Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Whole lot of trades today...will Ron Hextall wake up or stay patient?

Episode Date: July 24, 2021

Silly season has arrived peeps! Before Hunter gets into that, he discusses the Penguins' schedule for next season and some key dates for their matchups against rival teams, Do they not see the Rangers till the second half? What are also his top 5 arenas for wanting to go see a game? When are the classic Western California trips and Western Canada trips? After that, he goes into all the ridiculous deals that were made on Friday and how two of the Penguins' biggest rivals got worse today. Surely the Penguins could get a good return for Pettersson, right? He also explains why everyone needs to never complain about Kris Letang's contract again after seeing the latest Seth Jones one. Finally, Hunter goes into what you should likely expect this weekend from Pittsburgh. Will a certain player be traded? Will they try to get into the 2nd round?Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. 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.

Your Locked-on Penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hello, welcome to this Friday evening episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes. Remember to follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Follow the show's Twitter at L.O.

Ernestable Penguins, the reason why I'm just laughing a little bit just because recording this right is the Seth Jones trading. is happening as Chicago is really making a fool out of themselves. We're going to get to all of the action that has happened today in a little bit. You know, first off, though, we are going to talk about the schedule that was released last night, and we're going to go into it with what the Penguin's schedule looks like. So they opened the season, in case anyone has been living under a rock, they opened the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning, opening night.

I believe it's what, Tuesday, October 12th on ESPN in Tampa Bay. some people who didn't notice this. I was one that I did. The first back-to-back champion meets the second back-to-back champion in the cap era on opening night. So I think that's really cool, and I'm really glad to see the NHL actually doing something right when it comes to the NHL schedule. I also saw this.

In case anyone is trying to pre-plan when it comes to the schedule, the Western Canada road trip, which is honestly one of my favorite road trips of the season. You know, you get to say I've watched the day. team play till about 10.30.11. That will be late November after Thanksgiving into early December. And then the California trip, which is even later, you know, those games can start at 10, 10, 30 to go to 12, 31 a.m. in the morning. That will be in January of 2022. So you all have plenty of time to remember to stay up late, you know, get your coffee and all that. They also, after those two first games of the season after they play Tampa Bay, then they go to sunrise to play the Panthers.

their next eight games are at home. I don't think I've ever seen that before on the Penguin's schedule where they have eight of their first 10 in home. And not just that. I mean, it's eight straight games at PPG Paints Arena. I understand, you know, it all comes full circle, excuse me, with 82 games, and they have, you know, four to five game road trips, especially when they do the California one.

I think it now includes Vegas and Seattle, if I'm not mistaken. And then the Western Canada one, I think that usually includes Winnipeg. I'm not positive, but it's still, you know, I think this is a fine schedule. I think there's 10 back-to-backs overall for the Penguins, if I'm not mistaken. Only, I think, three to four games in February. Remember, everyone, it looks like the league will be sending the players to the Olympics, which is so huge for the sport. I will keep advocating for that every time the Winter Olympics come around.

If they are not sending the players to the Olympics, you're not only doing a disservice to the fans and to your players. you were doing a disservice to the league and just not being able to market it. Because everyone wants to see the best players go at it overseas representing their country. You don't want to see what happened in 2018 when you have a bunch of Troy Terrys playing for Team USA and a bunch of other weird players playing for Team Canada. Everyone wants to see Connor McDavid, Sydney Crosby on Team Canada, even for Russia. They're going to be stacked with Kutjurav and Malkin.

Then for the USA, you know, Austin Matthews and Patrick Kane. the Cachuk brothers, Jake Gensel, etc, etc. I'm glad to be able to put the Olympic break in there, and it looks like the players will be going to the Olympics this year, bearing an agreement. I think it's supposed to come any day now at this point. I also did ask a question on the Lockdown Penguins' Twitter account. What games are you looking forward to going to this season?

Are there any arenas you want to see the Penn's play in? Alan T. Yoder says this is his first 82 game season as a season ticket holder. First of all, congratulations to you on that. I hope to one day have season tickets after I'm basically retired from covering the team. He did say I finally get to see the capitals and booing Tom Wilson. I think all Penguins fans that get to come back to the games this year, because I'm sure it'll be 100% capacity because I think vaccinations will go up. Everyone will continue to boot Tom Wilson.

He also says, I can't wait to go see them play Seattle and Vegas. Seeing Tampa and Vasselowski again will be great as well. Yeah, I mean, that would be awesome. I think seeing watching a lightning is definitely one of the, must games that people should go to. I'm not sure if Pittsburgh has two games against Tampa Bay at home this year. I'm going to have to double check that. I think they do, though.

He says, other than that, just seeing individual guys play in person like McDavid and Novetskin. Yes, Alan, I do want to see a McDavid versus Crosby matchup in person before they both retire. I think that would be incredible. We've seen those two go at it a few times throughout their crew. Obviously, you know, Sid had the last laugh in the game against Edmonton. that was during the season before the pause. So really hope we get to see some more magic between those two next year. And yes, the same thing with Ovechkin, because both of those players obviously will not be around that much longer anyway.

And Allen also finishes it with, I hope to see New Jersey and or Madison Square Garden with the Rangers when I visit family. Yes, I do want to go to MSG. That is one of the arenas. I would say that's in my top five for wanting to go see a hockey game at. Would love to go to the Bell Center. The atmosphere there when it's 100% capacity is through the roof. Same with Toronto. I'd love to go to Rogers Arena in Vancouver when that team is good.

They are also really selling it out. I have no desire to go to Long Island to even go to the Belmont Arena. I did see on their schedule apparently, they have to open their season with 13 to 14 straight games on the road because the arena is not going to be ready for the Islanders. So, but yeah, a few of those are up there in my top eye. I do, I think the United Center, that would be one as well. American Airlines Center with Dallas. That's a good one to already have been to the Capital One arena with the Capitals one.

Don't really need to go back there unless it's just to go on to the steps and see the Penn's beat the caps there. I've been to Wells Fargo and Philadelphia. Vegas is definitely in my top five as well. I would love to go to Vegas to see. them. Gilbert the Goat says, I would love to see Seattle. He get to play against our maniac, which is Brandon Tan of yes. Okay, that was funny.

He also says the season opener versus Tampa, the battle of the two back-to-backs, says, you know, as I just said earlier on in the episode. And he says, I also would like to see the Leafs. It is going to show why he's still better than Austin Matthews. I think, you know, it's more than that with playing the Leafs. It's just fun to play them just because you can see how Leafs fans react when any small negative thing affects their team. and just always the atmosphere, as I said,

it was just a couple of minutes ago in Toronto was so much fun. And you also can see in Pittsburgh, a lot of Leafs fans will actually travel to Pittsburgh to watch them play there. You know, I think the last time that I saw them there, I was watching the game on TV. It was probably about a quarter of the arena was Leafs fans. You know, they will actually come down from Canada.

I don't know how far of a drive it is. I'll have to look it up. It's probably no more than, I don't know, six, seven hours, something like that. I'm sure there's also a ton of them in Michigan. You know, that's even closer. Well, you know, it's not that closer, but it's still closer when you really think about it. So they'll just, they'll come down, stay in Pittsburgh for a night. I know people from Montreal have done that same thing as well. And they'll also invade the PPG paints arena a little bit. You know, that's an arena that is not taken over by away fans very often. And why would they be? I mean, the Penguins have one of the best fan bases in the league. They sell out every single game. They've sold out every single game. They've sold out every. game at PBG Pance Arena for as long as they've played there. And obviously that happened during the height of the Sydeno era. It's going to continue at least until they retire. So anyways, I always still find a cool that when opposing teams come in,

especially with the Leafs, they can actually take out some of the Pittsburgh fans a bit and not have it be 99% to basically 1% for a lot of other franchises that come in and play Pittsburgh there. But overall, I think it's a fine schedule. I was noticing something. Another interesting tidbit on this schedule. They don't play the Rangers, mostly until the second half of the season.

I'm looking at this right now. Once on February 26th, March 25th, March 29th, and then April 7th. So they don't play the Rangers next season until basically next year. The Flyers, they will play them first on November 4th, at home, TBA with Sarton. I'm sure it's going to be 7 p.m. Eastern Time. and they will be done with playing Chicago by November 9th.

They will play the Washington Capitals first, November 14th, the day before my birthday. Maybe I can get someone to get me a special birthday gift for that. They will also play the New York Islanders for the first time on Black Fridays on November 26th. Of course, after that, that is the Western Canada trip. And then they will play, they play New Jersey first off, October 30th. They will be done with playing the... No, they will not be done. They'll play Tampa again on October 26 and trying to see when they play the Lightning

again, just to confirm if they have two games at home against them this season. Just give me one second to year. So no, it is not. The one time you can see the back-to-back champions play Pittsburgh is right before Halloween on the 26th. So mark that one on your calendar if you want to see Tampa Bay come into town. They will also be done with playing the Flyers, at least three before games, by January 6th. That game will be at Philadelphia.

They play their last game against the Flyers. after that, April 24th right before the season end. So it goes from October 12th all the way till April 29th. So in case you all do not see the schedule, wanted to catch you all up on that. And let me know what games you're looking forward to going to on the lockdown Penguins Twitter account at LO underscore Penguins or my Twitter at Hunter Hodes.

As it looks like we will be back at full capacity next season at PPG Payns Arena. Coming up in the next day, we're going to go through everything that has been going on around the league today because this has honestly been the best day for the NHL since late June 2016. So stay with me through this commercial break. All right, welcome back to this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes. Follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes.

Follow this show's Twitter at L.O. underscore Penguins. So this day has just been absolutely wild. Obviously, I was talking a little bit about the Seth Jones deal, and I was chuckling a little bit. So the Chicago Blackhawks can't stop being a joke at this point and for multiple reasons. I mean, Lord, I don't understand how the sexual assault story is not one of the top stories in America. It just does not make any sense to me.

I don't even think the Blackhawks are conducting their little own internal investigation in quotation marks, but that has been a complete disaster, and I feel awful for all the victims involved in this process. But, you know, also, just with this trade, you know, the franchise itself, you know, Again, they just can't stop taking L's. They get Seth Jones, from the jackets, and the 32nd overall pick and a 6th round pick next year

for Adam Belkiss, who's going to be a really good defenseman, the 12th overall pick tonight, a first round pick next year, and a second round pick next year. And, oh yeah, everyone, they also signed, they're going to sign them

to an eight-year deal with 9.5 million per year. And yes, I can confirm that is per year. I mean, Seth Jones is basically the Drew Dowdy of the West, Well, yeah, I think that's the best way to describe it. His underlying numbers are just, they're not good. I mean, you know, you look at Dom stuff with the athletic.

I mean, he only had eight goals this past season, 35 assists, but, you know, when you look at his on-ice impacts, minus 5.9, defense minus 3.9. He's not even getting that difficult minutes. And, you know, you look at his GSVA timeline. You know, there was a point where it was a lead at 2.2, but then the last couple of years, it has just fallen off a cliff.

This year it was at 0.6, and it's projected to drop even further the next couple of years to 0.3 into the negatives even. Right now, his value on ice is only at 1.5 wins. That is not what you should be looking at. Or that is not what you should be paying someone eight years and nine and a half million per.

That is going to be a massive mistake. And as my buddy Marcus was telling me, I don't get it for Chicago because they're not a contending team. This is not going to put them over the edge. They're basically retooling right now with Kane and Taves. They're getting a bit older. Sure, they have Doc and DeBrinke it, but I don't really know what they're going for here.

I guess all of the weird hockey men are out here today just being really stupid, I think. That also started earlier with the Philadelphia Flyers. I was clowning them on the Lockdown Penguins Twitter account. trading for Rasmus Ristin-Lyne-in. This was, they totally galaxy bringing this. This was, I saw this from Adam Gretz earlier, if I can find the tweet here, because they also just traded Shane Gostis-Ber yesterday.

So the Flyers that basically traded, Gostis-Ber, Robert Hagg, and four draft picks. You know, a couple of these were second round picks, including the one today for Ristin-Winan, for Ristin-Ilanin. I mean, that is just good old-fashioned Chuck Fletcher being really stupid. you know, if you look at his Winsabud replacement with J. Fresh's stuff, ranks in the three percentile. That is just awful. He makes $5.4 million for the next year.

Chuck Fletcher, Fletcher, excuse me, also talked about how they have been eyeing him for the last three years. I don't know how anyone can state out with a straight face that you've been eyeing this defenseman for three years. When his overall, his defense and his offense, it's been below the 50 percentile for the last three years. I mean, he also ranks in the 12 percentile. straight to offense, 13% top of even straight defense, power play 11%, even worse on the

PK at 6%. Maybe he draws penalties at 82%, but his finishing ability, not much better at 13%, goals per 60, 29%. And this is all during the last three years. So I don't know how you give up Robert Hagg, who's better than him and a second round pick for this player, but I guess the Flyers really want to just make changes for the sake of making changes. Sure, they've had a really nice trade with bringing in Ryan Ellis.

but it doesn't mean shit when you send out Shane Gossus Bear get some nice cap space but then you waste it on Wriston Lion and now you're back to square one. I don't really know what else the Flyers have planned this all season but that definitely gave me a nice little laugh today. And again, everyone, this trade, the Sabres got more for Rasmus Wrist and Lion than they did for Taylor Hall from the ruins

because I think that was what, a second round pick in Anders Burek. And then of course Boston just signed him today to a four-year extension at $6 million. her again you know the NHL and their general managers are so freaking weird I don't know how you give up and oh yeah I also forgot

everyone they gave up their first round pick tonight which was 13 14 overall in a second round pick in next year's draft so just flat out awful from the flyers I don't really know what they're doing and as Travis Yo says this trade has

ERA for Forsberg potential I really do think it does this honestly he might go down as one of the worst trades of the decade. The Rangers can't stop barfing all over themselves either, especially after the Barkley-Gudrow trade. Pavel Bucenevich to the Blues for Sammy Blaise and a second round pick in next year's draft. Again, I don't understand that one.

I mean, I think Bucenevich is really good. His underlying numbers are great. I don't think he was used right in New York, and I guess they're going for a shutdown checking line for the sake of going for that. It just doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. So a lot of GMs just making moves today for the sake of making moves. I'm sure if Jim Rutherford were here, he probably would have made five trades already

and would have been for a bunch of overpays. I'll say that. And we also just saw Jake Bean going from Carolina to Columbus with the second round pick that Columbus got Matt Jones deal. They flipped it to Carolina. We also cannot forget about that monstrous deal with the Canucks and the coyotes. Again, everyone, this has been the best day for trades. in the last five years.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Connor Garland to the Vancouver Canucks for Jay Beagle, Louis Erickson, Antoine Roussel. I can't believe all three of those players were still there. A first round pick, a second next year and a seventh, and Arizona is also retaining 12% of OEL salary. When you look at that deal, I think that's a nice bit of business for the coyotes.

They cleared out Ekman-Larsen. They got out of that deal. I mean, sure, they're going to be paying 12% of that salary, but it's really not that much. Garland, that's a bit interesting. I think I would have signed him. I think he's a pretty good player. I guess they didn't think of it.

I know they wanted to move money out. But then the Canucks, they're still going to be eating money on Beagle, Erickson, and Roussel, I think at least, for the next year. And oh, yeah, everyone, they still have, I think, six more years of Ekman Larson for his contract. You know, Jeff Villette actually summed up this trade even better than I could.

They traded three contracts with a $12 million AAB for one more year, the ninth overall pick, a second and a seventh, for a six-year awful contract at $7 million and a pretty good RFA in Garland who will fill up all the remaining cap space and put them right back where they started. So, yeah, Jim Benning continues to take L's. I'm just glad that Ron Hextall has not made a deal yet,

knock on wood, as bad as some of these other GMs have had. It's just, it's silly season for a reason, and this is what you get. We all were promised that there was going to be a lot more movement due to players wanting out of their respective teams. We have gotten that today, then some as just, you know, there are, and these are the GMs that mostly can be had in trades, like Stan Bowman. He's been making bad trades now for the last three to four years.

Jim Benning's been making awful acquisitions ever since he got the GM job in Vancouver. You have Chuck Fletcher, who, you know, did okay in the Ryan Ellis deal, but has never really been that good with player acquisitions either, even well before his time in Philadelphia when he was with the Wild. So again, you know, these general managers that have made the trades tonight, they can be had for the right deals, and I really hope Ron Hextall takes advantage of that and maybe decides to move, like, you know, Marcus Pedersen

for some decent return. You know, if they can get someone to take Tristan Jari off their hands, that will be intriguing to. Jason Zucker as well, et cetera, et cetera. So I just wanted to go over that. Give you all my thoughts on those acquisitions and those trades, just because it has been such a wild

night. The draft has just started at 8.10 p.m. right now. So I'm going to go watch that. Right after I'm done recording the show for you all. Coming up in the next segment, going to touch on some Penguins trade rumors that I did see today, courtesy of Rob Rossi and what that could mean going forward.

There's just a lot of chatter out there when it comes to Pittsburgh, but they have nothing going on right now. Remember everyone, the Penguins do not have a first round pick in tonight's draft. They do have their second, though, tomorrow and a couple other picks. We'll see if Ron Hextall is able to get back

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All right, welcome back to this episode of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes. Remember to follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes Follow this show's Twitter at L.O.Square Penguins. And remember, you know, just going back to that Seth Jones trade, for just for a second, If there's anyone out there that still thinks Chris Frickin' Latang is overpaid at 7.25 million per season going into his last year of his deal for 2021, 2021, please seek help.

I mean, Seth Jones is going to make $9.5 million. It is not close to the defenseman that Chris Latang has been throughout his career. So I don't want to hear anyone complain about Chris Latang ever again. Unless you know the criticism is warranted and makes a stupid play on the ice. But contract-wise, it's not even close. you know which one you'd rather have. I mean, freaking Andre Vasselowski, I know a different position. He makes $9.5 million per season.

He's probably the best goaltender in the world. So to see money being thrown around to Seth Jones, and he's making almost $10 million per season when he's not nearly as good as a lot of these other players. It's just really questionable, to say the least. Rob Rossi on Twitter, who I've had on the podcast a few times. He said he's made some calls, and he said that Hextall has had talk to teams about peckes.

Hederson and Zucker. So good news that he's still trying to move out some salary. He also says that the Penguins would like to get some day two picks because they do not have as many picks as they are used to having. And he also ends with any caps-based gained in potential moves, improves options for adding a goalie. But he also added a tweet right after that. And this is pretty big here.

He did say, if I can just find this here real quick, if we're talking hockey trades made by Penguins Jamron Hextall, I would say Anaheimmon or Arizona could emerge as partners. Hint, hint, John Gibson from the Ducks, unless it's a huge ask. And Arizona with Darcy Kemper, who I think is really good, but he's just been battling a lot of injuries, to say the least, throughout his career.

But remember everyone, so for the Penguins' picks in this year's draft, I had to make sure I got these right. They pick in a second round tomorrow. They pick in round five, so no picks in round three or round four. I definitely think Hextall's going to try to get a pick in the third or fourth round tomorrow. if that means dumping Pedersen to a team and getting a third or fourth back, which I'm sure he can easily do with the deals that we have seen today.

That makes a lot of sense. They also have three picks in round seven, 194, 215, 215, and 218. There are no picks in round six. I could also see him getting a pick back there. But I think his biggest priority is either maybe getting a pick back in the second round, but definitely in rounds three or four than keeping, I think, his first rounder going into next season. I don't think I have too much more for you all for today's episode of the podcast.

Next week will be the final week that I'm doing four to five episodes before fully transitions to three episodes a week for August and I think it's going to be the same in September as well. All right now, Freeman apparently just said on ESPN too that Anaheim asked Buffalo to move up to the number one pick but it did not go anywhere and, you know, rightfully so. Maybe that was due with the Eichael rumors

but I guess that just obviously did not go anywhere. And for obvious reasons. I mean, Buffalo is not going to trade down from the number one pick. Whoever they're going to take, I don't know if it's going to be Eklund. I don't know if it's going to be power. I think the biggest thing that I know least amount as someone who covers this team and covers the sport overall is the NHL draft. I really need to do a better job of getting to know a lot of these prospects.

And not just for the Penguins, but I think for the League as a whole. But that'll do it for this episode of Locked on Penguins. I really appreciate you all listening to this one. I'll be back on Monday with another episode. If the penguins do make a trade, I will do an emergency podcast this weekend, and I'll upload a Lockdown Now video onto the Twitter page, and I'll probably also do a small YouTube video for my YouTube channel to break it down and how this will affect the team moving forward. I don't know if they're going to do anything.

If I had to make a prediction, I think you will see one trade for the penguins. I think it is going to be Marcus Pedersen. Please do not old takes expose me if I'm wrong. I'm sure I will get one from King Clarkier or a couple other people, but I do think this. This is the weekend that Pedersen gets moved. If it's not him, I don't foresee them making any other deals unless it is for a goal. That is my prediction for the Penguins for this draft weekend. We'll have to see what they want to do.

Next week when it comes to the agency, you're not going to get a lot out of Ron Hextall at this point. I mean, I was listening to the media press conference yesterday on Zoom. He's just, he's going to say the bare freaking minimum, and that's it. It's just a stark contrast, a complete 180 from Jim Rubber where, you know, he would say all his plans out loud to all the media. You know, he probably had the best media access out of every, out of any GM in hockey, but hextall. He is not going to say anything about his plans. That's for sure. But again, thank you all so much for listening to this one. And I'll see you all on the other side on Monday. But if the team again makes a trade, I will have an emergency podcast this weekend and a couple

videos to go along with it. So keep your eyes out and we'll see if the Penguins decided to do anything.