Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - What is Sam Girard's ceiling with the Penguins?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sam Gerard's tenure with the Penguins was a bit rocky, and Pat and I are going to give our season in review for him 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. Hello and welcome to the Friday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunts or Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Hunser Hodes, joined by my host, Patrick Damp, You can follow him on all social media platforms at Send him for Wet.

Starting point is 00:00:39 You can also follow the show's Twitter at L.O. underscore Penguins. And you can find us on Instagram at Lockdown underscore Penguins. And of course, thank you all so much for making this, your first lesson slash watch the day. We are free and available on our platforms. Of course, we're going to have Fan Take Friday a bit later on in the show, probably two full segments, because we got some good questions, some good takes to share with everyone on this Feel Good Friday. this final episode in May Friday, Pat, because June starts next week, and it's going to get busy real quick. The draft is coming up. Free agencies right around the corner. We're really excited.

Starting point is 00:01:14 But to start off today's show, we're continuing our season and review series with Sam Gerard. I got to say, Pat cheated a little bit because Sam Gerard only played in 20 games with the Penguins, but he did play 60 total games. So that's what he's going with. And with Gerard, again, brief tenure at the Penguins, from the avalanche for Brett Kulak. And let's face it, Pat, there was more bad than good in that brief tenure. The pair of him and Latang did not work except a two-week stretch at the end of the regular season when it looked like the two were starting to figure it out.

Starting point is 00:01:48 And then fast forward to the playoffs and the Flyers take complete advantage of that pair. I think, in my opinion, that Gerard works better with a more defensively responsible player because Gerard is, you know, that type of pure puck mover, someone who can bring offense on the pair. And I think if he's paired with a more stay-at-home shutdown type of defensemen, I just think he works better. With Letang, he also likes to move the puck. Of course, he brings the offense.

Starting point is 00:02:16 I just don't really think it works very well. And you can tell when Gerard was traded, he was really trying to figure out the penguin system. And he kind of did in the final couple weeks, but then he reverted back. back to his old form in the playoffs. So honestly, Pat, I know short sample size, only 20 games. I still got to give him kind of a C minus to a D. He was not very good. It was really hard when I was preparing for today's episode

Starting point is 00:02:45 to come up with a letter grade for Samuel Gerard because it was only 20 games. And we have seen countless defensemen get acquired by the penguins. either via free agency or at the trade deadline or prior to the trade deadline, who are unimpressive to bad in that first few weeks or post-trade deadline or even first full season and then they turn it completely around. The two most famous examples are Paul Martin when he came to the penguins from the devils and then Sergey Gonchar after the lockout coming to the penguins,

Starting point is 00:03:27 his first season with the club was wholly unimpressive. The same thing with Paul Martin. And then what do you know? Gonchar became a key piece of a Stanley Cup winning team and a true leader on that 2009 Stanley Cup winning team. Paul Martin, arguably one of the penguins best two-way defensemen, especially in the modern era. He's right up there with prime Brian Dumolin. So to kind of connect that all. all together.

Starting point is 00:03:59 It's hard for me to give him a grade because I need to see more from him, both literally and figuratively. I literally need to see more than 26 games because 20 regular season games where he admitted this system here in Pittsburgh is way different than what I played in Colorado. And then he's kind of jumbled all around with different partners. And then you go right into the Stanley. Cup playoffs. So I would like to see what he does across a full season. What I will say, you see the talent there. You see the potential there for Samuel Gerard to be effective on the

Starting point is 00:04:41 Penguins Blue Line. He's got a good first pass. He's a smooth skater. He just needs to cut back on some, I would say baffling decisions, the spinoramas, the weird escape moves. If he can get those out of his game and you can find him a steady partner, he's got a good enough history that he can be a solid defenseman for this team. Yeah, if I see him spin like five more times during a game, I think I might lose it to be honest. The fact that he, I understand sometimes it's his go-to move, but sometimes you just don't need to do it for the sake of doing it. And I felt like it was just too much during his brief tenure with the Penguins. And I understand what you're saying when it comes to maybe an incomplete. I was just going off

Starting point is 00:05:23 the 20-game sample. Now, that can definitely improve over an 82 game season. he now has a full off season to continue straining, continuing to learn the penguin system, kind of how to have a quote unquote fresh start with the penguins, if you will, for next season. And hey, Pat, maybe that pays dividends for him. And he comes back next season, plays much better. And we give him a B, B plus, maybe even an A minus. But I just felt that he wasn't fitting very well. And I also think they need to get him a little bit more.

Starting point is 00:05:57 help in terms of a defensive partner that can play to his strengths. I trust Dan Hughes to also play to his individual strengths because he was doing a really good job of that with all of his players throughout the regular season. Now it's on him to do with this with Gerard for a full eight two game season because sometimes Pat, it can be weird. You don't have much time to really work with this player. You only have, you know, month, month and a half, two months to go in your season. So now you have the full off season.

Starting point is 00:06:27 You'll have a full next season as well to really work with this player and get him fully acclimated with your system. I'm not giving up on him or anything like that. I just, I want to see a lot more out of him next year. That's all. I do think in a way as well, we dismiss or maybe don't put enough emphasis on this kind of move when it comes to the NHL. And I mean that literally in move because you look at Sam, Gerard, he had been with the Colorado Avalanche since the 2018-19 season, or 2017-18 season, I should say. And he spent the majority, all of his career, basically with the avalanche up to that point.

Starting point is 00:07:16 And we frequently forget the human element of all of this. That is a complete overhaul and uprooting of his life, not to mention it's a complete in total uprooting. rooting and overhauling of his hockey life as well. And that plays a factor in how players perform, especially a guy who got so comfortable and so familiar with the way the avalanche do business, the way the avalanche play the game. And then you bring them to a new team in Pittsburgh where there are similar. I don't want to, I'm not comparing the avalanche this season and the penguins this season, very different.

Starting point is 00:07:56 Avalanche were obviously the best team in the league. They had Stanley Cup aspirations. The Penguins were playing with House money. But at the end of the day, you send him into an organization where everything was on the upswing. They were in a playoff race. They were trying to make their way back to the Cup playoffs. And he's got to learn the new system.

Starting point is 00:08:18 He's got to fit in. He's not getting put on a pitch count, so to speak. He was thrown right into the fire. Yeah. So I do think to build off of what you're saying, a full offseason to train, and then a full training camp, if they hold on to him with the team, will do him well. Because throughout his career, very productive player for the type of game he plays, kind of oscillates between 20, 25, 30, 35 points. He'll get you three to five goals. He'll get you anywhere between 15 and 25 assists.

Starting point is 00:08:54 So I do believe if he gets a full training camp, has a good off season, and you find him a steady partner, Sam Gerard can be a valuable defenseman for the penguins. I hope so as well, just because I see the talent that is there, at least some of it. I just want him to try and put it all together for the penguins. And as you said that, if they do keep him through this all season, because I think you and I both been saying there's going to be changes on the back end. think the entire fan base expects that as well. So we'll see.

Starting point is 00:09:28 But those are our thoughts on Sam Girard. I gave my letter grade. Pat, still kind of an incomplete, but I understand why because it was only 20 games. But I felt like we've been giving letter grades out for all the players. So I said, you know what? What the hell? I'm just going to give one out here. You know what?

Starting point is 00:09:44 If I have to do it, I'm going to go C minus. Just because, like I said, talents there, potentials there. I can't be too harsh on a 20 regular. season game six playoff game sample size especially for that kind of defenseman if this was 82 games and we got this kind of performance out of them it would have been anywhere from a d to an f so yeah but given that the sample size is smaller i want to see more i'm not out on him yet i do think he has value and could be good for the penguins i agree with you and with that that's going to do it for our first segment coming up in the second segment and honestly the third segment it's

Starting point is 00:10:23 Friday. You know what that means it's time for another edition of Fan Take Friday, where we react to your takes and your questions, and that's coming up right after this. But before we get to that, we have a sponsor to tell you all about, which is five-hour energy fruity rainbow. If you've got a sweet tooth like I do, you know how tough it is to find that perfect treat without all the sugar. That's why the fruity rainbow five-hour energy shot brings that nostalgic flavor back in a whole new way. Fruity rainbow five-hour energy shots, treat your taste buds to an explosion of fruity flavor with a tasty caffeine kick. It's a quick, easy way to satisfy that sweet craving while keeping things simple and on the go.

Starting point is 00:11:03 I love how convenient it is. It's a small, portable shot that I can grab whenever I need a little pick me up. It's kind of become my go-to when I want something sweet without going overboard. And it's a zero-sugar treat that's sweet tooth approved. Get candy-flavored chaos with fruity rainbow five-hour energy shots available online at five-hour energy.com or on Amazon. All right, we're back here on the Friday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by my co-st, Patrick Damp.

Starting point is 00:11:35 And Pat, you put out a really nice prompt slash question kind of on our YouTube channel. You may have heard that Gino's back. Answer the poll below, drop your hot takes and questions in the comments. 95% of people are very happy that Afghani Malkin is back. And the other 5% think it was time to move on. That 5%, I think you all just hate fun. But jokes aside, of course, you and I both happy that Afghani Malkin is back. A lot of the fan base, of course, also very happy that Fgeny Malkin is back.

Starting point is 00:12:07 And keeping it in line with free agents, we all know Malkin is not a free agent anymore, but this is a player who is still a free agent. This comes from Drake Barrett. When do you think we will know when Ryan Shea is coming back? For me, Drake, it's probably going to be closer to July 1. Sometime in June, you're not going to get an. answer this weekend. I think it's going to be closer to the draft, if not July 1st day. So that's kind of my thought on the Ryan Shea situation. Again, I'd like to have him back.

Starting point is 00:12:38 I've made that point clear on the show, but I think there are going to be teams out there that might overpay to get him. That's a contract that has to be on the Penguins terms. If he wants more than what they're willing to pay him, you can find a replacement elsewhere. That's where I am, too. And listen, let's all. all not put our blinders on and pretend to be naive. While the NFL has their legal tampering period, we all know the NHL has one, but no one talks about it. It's that week before July 1, players and agents and teams get an idea of who's going to be around, who's going to be available, who's not. Oh, Pat, you need to tell me that like players aren't signing at 12.05 p.m. on July 1st.

Starting point is 00:13:24 They're not, they're signing five minutes in and not talking to anyone. Man, that's crazy. Yeah, you know, these super simplistic NHL player contract agreements get written, worked out, read, and known in five minutes. That is definitely how it works. But to the point of Ryan Shea, I'm not comparing the two players one to one. I'm just comparing the situation. I believe I've said it on our pod before.

Starting point is 00:13:51 I do think some teams are going to look at Ryan, as this year's Darren Radish, as he's an understated kind of depth defenseman who has shown potential. He's still relatively young, especially for a defenseman, and could be poised for a breakout. So I do think that there is the possibility that there may be a team or two that is not going to be afraid to throw him a little bit more money than what the penguins are comfortable with. but if that team doesn't come around, I do think July 1st, July 2nd, you may see Ryan Shea re-sign in Pittsburgh,

Starting point is 00:14:30 but as Hunter said, it's going to have to be on the penguins in Kyle Dubus's terms because this is where the penguins are as a franchise right now. The biggest challenge that Kyle Dubus is going to have aside from finding the next cornerstone pieces is not, falling in love with, I don't want to say depth players, but role players. Ryan Shea's a good role player. He's a good Swiss Army knife, so to speak, on your back end. He can fill in on the top two pairs in a pinch if you have injuries or you're just figuring some

Starting point is 00:15:10 things out and he'll be a steady presence on your second or third pair when everybody is healthy and hitting on all cylinders. His challenge will be not falling in love with the Ryan Shays, but finding the next ones, finding the next, hey, this guy didn't work out where he was or he hasn't been given a shot yet and he's going to figure it out with us. So for Ryan Shay, I look at it as if a team isn't going to fall in love with him this summer and offer him a little bit more than he's probably worth, I do think he'll be back, but there is still that X factor of a team may throw up. a little bit more money at them, and it might make the penguins a bit uncomfortable.

Starting point is 00:15:55 Right. And especially because you and I have talked about it, the free agent market is not very good. And I think with that, you can see at least a few teams maybe get to a point where the penguins don't want to go. So I just wouldn't be surprised at all if he doesn't come back, even though, had a great season and like to have him back, but I'm not going to simply overpay it again. You can replace that player via trade potentially with someone. one younger. But keeping it still with the defenseman, this comes from coach Matt Limegrover, who's the assistant offensive line coach of the University of Minnesota. Huge Penns fan listens to the pod. And he asks, do you see a possibility of Chris Latang being moved to the third

Starting point is 00:16:34 pairing this year? And then also do you guys feel Sam's Rard can be an above average second pair defenseman for the penguins next season if Kyle Dubas can find another Parker Watherspoon-type defenseman in free agency this summer to pair with him? So number one with Latang, I'm not sure if they're going to move him to the third pair. They probably should at this juncture, but Pat, you also then have a hole on your second pair. And I don't think I'm ready for Harrison Brunick to take that role just yet. He's only played in nine NHL games.

Starting point is 00:17:04 So they're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. You want Letang probably on your third pair at this point, but I just don't want to throw Harrison Brunick to the wolves. Again, I like his development right now, but I think that's a player you probably start on the third pair next year if he makes it. and then maybe gradually increase his role if he plays well as the year goes on. So that's kind of where I am with Letang. And then, you know, great timing with Gerard because his season review was today,

Starting point is 00:17:31 you know, above average, I got to see it. I want him to get up to, you know, average first because I don't even really think he was that average for most of his 20 games. Sample size this year. If he can get up to average play with that defensively responsible player that Matt alluded to, then we'll maybe talk about him being an above average second pyrd for the penguin. So those are kind of my thoughts on those two questions. The thing with Latang and decreasing his minutes is twofold to me.

Starting point is 00:18:04 One, and I know this will sound like a bit of a cop out. I want to see what he looks like out of training camp in the preseason. because we know and everybody knows the legend of his training regimen. The guy is in tip top, unbelievable shape. His workouts and what he does in the off season are the stuff of legend. He is an absolute maniac in the weight room and when it comes to conditioning. He's almost second to none. And the funny thing is if he was on probably, I'll say 30 other NHL teams,

Starting point is 00:18:42 because I'm not going to count Colorado because they have Nathan McKinnon. If he was on any other team, they didn't have Nathan McKinnon or Sidney Crosby, people would go, holy crap, no one's out working this guy in the wait room, but he's on a team with Sidney Crosby. So good luck with that. So I want to see what he looks like after camp in the preseason. Maybe he figures it back out, or at the very least, makes adjustments to his game. The other, and it gets into what you just said about a guy like Brunich,

Starting point is 00:19:10 another way that you can sneakily decrease Latang's minutes is if your Samuel Gerrard's figure it out, if Harrison Brunich continues to grow, if Eric Carlson and Watherspoon are both on the team again and both still playing to the level they were last year. And then you're not so much decreasing Latang's minutes as you are increasing the minutes for the guys who are playing better. And Latang, goofy as he is, understands that. He would understand he's not being punished. They're just playing different people in different roles.

Starting point is 00:19:50 So if those all go according to plan, it's less a punishment and a demotion of Chris Latang than it is, hey, we've got options on our blue line. And if that works out the way we want it to, you can have your cake and eat it too in the sense that you'll have a couple pairs that you can throw out there. They'll play well. Letang will be on the other one.

Starting point is 00:20:14 And you can give Latang more favorable matchups. He will have more gas in the tank near the end of the year. So that to me is the best case scenario. Now, if he has another season like he did this year, that's a whole other problem that will need to be addressed. Right. And you're not even also taking into account players that they can acquire from outside the organization via trade,

Starting point is 00:20:36 as they look to continue to revamp the blue line and, you know, maybe, again, spitballing Olin Zellberger, for example, from the Ducks, if he comes in, plays really well on one of the top two pairs. Okay, that could also potentially lead to Latang's minutes going down a little bit if you require someone else outside of the organization. Maybe that's the same case there. So there's avenues for it to happen, but again, I just don't want to throw Harrison Brunick out to the wolves right away.

Starting point is 00:21:06 I think that's something that would have to, you know, gradually happen as he continues to get more comfortable in the NHL when he's on his team. If Letang is on the second pair, for example, next year. I still think you cut his minutes a little bit, even though he'd probably still be on the second pair ahead of someone like Harrison Brunick, who, I have him on my mock roster for next year just because of the way he's playing. So those are kind of my jumbled thoughts on Chris Lentang. I understand. I understand, excuse me, everyone's concerns. They are right. They are very valid just because he has not been good these last couple of years.

Starting point is 00:21:42 We've been on the show talking about it. We kind of answered Victor's question about it because he talked about how Latang needs to be on the third pair as well. Finally, Pat, one more question before we head to break. This one comes from Stereo Penguin. Would you keep players like Hollander Novak Soderblum in Brazil or use them for trades? They are all NHLers. It might block a prospect from a roster spot. When it comes to Philip Hollander, we need to see if he's even going to

Starting point is 00:22:04 to play again. Pat, just blood clots are super serious. I think they're waiting to get a full update on him. So time will tell on Philip Hollander. We obviously wish him the best year because when he is healthy, I think he is a solid 12th to 13th NHL forward. And I think he showed that before he had the blood clots. Tommy Novak, I have him on the roster right now unless he gets dealt this off season. Elmo Soder Blum, I definitely think they have future plans for him. I have him on the roster for next season. and I can say the same thing for Justin Brzo unless of course he gets used as trade bait too. I know there's still a lot of veterans on this roster,

Starting point is 00:22:40 but there is still going to be avenues, I think for some of these kids to make the team. I don't think Dan Ews and Kyle Dubas are going to block any of these kids from making the team. If there are some more veterans, for example, at camp, it'll just make it that much more competitive for roster spots. I will say this, depending upon how the first,

Starting point is 00:23:01 month or so of the season goes, I do think there's a bit of a market inefficiency now on the penguin's roster, so to speak. If Sauterblum continues the type of play that he had to close out the year and into the playoffs, Justin Broseau kind of becomes expendable. Now, I don't think they are one-to-one players, but they kind of play in the same role. So if Sauterblum continues his strong play that he had at the end of the year, and you can sell high. on Justin Brzoe and get some good assets in return. That's kind of the guy I look at right now outside of the obvious names of someone you could potentially move for a good, not a great return, but a return that would help you no less.

Starting point is 00:23:49 So those two kind of almost feel like, to quote, the now former Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, and it's two dogs in one bone. It's a matter of who's going to win that battle and take that spot. So we'll see with those two. And again, we had a pretty competitive camp in 2025. I think it might be the same and potentially then some this year with all these kids pushing for spots in with the veterans that are at least on the roster right now. But of course, could potentially change as we get deeper into the off season.

Starting point is 00:24:21 But that's going to do it for this second segment. Coming up to end the show, it's more fan take Friday, including a question about my draft board because yes we are getting closer to the draft and i am really excited about some of the players on my board that's coming up right after this hello i'm jd young of locked on sharks and as a father want to make sure that my kids will be protected in case the unimaginable happens when my wife and i sat down and discussed life insurance we found that ethos was our best option ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy 100% online get a quote in seconds apply in minutes and get same-day coverage.

Starting point is 00:25:03 There's no medical exam. You just answer a few simple health questions. You have to $3 million in coverage with some policies as low as $30 a month. And you know you're going to get the lowest rate from their network of trusted carriers. So take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash lockdownihL. that's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash lockdown NHL applications times vary rates may vary all right we're back here closing out the Friday edition of the Lockdown

Starting point is 00:25:39 Penguins podcast i'm one of your host hans or hoodies joined by my host patrick damp and pat i was waiting for one of these questions we finally got it this one comes from ace 80 is there anybody on your draft board for if the penguins remain at 22nd overall at the draft yes there are plenty of players on my board. It is not finished yet. I'm going to have this done in the next couple of weeks, but I really like where the board is right now. One player who I actually wrote about today for the hockey news, Ryan Lynn, it's funny. The first player I talked about last year on the show, and I remember vividly, was Ben Kendall. I was a big fan. They drafted him in the first round.

Starting point is 00:26:15 We're going to try to go two for two here because the first player I'm talking about today is defenseman Ryan Lynn from the WHL's Vancouver Giants. 14 goals, 57 points in 53 games. committed to the University of Denver for next season. And two words come to mind for me, Pat. Steady and reliable. Really good power play quarterback. He's a solid skater. One of my favorite moments from his tape this year was how to play,

Starting point is 00:26:40 started behind the net, went right around someone coming out of his own zone, hits the red line, gets into the offensive zone, just with a beautiful burst of speed, drops the puck off to his teammate, pucks in the back of the net two seconds later after a couple of players crashed the net for a rebound.

Starting point is 00:26:55 but that play just goes to show how well of a skater he is. He has some nice keeps at the blue line on the power play. There is one in particular between the U-18s in the Gratzky Cup, Canada, USA, where he had a really nice keep at the blue line before Ty Lawrence finishes off the play. So just a really smooth player. I think he could bulk up a little bit more, but very safe, very reliable, good in his own zone, has good gap control. I like the skating.

Starting point is 00:27:24 I like the hockey IQ. If he is there at 22, I'd be all over him as the pick, truly. I read your piece this morning. I thought it was great. And I know we're sitting here sniffing each other's farts because I'm telling you that I read your piece in the hockey news. And I'm going to pimp my own piece on my substack, Patrick on Puck. I did a little bit of research today about the salary cap and parody.

Starting point is 00:27:48 And is it actually giving us parity? Spoiler alert, not as much as you would think. but anyway, check that out. You can find it on my socials. I will also leave the draft board stuff up to people like you, people like our pal jessie Marshall, obviously Scott Wheeler at the Athletic, because you guys do great work on that.

Starting point is 00:28:09 What I will say about the penguins in the draft this year, operating right now, just before they make any moves, obviously, if they're still at 20 second overall, I do think if nothing else, the penguins in where they are right now and the way this past season went, they're going to be full BPA, best player available. Obviously, Dubus and company have a much tighter grasp on what they think their needs are, what they're looking for.

Starting point is 00:28:39 But when you're drafting at 22, you're just going best player available. Whoever is around forward, defenseman, winger, center, whatever, probably not goalie because we know how deep goaltending is in this in this organization right now. But I do think at the end of the day, if you're Dubus and the Penguins, you don't move up, you stay at 22. It doesn't matter the position, save for goalie. You just go best player available. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:29:09 I don't think it's going to be a goalie in the first round. But considering I still think they need more for their defensive pipeline in particular, Ryan Lynn to me would be a really solid big. Now, there's going to be plenty of other players who I'll talk about in the coming weeks that I would like as well. But if Ryan Lynn is the pick, I will be happy considering that I think he's one of the better defensemen in this class. And I think he has the potential to be a solid top four defenseman once he finishes developing. So there's a tease about my draft board. I want to talk about one player today.

Starting point is 00:29:43 We'll talk about more in the coming weeks. Pat has watched a lot of Wyatt Cullen specifically. So we'll talk about him. J.P. Hurlbert, the dream option, which I'll get into later. So again, plenty of good options at number 22. And we'll be talking about that throughout the month of June. Now, this one's really cool, Pat, from Russ K-17. Would you believe me if I told you that back in 2022, the night before free agency,

Starting point is 00:30:07 I was prepared to say that I renounced my fandom if Gino was inside. I wouldn't go that far. But I would have been very mad if they did not bring him back. just in 2022 with the options that were out there and all that stuff. I was in the trenches arguing with fans online, talking about how can't move on from him. He's still really good. I mean, hell,

Starting point is 00:30:28 he was better than than he is now. And I'm not saying he's like obviously bad or anything. He's coming off a point per game season. And he definitely has something left in the tank. But four years ago, man, he was still damn good. So, yeah, I would have been mad,

Starting point is 00:30:43 would not have renounced my fandom, of course, but I would have been mad to say the least. I was in the same spot. And because that weird vortex of time between 2020 and 22, like kind of all smashes together for me, I know I wrote about it. I can't remember if it was still Penn's blog or KDCA or somewhere else. But I remember I wrote a scathing piece about Hextall doing this because it was a lot of the same kind of logic where he was still really good.

Starting point is 00:31:20 He's a franchise legend. He has done enough with the Pittsburgh Penguins and as an individual to where you don't, and obviously this is different for now in 2026. And it was only slightly different in 22 where it was, yeah, you don't hand him a blank check and say write down any number and we'll pay it. But you don't hardball a guy like that, especially back in that time, because very similar to right now, there was nothing waiting in the wings. There was no second line center in the pipeline.

Starting point is 00:31:56 There was nobody in free agency that would have realistically replaced Evgeny Malkin at the time. There were a couple of options, but the penguins didn't have the cap space to do it. So it was very, very, like, so I'm right there with Rust. I wasn't going to renounce my fan. them, but I was going to be really, really mad with the organization had they let him walk. Yeah, I'm with you there. I would have been mad online, as the kids like to say.

Starting point is 00:32:22 And finally, Pat, we're going to finish up with a funny one here from Harrison Baldwin. If you could build your perfect game night with the penguins, what game are you playing in with what penguins? So that's a question made for me because I love video games. You know, Fortnite would be the easy answer because that's the game I play the most, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to go left for dead two. That's one of my top five favorite games of all time.

Starting point is 00:32:42 OGs know it. It is just fantastic. If you were playing back on the Xbox 360, and for which penguins, I would definitely go Brian Russ because he is a true gamer. Like you see him sometimes play with like Ninja and his brother, for example. So definitely Brian Rust.

Starting point is 00:32:59 I think about going with Sid because I feel like he'd be a lot of fun to play a type of zombie game with. Gino, I think, would be fun to play that game with as well. So those three, Connor Clifton potentially, sounds like a weird answer Harrison, but he's like the type of guy that would love that type of game when you see how goofy he is. So very interesting mix, but that's kind of what I would do. I guess

Starting point is 00:33:25 four players for that type of game because you can play you can play with four players and those little walkthrough campaigns. So that's kind of what I would do. This kind of shows the difference between you and I. And this answer will make my girlfriend really happy. Because even though I'm not the biggest fan of the game. I have played it plenty of times. I was thinking board games. And I would want to see Ben Kindle, Brian Rust, and Sid all sit down at a table with me and play Settlers of Catan. Because I would love to see Kindle either be a wonderkind for it and be great at it or be completely flummoxed about how this game works. He would be,

Starting point is 00:34:10 it would be unintentional comedy, especially if the kid didn't know how the game was played. Brian Rust, I believe if I remember was asked about this a few years ago and said that like him and a couple other guys had like a weeks long game of that going. Like they literally had it set up at one of their houses and basically were like telling people don't touch it.

Starting point is 00:34:33 We're in the middle of this game. So I would love to see how he plays it. And we just know what legendary competitiveness Crosby has. So can you imagine him playing this game, not understanding totally how it works, but getting frustrated because he wasn't winning, those three mixed together playing that game with me, who is just someone who's like, it's a board game. We're going to sit here and make jokes and have fun and do our thing while we play a game would just be both unintentional comedy

Starting point is 00:35:07 and a damn fun experience. That would be great, especially because you know, Sid, he's the most competitive person out there. And he'll do whatever it takes to win that game. And then Rust, he's a gamer. We all know that. And I have to think Ben Kindle also plays some video games. He's still only a teenager.

Starting point is 00:35:23 So obviously, when he's not working out this offseason, doing his offseason regimen, I personally think he's probably playing some type of video game. That's just my opinion on that. So I think that's a great pick as well. But overall, I think that's going to do it for the Friday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Thank you all so much to take the time to listen to slash watch this one. Pat and I will be back with a fresh episode for you all on Monday,

Starting point is 00:35:49 continuing our season and review series reacting to any other news. And of course, talking about Wilkesbury and Wheeling. Hopefully, Pat Wheeling is still alive by then. And hopefully also, Wilkesbury has evened up their series against Marley's game two. tonight in Wilkesbury. But that's going to do it for this one. Thank you all so much for tuning in. We'll be back on Monday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - What is Sam Girard's ceiling with the Penguins?

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