Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Where will the Penguins send Guentzel with 24 hours until the deadline?

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

We've got 24 hours until the NHL Trade Deadline and on this edition of the Locked On Penguins Podcast, Patrick and Hunter discuss where Jake Guentzel may end up and who the Penguins should get for him.... Then, oh yeah, there's actual hockey to be played! They preview a mostly meaningless Penguins vs. Capitals matchup set for Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. Finally, the boys close out the show by discussing who other than Jake Guentzel the Penguins could move at the deadline for some sort of value. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.FactorGet started on your resolutions with Factor, so you’re ready for the new year. Head to factormeals.com/lockedonnhl50 and use code lockedonnhl50 to get 50% off. IndeedIndeed knows when you’re growing your own business, you have to make every dollar count. Visit Indeed.com/LOCKEDON to start hiring now.RobinhoodRobinhood has the only IRA that gives you a 3% boost on every dollar you contribute when you subscribe to Robinhood Gold. Now through April 30th, Robinhood is even boosting every single dollar you transfer in from other retirement accounts with a 3% match. Available to U.S. customers in good standing. Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC), is a registered broker dealer.SleeperDownload the Sleeper App and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit. Terms and conditions apply. See Sleeper’s Terms of Use for details.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelGet buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your bet wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Just like some 41, we are still waiting. For trades, that is, Hunter and I are going to react to the latest rumblings and get you ready for Penn's caps tonight and more on this edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Your Locked-on Penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome back Penguins fans to another edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp,
Starting point is 00:00:42 joined as always by the one and only Hunter Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Synonym 4WET. You can follow Hunter at Hunter Hodes, and you can follow the show's account at L.O. underscore Penguins. We thank you for making this your first listener watch of the day because we're your team every day, and we are free and available wherever you get your podcast, including YouTube and just about everywhere else.
Starting point is 00:01:06 And today, Hunter, there has been a lot of rumblings, a lot of rumors, a lot of chatter, a lot of chit-chat about Jake Gensel and who the penguins might move. And as of 3.33 p.m. as we're recording this on Thursday afternoon, there has been zip, nita, nilch, nothing. But there are a lot of talks surrounding specifically the New York Rangers here in the Metropolitan Division. Right now, if you went by the amount of talk that's going on on social media by the insiders and a few other people, It appears like as of today, it looks like that the New York Rangers are the leader in the clubhouse. But of course, we know how the trade deadline works. That could change at any moment.
Starting point is 00:01:48 Somebody could swoop in and decide to make a better deal for Jake Gensel. But right now, all the chatter seems to suggest that Kyle is deep in discussions with Chris Drury about making Jake Gensel and New York Ranger. So some of the things you've seen about that, what are your thoughts on where Jake Gensel might end up. Yeah, I mean, I've seen the Rangers stuff on social media. There's reports about, oh, Capo caco, a first round pick, maybe another piece. I'm not interested in Capo caco. I don't think he's any good. I know he's a former top five pick in the NHL draft, but he hasn't really panned out the way the Rangers, and I know a lot of other people had hoped he was going to pan out. I'm not a big fan of him at the NHL level. I think at best he's catch kind of a middle six fit for
Starting point is 00:02:37 this team. And that's not the centerpiece that I want in a Jake Gensel. And the first-round pick honestly doesn't do that much for me. Now, if you wanted to somehow pry Gabe Perrault out of the Rangers prospect system, I would be interested in that because I think Gabe Perrault is one of the top prospects in the league. He heading into the draft last year, I had him right around my 2A, 2B for the Penguins. He went a little bit after Braden Yeager got drafted. And I actually had him comp to, funny enough, Jake Gensel at some point. It might have been a bit rich for me, but I really like the tools that he can provide at the NHL level, has really high hockey IQ, great passing player, really good finisher. His shot, it's fine. It's nothing special just yet,
Starting point is 00:03:20 but I still think it's good enough, and he can freeze goaltenders like it's nothing from the film that I've watched with him. That is a legit prospect, and if you would be able to get him back, that would be huge because I think he could play pretty quickly in the NHL. There's also the man kid down there in the HL. I think he's all right. I think he could be a piece for the Penguins, but I don't think he's also going to be like a long-term
Starting point is 00:03:44 answer for this. I again keep going back to Vancouver and Carolina. Vancouver has everything that I would want in a package, and the same thing goes for Carolina. I would probably put the Rangers a little bit after those two teams in my opinion, but I'm just not really a big fan of Capo caco. The first
Starting point is 00:04:00 front pick doesn't do it for me. And while I like Gabe Pro, and I think he would be, I would be awesome for him coming back. I'm just not sure they have enough outside of him and maybe Othman to really make this whole thing work. Yeah, I was having a nice little chat with our pals Andrew and Nick from Liberty Blue and locked on Rangers today about that. And, you know, I do think it comes back to what we discussed yesterday about if you are to trade him to say a Carolina or a New York Rangers team, you would have to, if you're Kyle Dubus, impose a metropolitan division tax, because here's the thing. The way I lay this out, and I said this to Andrew, it's not so much
Starting point is 00:04:40 that I'm trying to squeeze the New York Rangers. Yes, that is by definition what you're doing, but if you're trading a proven playoff performer, a point per game player, and one of the best goal scores in recent memory in the Stanley Cup playoffs in Jake Gensel to a divisional rival that could win you a cup today, you have to part with pieces that could kill you tomorrow if you're the New York Rangers or the Carolina Hurricanes. And yes, that's a painful thing. But as gets repeated at this time of year by every fan base, banners fly forever. If you win the Stanley Cup and yeah, you know, Altman or I'm.
Starting point is 00:05:24 probably saying his name wrong or Perrault, if one of the two of them end up being really good prospects and hurt you down the road, you're not going to look up at your 2024 Stanley Cup banner and go, man, imagine if we still had that guy though. So I do think if you're dubous at this point and you're deep in discussions with, say, Carolina or New York, you have to add in that, A, I'm going to make you pay a little bit more for this guy because you're in our division. And I also have good offers on the table from, say, Vancouver or Florida, who are not in the division. And I'd be more willing to take a lesser price to send him out of the Metropolitan Division or the Eastern Conference than I would send him in division.
Starting point is 00:06:10 So, I mean, if you're at this point, if you're dealing with a Metro team, it's got to be a first plus plus. It can't just be a first plus. If it's Vancouver or Florida, I can live with a first plus because you're probably going to get maybe their top prospect, if not their number two. And then that first round pick, despite it being lower in the draft, I get the sense that this summer, whatever first round pick they get, they might use in another deal to retool this roster for next season. So I don't think Kyle Dubus is too worried about getting a first round pick for the 2024 draft, just because, yes, he has stated that he wants to retool it and restock this covered. And he has to do that. But in the immediate right now, I don't think he's worried too much about the 2024 draft.
Starting point is 00:07:06 Yeah, I agree with you. And I don't think he really is that concerned about the 2024 NHL draft. And one thing that I do actually like what Dubis is doing right now, now, he's being patient. Yeah, I know there are reports that said he was trying to get the deal on Wednesday. Then you've seen reports on Thursday saying he's trying to get it done today. So far, as of 3.40 p.m. Eastern right now, nothing has come through yet. He's taking his time to make sure that he doesn't get cleaned out when you're trading your best asset. You know, we can go back and forth about whether this is the right call. I've said so many times on this show, I would love to
Starting point is 00:07:40 resign him. I would love to keep him. But it just, it doesn't look like that's going to happen right now. So you have to take the best offer available. But I just don't want him to lower the asking price for anyone. Stick to your guns and keep that asking price. This is the best player on the market this year and you better nail what you're getting back in return. It's a difficult tightrope for him to walk because at this point, like you said, this is the best player available on the market.
Starting point is 00:08:11 There is nobody else above Jake Gensel available at this trading deadline. So you have to get this deal right. And you have to make it clear to other teams that we don't have to trade them. Now, he does from our perspective, because to get this thing kick started into next year, you're going to have to get the return you can get for Jake Gensel and make it the right return. But at the same time, there's no ironclad rule that says he has to be dealt at the deadline and you have to get rid of them. But ideally you want to. And we know this is for a fact.
Starting point is 00:08:49 The biggest thing teams need in the Stanley Cup playoffs is goal scoring. And Jake Gensel is the closest thing to a sure thing for goal scoring in the Stanley Cup playoffs. You just look at his performance. And every time he's been in the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2017, he has performed. It's a proven playoff performer. So if you're dubus, I agree. And then I also look at it like this.
Starting point is 00:09:14 A lot of people had. reactions to the reporting of they're going to have a deal in place for Kyle Dubus on Wednesday night. Everybody interpreted it as that. All that was said was that they're hoping to have a deal in place by Wednesday night. This is not going to be a simple deal. This is not going to be Jake Gensel for a player in, hey, let's call Central Registry and we're done and ready to go. No, this is going to be a complicated deal. There could be salary retention. There's going to be prospects, there could be a pick. Hell, there could be a roster player involved in this. And the penguins don't have a ton of cap space. And if they're going to make any kind of player move,
Starting point is 00:09:56 it has to be until they make other corresponding moves, salary in salary out. Right. It has to be dollar and dollar out until you move out other players. And I do think part of the Gensel holdup is, you know, other players haven't been moved out yet. I think they want to get this done. before moving on to other players such as a Lars Eller, such as a Riley Smith, Alex Nadelcovich, Ricardo, Raquel, so on, and so forth. I think that's the main reason why you haven't seen Dubis make this trade yet, or make other trades yet.
Starting point is 00:10:31 It seems to just because he wants to get the Gensel trade out of the way. But overall, I mean, I agree with what you're saying. I know there's so much out there, but at the end of the day, you have to nail this because this is your prime asset on the market. If you mess this up, this is only going to get people even angrier, especially after the summer that he had with some of the screwups with some of the players that he signed.
Starting point is 00:10:56 Yeah. And I do think, though, I will look at some reporting from our pal Rob Rossi who did say that Gensel also might not be the first move to be made because, again, going to be a complicated deal. It's not going to be a simple one to make. So this is going to take some time. Now, of course, as you're listening to this, it might be outdated. The deal might be done by the time we get this uploaded and out for everybody.
Starting point is 00:11:22 So that said, I do think at the end of the day, a Jake Gensel deal is inevitable. He's going to get dealt. And I want to caution some people with this too. It's probably going to be a tad underwhelming. It's probably not going to be everything that you had hoped. That's just how the trade deadline goes. Now, as I have been saying, this deadline and this offseason are the two biggest tests Kyle Dubus is going to have as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Starting point is 00:11:55 How he parlays this move into next season will tell me more about what I need to know about the direction of this franchise. So we will see what happens with Jake Gensel at this deadline. Hopefully this show is still relevant by the time you're listening to it. It might not be, but no big deal. That said, there is hockey still to be played. And tonight, Penguins Capitals, if you haven't heard. And while we may not be overly excited for this Penn's Caps match, still Penguins Capitals.
Starting point is 00:12:26 Always a fun time. And we're going to get you ready for that right after this. But first we have to tell you about our first sponsor, and that is indeed. No matter how the last game went, anytime you take the field, you've got a shot at greatness. Give your team the best shot at winning by recruiting more MVP's with Indeed. If you're hiring, you need Indeed, because Indeed is the hiring partner where you can attract, interview, and hire all in one place. And Indeed is the only job site where you're guaranteed to find quality applicants that meet your must have requirements or else you don't pay.
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Starting point is 00:14:12 I am Patrick Damp. That is Hunter Hodes. And yes, we will still play some hockey with this Penguins team, despite everything going on around the trade deadline. And tonight, it's a Metro Division rival coming to town, the Washington Capitals, and the one and only Alex Ovechkin. And we haven't been here for quite a while, probably about 20 years since a Penguins' Caps match really didn't have that much riding on it. And even though that's the case, it's still Penguins Capitals. It's still a rivalry. We all know the reaction we get when we see those red jerseys.
Starting point is 00:14:49 We all know the reaction we get when we see guys like Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin. So Hunter, despite all of the hullabaloo going on with the trade deadline, thoughts on how the Penguins can get another two points tonight against the Capitals. First off, I've never been less excited going into a Penguins Capitals game. in the last 15, 20 years than I am tonight. I just, where the two teams are in the standings right now, how similar trajectories that they're on, I just, I'm not as amped up for it as I normally am.
Starting point is 00:15:26 And I feel like everyone in the fan base would probably agree with me on that. It just, it doesn't have that high stakes type feel, right? Just because I feel like everyone knows where both of these two teams are heading for the rest of the season. But that said, this is still a game you want to win. It's a big rival. You've had some crazy battles with the Capitals over the years. And I feel like this one, even though the stakes are a lot lower, it's still going to be a pretty fun game.
Starting point is 00:15:51 These two teams have played two pretty solid games so far this season. The Penguins won the first one in Washington. And then they laid an egg for the first 20 minutes of the second game in Pittsburgh. The Capitals jump out to a 4-0 league. Tris and Jari with a really bad first period overall. Then the Penguins are able to dominate the Capitals, the Final 40s. minutes, pull to within four, three, heading into the third period, but they weren't able to get the game tying goal in the third or even potentially win the game, as Darcy Kemper was really
Starting point is 00:16:18 strong in that third period and just overall in that game. But it looks like right now, Kemper is a bit sick. They had to recall their HL goalie on Thursday. So that might pave the way to Charlie Lingren getting the start unless they're going to hold him out for trade-related reasons. I don't think I've seen him too much in trade rumors, but if a team wants a, another goalie, I could see the Capitals moving Lingren and getting a pretty decent haul from because I think he's been one of the more underrated goaltenders in the league this year.
Starting point is 00:16:47 You look at the Capitals roster right now, there's a lot of new names on here, my friends. I mean, yeah, you have Alex Ovechkin, the greatest school score of all time. You have Tom Wilson, who always gets everyone in this city, very mad. But you know, you got Hendricks Lop here as their first line center. Connor McMichael as their second line center. Dylan Strome down the middle as their third line center. I think Dylan Strome, also one of the more. underrated players in the league. He's been great for the caps this year, 47 points and 60 games.
Starting point is 00:17:14 Obechkin, he's been a bit quiet for most of this season, but he has started to wake up a little bit in terms of goal scoring, 17 goals, 45 points in 57 games. You know how you need to beat this Capitals team. You got to shut down Obechkin, you got to shut down Wilson, both scored in that previous game in Pittsburgh. You shut those two guys down. The Penguins should be able to walk out of here with two points. Now, Dylan, Strom, stopping him, that's also a big one. But I really like the way the Penguins played in the final 40 minutes against the Capitals in that last matchup.
Starting point is 00:17:47 I think if they're able to do that for a full 60 in this game, they should be able to walk out with a win, even though Jake Gensel is not going to be playing, even though Brian Russ is not going to be playing. I'm not really high on this Capitals team. I have not been high on them all season. Their depth is really concerning. They just traded Anthony Manfa to Vegas, who has 20 goals this season. They just traded Joe Edmondson.
Starting point is 00:18:06 As all, they probably have other trades in the works as well. Well, these two teams, very similar trajectories, very close in the standings, but it's still a game that you want to win, at least for bragging rights for this season. And I know that, you know, we are pretty much fully in the acceptance stage of grief when it comes to this penguin season. But there is some implications on this one. Penguins are just one point behind the caps. The caps have 65. The penguins have 64. and the Flyers are playing Florida tonight.
Starting point is 00:18:41 And as good and surprising as Philly has been this year, Florida is still very much a wagon. So if the penguins get two clean points tonight, they jump the caps and then they're all six points back from third place in the metro. Now, I understand. I understand that it is a pipe dream, but he's doing the copium, everyone. He's got the copium. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:19:06 But. would it not be the most penguins thing in the world for this team to sell off over the next 48 hours, Gensel goes, Eller goes, Smith goes, maybe Ned goes, we'll talk about some other guys we think might get traded in the final segment, but would it not be the most penguins thing in the world for them to sell off and then go on a zombie run? I could see it happening. And we have heard it from guys like Chris Latang, guys like Evgeny Malkin, Marcus Pedersen, even Sidney Crosby.
Starting point is 00:19:40 They're not giving up. Now, they're not, I don't think playing their greatest hockey right now because I think they get where this season is going. But you beat a division rival, you see the Flyers lose if they were to lose tonight, and you think, you know what, why not? Why not take a shot at it and see what we can do?
Starting point is 00:20:01 I hear you. I mean, hey, at the end of last season, that Penguins Caps game at PPG, both teams were still in the playoff race at the time. Even though the Capitals sold off quite a few assets at the deadline, they were still very much in the race when that game was played. That's when the McGinney Monkin had the winner with about a minute left in the third period. And that regulation loss basically synced the Capitol season. Had the Capps found a way to win that game, they would have only been a few points out of
Starting point is 00:20:31 the playoff spot. Instead, they lost two crucial points and their season was basically cooked after that game. So this game still has a lot riding on it, even though it's probably more unlikely that one or both of these teams get into the playoffs in April. It's still going to be a lot of fun to watch. Got to make sure you watch out for Ovechkin on the power play. Someone regarding his spot, for God's sake. I've been seeing him shoot the puck there so many times over the years. It's patented spot. That's just how it is at this point. And also one more thing for this game. I really hope the PPG growled tonight is great. I don't want it to sound like a library like the way it did on Tuesday against the blue jackets. You could tell just by watching it at home pat,
Starting point is 00:21:17 the crowd knew what was coming at some point this week. And I know we haven't seen any trades yet. And there could be some trades during the game tonight. But I just hope the crowd still brings it tonight, even though the team is where it is in the standings right now. I think the crowd obviously knows where the team is at. They know what could happen later tonight or on Friday. But I just want this crowd to be a really good one just because of how just lame the crowd on Tuesday was. Come on, people.
Starting point is 00:21:45 Show up for this game. Yeah, absolutely. And then to keep to keep myself huffing on this copium a little bit longer here, I mean, you look at what's coming in the next couple weeks for the penguins, regardless of the trade deadline, putting that aside, let's say they pull out two points tonight. You've still got games against, excuse me, you still got games against Boston,
Starting point is 00:22:07 who they've played well. Now, granted, they were more, they had less injuries, they had a more full roster, they were in a different spot in the season. Obviously, Edmonton's going to be a tough out, but then you have Ottawa and then San Jose, and then the Rangers,
Starting point is 00:22:22 and then the Red Wings, those are two tough outs. But then New Jersey, who's struggling as well, Dallas, that'll be a really tough one. one, that's a great hockey team. Colorado, that's a great hockey team. Carolina, another great hockey team.
Starting point is 00:22:34 But then you end the month with two matchups against the blue jackets. Games you can win. Now, again, tall task, highly unlikely, but at the very least, there's the opportunity to make this season interesting for the rest of the way out. They don't have to go out with a whimper. They can go out swinging. They can go out making a run. And if nothing else, we'll play a little bit of spoiler to end the season
Starting point is 00:22:59 for a few teams. Yeah, you can do that maybe for the Rangers, if you're spoiling them, maybe getting home ice in the first round. Maybe it's the Red Wings, for example. I mean, I think the Red Wings are going to make the playoffs. I don't think they're that good of a team this year, in my opinion, but maybe you could play Spoiler a little bit for them if they do struggle a little bit, even though, again, I don't know if that's going to happen, but say that does happen, you could play
Starting point is 00:23:19 spoiler a little bit for them and maybe try and knock them out of the race a little bit as well. I only wish they could play spoiler to the Flyers. Again, they don't play the Flyers anymore. they won the last few after losing the first two, that would be the one that would bring a real smile to my face if they could play spoiler to them. But it sucks. They don't play them anymore. Yeah, darn shame. It sure is. But Penguins Capitals tonight at PPG Paints Arena at 7 o'clock. And when we come back, we're going to talk more about the trade deadline.
Starting point is 00:23:49 I'm going to talk about some guys outside of Jake Gensel that we think could and will be moved at the trade deadline. But before we do that, we're going to tell you about. our next sponsor, and that is Factor Meals. Eating better is easy with factors, delicious, ready to eat meals, every fresh, never frozen meal is chef crafted, dietitian approved, and ready to go in just two minutes. You'll have over 35 different options to choose from every week, including calorie smart, protein plus, and keto. Also, there are more than 60 add-ons to help you stay fueled up and feeling good all day long. So what are you waiting for? Get started today and get after your goals. Fuel up.
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Starting point is 00:26:47 And it is trade deadline season. We have spoken the Jake Gensel trading rumors and rumblings to death. but outside of our good pal Jake, who we are going to miss when he gets dealt, Penguins do still have some assets available to move at this deadline outside of Jake. And to me, I think the biggest piece they have behind maybe Jake and Alex Nadelcovic, who I do think would also get us a good return, is Lars Eller. I've been saying it on the show. He has very much performed to the level we expected him to when he was signed, if not more.
Starting point is 00:27:21 double-digit goals so far this season. Very good defensive two-way center for the penguins. And as I said in the first segment, you can never have enough scoring in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And if you can get a fourth-line center who has double-digit goals, plays very well in his own zone, is a very accountable player, that is a very valuable asset to move to a contending team at the deadline.
Starting point is 00:27:49 Yeah, I agree with you. And I do think, you know, just based on what the capitals got in return for him last year, you should be able to get a decent draft pick back from the capitals got a 2025 second round pickback for Eller last year. I think the Penguins, if they wanted to with Eller, he has a year left on his contract. I think they could get back a second in next year's draft, maybe a third in this year's draft, definitely something like that for a player who has been pretty solid in their bottom six this year. defensively responsible, good depth score. He can kill penalties.
Starting point is 00:28:24 He can take face-offs. Playoff teams will want that type of player for the final stretch of the regular season and especially, of course, into the Stanley Cup playoffs. So I do think the Penguins could get back at least a decent draft pick. If you don't want a draft pick, you can maybe get back a prospect. But I still think they could get back a decent return for him if they want to move him. And I do think he gets moved over the next 24 hours. Agreed.
Starting point is 00:28:49 another player, I brought him up there in the open of this segment. I also think that they would be wise to try to deal Alex Nadelcovic at the deadline. He has been a steady 1B behind Tristan Jari all season. And we know with this deadline, there are a lot of contenders right now who need goaltending. They seem like they have everything they need to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, but the one thing they're missing is the most important position in hockey, and that's goal tending. So that's another player I would be dangling out there for some of these contending
Starting point is 00:29:24 teams to see if they would go for it because we know that the Minnesota Wild aren't dealing Mark Andre Fleury. The Nashville Predators are not dealing UC Soros. So those are two big chips off the board that contenders could go for. And then if you're Kyle Dubis, you can sit there and go, hey, I've got a guy who has played pretty well in limited action this year. He's rested up. He doesn't have a ton of miles on him. And in his limited sample, he has been good. And it's not like you're sending him to a basement team like when he was with Detroit and he didn't have a lot in front of him at the time. You're sending him to a team where he's going to have a solid team in front of them.
Starting point is 00:30:03 And if he's done this well with a Penguins team that's struggling to get into the playoffs, he'd probably do just as good, if not better, on a better team. I agree. But you know what other team kind of makes sense to me if they do decide to buy over the next 24 hours. I know they've struggled a lot this season. the devils. They've been looking for a goalie for a while. They're very much involved in the Jacob Markstrom talks. But I can see the devils being in on Adelkevich, even though his contract is up at the end of the season. They have just been ravaged by awful goaltending this year. No matter who
Starting point is 00:30:34 has been in net, they haven't been able to get saves. And that's part of the reason why Lindy Ruff got fired earlier this week. So I could see the devils in on him, but they have to decide if they want to do a little bit of buying considering where they are in the standings right now too. Yeah. And I said that about the Devils earlier is watching them this season, you know, if you look at the Penguins this year and think it was their power play that helped sink their season. Goaltending is absolutely what helped sink the devil's season. That's a very solid hockey team in New Jersey and they just couldn't get a save.
Starting point is 00:31:10 And finally, I think the last one that everybody's aware of is Riley Smith. it has been a bit of a square peg round hole fit here. For whatever reason, Riley Smith has just not worked out as a penguin. There's been often on chemistry with Evgeny Malkin, but nothing that has been sustained or consistent. He's got one year left. A pretty affordable $5 million with a cap that is going up next season.
Starting point is 00:31:39 And he's a pretty reliable player when he's consistent. He's good in his own end. he can pop in a few goals. He was a big contributor to Vegas's Stanley Cup championship last season. So he's got a track record of playing well in the playoffs. So that's another player that you could get, you know, a mid-round pick for or maybe a lower level prospect. But again, another guy that it would be nice for Kyle Dubas to move for if no other reason, you can get $5 million off the books by sending him somewhere else. The obvious fit for Riley Smith is Vegas. They're never out.
Starting point is 00:32:14 of any talks when it comes to a player. They remind me of an NBA team when the NBA trade deadline comes around and you see a team go all in. That's what the Vegas Golden Knights are for the NHL. They know how to be aggressive. They say screw draft picks, screw prospects. We are going all in no matter what. And that's been their mentality ever since they came into the league just a few years ago.
Starting point is 00:32:37 And you're right about Smith being a really good playoff performer. You look at his overall playoff stats in a little over 100 games. 79 points in the playoffs. He had 22 points in 20 games during the 2018 season for the nights in the playoffs. And then this past show when they won the Stanley Cup, four goals, 14 points in 22 games. Vegas would definitely be interested, I think, in getting him back. And even if he doesn't go to Vegas, maybe he goes to another team, I could see other teams as well being intrigued about him just because he has been a clutch performer when the games matter most. And yeah, you're probably only getting a mid-round pick, lower-level prospect back.
Starting point is 00:33:15 This isn't going to be a massive return for something. Could you have to eat a little bit of salary, potentially? But in a perfect world, you clear that entire cap hit out of there. Yeah. So we will see what happens here over the next 48 hours or 24 hours at this point, not 48 hours, because we're getting right down to it. Trade deadline is at 3 p.m. on Friday. just a reminder as everybody does in hockey circles.
Starting point is 00:33:40 Trades can happen after the 3 p.m. deadline if teams are working on them. So even if your team, including the Penguins, hasn't done anything by 3 p.m., it doesn't mean that it isn't happening. So a little bit of patience could happen. We will see. And if there are any trades between now and then, either Hunter and myself or Hunter on his own, will be back to give you a quick episode on a reaction to that trade. and we will be back tomorrow for our regularly scheduled episode where we will recap the entire trade deadline for the Pittsburgh Penguins,
Starting point is 00:34:13 as well as recap Penguins and Capitals tonight and get you set for the back-to-back this weekend with the Big Bad Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers. So for now, for Hunter Hodes, I am Patrick Damp. Thank you, as always, for tuning into the Locked-on Penguins podcast, and we will talk to you tomorrow.

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