9, or it was 297 to it was backwards, something like that. But still, very, very bad any way you look at it, the Coyotes are just not getting anything at Rube Bauer. And yeah, I mean, Rick Tog had called them out pretty good after the game, basically called their whole game garbage, the power play was just really, really bad. But, yeah, I mean, poor Darcy Kemper, but Colorado was able to take game one. I think they're going to win that series pretty quickly.

I think I had them in five or six games. But yeah, I expect Colorado to win today. And actually, I picked the Stars to win that series. So, yeah, I've not picked the flames. I finally had time to look it up. But so over the last series, the Blues, Canucks Series, that's going to be a fun series to watch. I picked the Blues in six games for that one,

but the Canucks, you know, they took game one. I think they have a lot of time to scare the Blues even more. It's just so much fun to watch the Canucks play. Their top six is absolutely loaded. You can put Brock Bessor off there, Elias Peterson, Bo Horvatch, Ate, Miller, Tyler, Toffoli. You know, it's just a really fun group. Quinn Hughes is just a stud.

I know Alex Adler is not what he used to me, but he's still fun to watch. They can marks, no, and then the Canucks just have a lot of depth issues in their bottom six, where they can dump some salary after this season and get some younger, cheaper guys in there and also upgrade their defense a little bit around Quinn Hughes. That's going to be a cup contender in the next year or two. They're just, they're not there yet, but it would not surprise me if they did beat the Blues. I just didn't really like the Blues game at all during that game one. But, yeah, so I'm going to be curious to see how the Blues respond to dropping game one.

to Vancouver. You know, that's definitely one of the top two series that has a lot of my interest right now. So that'll do it for this episode of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm sorry again for the two episodes this week. And I know I went a little overtime today and talking about that article, but yeah, you know, when an article basically says there might be a better chance that Chris LaTang has traded this off season over Jack Johnson, you know, it's definitely a bit scary. I'm just very, very nervous as to what Jim Rutherford is going to do. Though I don't really think Chris LaTang is going to get traded this off season. But, you know, The way that article was written, it seems like it could happen over someone such as Jack Johnson who just absolutely sucks ass.

But like I said, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you guys so much for listening. We'll be back with regular episodes next week as I'll be back from the beach. And I will talk to you all then.