Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Why the Pittsburgh Penguins are all in on getting Crosby, Malkin & Letang back to the playoffs

Starting point is 00:00:00 From out of the playoffs to the top of the Metro, welcome to the Metro Division Playoff Hopeful Season Preview Roundtable. This is the Locked-on Podcast Network's 2024, NHL Season Preview, your team every day. Welcome to the 2024, locked-on NHL season preview. In this episode, we'll be breaking down the Metro Division's playoff hopes for teams that didn't quite make the cut last season,

Starting point is 00:00:26 including the Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. I'm Rachel Donner, your Friday Locked-on NHL host and host of Locked-on Flyers here with Jay Foster of Locked-on, Blue Jackets, Trey Matthews of Locked-on Devils, and Patrick Demp, of Locked-on Penguins

Starting point is 00:00:44 to discuss reasons for optimism for each team heading into the season, how many points each team will get, biggest off-season additions and breakout candidates, and what's at stake for all our teams? Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul, get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet at fandul.com. The basement of the metro is alive and well from last season here.

Starting point is 00:01:14 Let's start with the bottom of the metro from last season. Obviously, a lot of changes, some planned, some not, unfortunately. Jay, what's the biggest reason for optimism going into this? season for the blue jackets. Man, that is, that's a tough question to, to start with. Obviously, the blue jackets are going to look very different. This season, they were always going to, the plan was for them to look very different. Obviously, brand new head coach, brand new GM come in, cut a lot of the, let's call it,

Starting point is 00:01:50 the chaff of the team, a lot of the extra bodies that maybe hadn't lived up to expectations. Patrick Lainite asked to move on, which, you know, they did that. brought in Jordan Harris, who I'm very excited about, and then obviously losing Johnny Godreau in the way that we did was makes it real tough to look at this season with kind of any real optimism. I will say, looking at the team now, I think the optimism is going to be in kind of the team banding together, playing for Goodrow, you know, that's what he would have wanted.

Starting point is 00:02:25 He wouldn't have wanted them to be sad and, you know, miserable. And I think they're going to really kind of try and join together as a team and kind of play through that like awful, awful experience. And the youth as well. It's a very young team, lots of very exciting players. We've got a fully healthy Adam Fantilli, which is probably the most exciting part of this season. But yeah, I'm not going to lie. It's tough to look at this season and be like, man, I'm really excited for this season to start.

Starting point is 00:02:55 Trey, the New Jersey Devils were perhaps the most surprising team to not make the playoffs this past season. But it seems like things are headed in the right direction. Why are you optimistic about the Devils this year? The thing about the New Jersey Devils from last season is that I don't think they were as bad as people were projecting them to be. The only thing that was consistent with this Devils team was their inconsistency because here's a thing. They won no more than three in a row. But on the other side of that, they didn't lose no more than three in a row. They were always stuck in neutral.

Starting point is 00:03:32 And they were right there till the end. Like they didn't mathematically get eliminated from playoff contention until early April. If we look at the Metropolitan Division standings, it was a dogfight to see who was going to get eliminated by the Rangers in the first round. If I'm being completely honest, it was the devils. It was your team, the Flyers, the Penguins, Capitals. It was just who was going to get that? final wild card spot. And unfortunately, the devils fizzled out towards the end. They did have to deal with a lot of injuries. And it's kind of hard to find any sort of consistency when a lot of your

Starting point is 00:04:10 star players are out for an extended period of time. And Patrick, how about the pens? Well, the thing about the penguins this year is that you know that the talent is still there. Sidney Crosby has re-signed. He'll be with the team for two more years after this one at the very least. He is still one of the best players in the NHL. Evgeny Malkin finally found himself post-trade deadline after the Jake Gensel trade with a new linemate in Michael Bunting, who he has a great amount of chemistry with and seems to bring out the best in him. And then there's the big elephant in the room, the power play. It was genuinely terrible. They bring in David Quinn to,

Starting point is 00:04:54 to be their defense and power play coach. And he has gotten the most out of Eric Carlson in his career. He did so in San Jose. And now you hope that that power play finds a form this year. Mix that with a couple young guys and some prove it deal one year acquisitions in free agency. This team looks like one that while they're not going to make their way to the top of the table in the Metropolitan Division, I think they're going to finish a lot higher this year than they, did last year. Yeah, I think one of the things for the flyers is that the expectations,

Starting point is 00:05:29 in my opinion, have not changed. And that's a good thing because this is another kind of year that's part of the rebuild with one major change, obviously, in the addition of Matt Bay Mitchcoff, which we're going to talk about more later in this roundtable, I am sure. But other than that, the team is pretty much the same. And the thing that kind of makes me optimistic about it is that the expectations last year were just below the floor. And they barely made the playoffs last year. It was a huge, huge accomplishment. So I really see a similar outcome to last year,

Starting point is 00:06:05 but I see that as a good thing in the grand scheme. Because this year is keep the band together, but integrate Matt Veimichkov into it. And I think as long as they do that, everything will be fine. The point totals here for each of our teams, I think, you know, looking at this, the devils are currently projected as of recording to have the most points overall,

Starting point is 00:06:29 according to Fandul, at 101.5 for the over under. Trey, what do you think about this? Is this pressure or is this about right? How are you feeling about it? I'm feeling somewhat confident that they can get over 100 points. I don't see it out of the realm of possibility, but it really comes down to like just health-wise and can these new guys mesh well together, adding more physicality.

Starting point is 00:06:55 And I know I've been talking about this the last few years. But if Jack Hughes can stay healthy, he might see his name in the running for the Hart Trophy. So below the Devils are the Rangers and Hurricanes at 100.5. And those shows are not represented here. But the next team on the list is the New York Islanders. and then we get to the penguins. So Patrick, like, this really puts you first team out of the playoffs in the points.

Starting point is 00:07:29 Like, does that feel right to you? It does. It kind of feels like, as I was saying, where I think they're going to end up is they're going to be in a very similar position as they were the last couple years where they're fighting to get that final playoff spot, basically a wild card in the Eastern Conference. I think they're going to probably get somewhere. between 90 to 95 points, and you figure that's what it's going to take to get into the postseason in the Eastern Conference. But I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but you look at the

Starting point is 00:08:02 power play from last year. And if it would have so much has been league average last year, that would have given them four to five, if not more standings points because in one goal losses, their power play was absolutely abysmal. So they put, if they're able to, if they're able to improve upon that this year, you figure that's going to probably beat that over under by a few points. Like I said, I can see them getting somewhere between 91 and 97 points. So I would take the over on that. And I do think that they're going to be a team that sneaks into the postseason as a wild card and not in the top three of the Metro. Yeah, I think for the flyers with the 85.5, they had 87 points last year, that's a tough pick to make as a bet, honestly, because it's going to be about the same.

Starting point is 00:08:52 This is about the same. I might pick the over just because emotionally they'll probably get a few more wins than they might have otherwise. But it's interesting because the blue jackets were slated last season to finish better than the flyers and did not. They're in the basement again in the projections here. Are they underestimating your team, Jay? It's tough because, and I hate to, like, color every answer that I'm giving here with, well, obviously losing Johnny Godreau is going to affect basically everything about how this team is, is going to perform this season. 68 and a half feels about right, I think. I would love for them to perform better. They were set up to perform better. I have been joking around about how the Blue Jackets are either going to win the Stanley Cup or finish 32nd in the league. And there's just nothing in between that. Absolutely. All right. Well, a lot of our teams made some big changes like Jay just alluded to.

Starting point is 00:09:51 And we're going to talk about those changes, who the big additions were to our teams and potential breakout candidates coming up next. Some of the best concerts of the year take place in the fall. And it's my favorite time to head to a show. Game Time has a new feature called Game Time Picks that makes getting tickets if your favorite live events even easier. Game Time picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. My favorite part of the GameTime app is that it's great we're getting notified about their super deals so you know you're getting the best bang for your buff. Best of all, they have it all in pricing so there's no surprise fees at checkout when you activate the feature. Also, the tickets are sent directly to your phone so you never have to dig through email. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code at Locked On NHL for $20.

Starting point is 00:10:47 your first purchase, terms apply, and create an account and redeem with the code locked on NHL for $20 off. Download game time today. What time is it? Game time. All right. So looking at the big moves our teams made this offseason and additions, I am going to pull rank as the leader of this segment we're doing and talk about Matt Vey-Mitchcock

Starting point is 00:11:14 because I can and I will. And I will be doing that a lot this season. And of course, he was a 2023 draft, a first round pick for my Philadelphia Flyers. And a bunch of teams passed on him because of the fact that he wasn't likely to come over from the KHL for three years. And they just weren't sure, you know, what he would turn out to be and all of that. And then, lo and behold, he's suddenly over here now after only one, more year in the KHL. And as a recording, has played a little bit of rookie camp with the flyers and got

Starting point is 00:11:57 into a prospects game, scored his first goal. And I think, you know, the most impressive thing about him is his hockey IQ and his passing. Like, you can see his brain working about three steps ahead of everybody else on the ice. And especially when you're there in person, it's harder to tell on TV when they don't show the full ice, but you can see him figuring out everything that's going to happen on the entire ice sheet and watch him like perfectly place a pass at the right time. Now, will the flyer at the other end catch that pass and do something with it? That remains to be

Starting point is 00:12:35 seen. But Matt Vey Michkoff, for sure is going to be a game changer for the flyers. But Patrick, what's going on with the pens and is there going to be a breakout star this year? Well, I want to start by saying I am looking very forward to despising Mitch Cod for the next however many years, because I can just see it coming. We as the penguins are due in this rivalry to have someone torture us the way Sidney Crosby has been torturing you guys for 20 years now. And I can't believe I said 20 years. Well, except for when Sean Cotrier was at his best on the ice. You know, we'll let that go. The big one for me this offseason is similar to yours, a young guy with a lot of promise, and that's Rutger McGroarity. It seemed like he was going to go somewhere other than Winnipeg.

Starting point is 00:13:28 He had won it out. He wanted to turn pro. Winnipeg said, we don't think you're ready. He demanded a trade. And I didn't think that the penguins were going to be part of that sweepstakes. I didn't think they had enough to really offer to keep themselves in that conversation. Lo and behold, I don't know. what kind of voodoo wizardry

Starting point is 00:13:48 Kyle Dubus went with to convince Winnipeg to make that trade. But similar to what you were saying, looking at the way he's worked into prospect camp games in the time we're recording this, he looks like he doesn't belong there. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. He's one of, if not the best players on the ice.

Starting point is 00:14:06 We'll see if that translates to an NHL game. And my bold prediction that I'm likely to give on locked on penguins is, I think he's going to have his name in the conversation for the Calder. Do I think he's going to win it? Absolutely not. Do I think he's going to even be really nominated in the top three? Probably not. Yeah, it's interesting because I don't even think about the Calder because the Flyers haven't

Starting point is 00:14:31 had anybody in that conversation since Shane Gost is there, I believe. And that was even like a side note in the conversation. So to have Matt Bay, Mitchcock, potentially be in that conversation as well is going to be interesting to see. Trey, I think like it seems like the devil's, this is more of a team effort this year, but are there any standouts that are going to really drive this club forward that are new? I would agree with what you said. It was more of team oriented. So some people that they signed were Stefan Nason, they trained for Paul Carter, they got Brendan Dillon, Brent Pesci, they reunited with Tomashtar, I think that's a fair assessment because when you when you look at some of those players I just listed,

Starting point is 00:15:23 none of them were like, I guess, like the go-to names for some teams. And even Jacob Markstrom, who finished runner-up in the Vesna Trophy a few years ago to Igor Chesterkin, the thing about the Devils was that they already have their star players in Jack Hughes, Nico Hesher, Timo Meyer, Jasper Bratt. it was just more of getting more depth assets because that's what made them so successful during the 2022-2003 season because they had scoring options up and down their lineup. They had more defensive depth. All right.

Starting point is 00:15:58 So going into the 2003 offseason, they lost Ryan Graves. They lost Damon Severson to the Blue Jackets. Hope he's doing well. So they lost some defensive depth. They had to put their trust in Shimo Nemitz and also Lou Hughes. that was a, they had a lot of pressure on their shoulders. They lost some physical assets who can work the corners, blue collar type of guys in Miles Wood and, as we know, Michael McLeod,

Starting point is 00:16:26 but you had to find replacements for all those players. And they did that by getting Stefan Nason and also Paul Connor, guys who are physical. You replace Alexander Holter's scoring production with Toma Chattar, who has seen great success paired alongside, Nico Heeshire. You replaced Damon Searsen and Ryan Grace with Brett Pesci and Brendan Dillon. So similar to what you said, Rachel, yeah, when you look at those players, are any of them like star players that stand out that are top of everyone's bucket list? No, they're not the predators. They didn't get

Starting point is 00:16:59 stamp codes, marches so. That's not what they were aiming for. They were aiming for more depth. Yeah, Jay, it feels a little similar. I mean, there were some breakout stars, but not like superstars. How are you looking at this team this year in that way? Yeah, it's kind of similar to the devil's situation. I think the devils are a little bit further forward in this. Obviously, guys like Hughes, heeshire, etc. are already kind of established at an NHL level. But the Blue Jackets built the team this year with the knowledge that their young players

Starting point is 00:17:32 were going to take a step forward. You know, we're talking about Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Korsolinger, Egochinoch. There's, you know, there's room on the blue line now for David Jurecheck. to make his kind of real debut and not, and you know, get more than eight minutes of vice time again, we hope. I've got questions about that.

Starting point is 00:17:52 Listen, listen, I know, okay. Are they gonna use David Yerecichick properly this year? Listen, if I could make anything happen this season, it would be the David Jirochek gets top minutes with Zach Rensky because that's, that's what I want and that's what he deserves. Anyway, but they, so they didn't bring in anyone really, like I was looking at this question.

Starting point is 00:18:14 I was thinking about it. And I was like the closest, like the closest thing to a breakout player that they have brought in, I would say would probably be Sean Monaghan, who, you know, obviously they brought Monaghan in to play centre with Goodrow. That's not going to happen. But he had, I think he had nearly 60 points last season between Montreal and Winnipeg. You know, he was very injured for a couple of seasons before that. People were starting to talk about, you know, is he washed?

Starting point is 00:18:39 Is he done? Fully healthy Monaghan, I think could be a really. kind of breath of fresh air on this team. He's a real grown-up adult center, which is something that the Blue Jackets haven't had maybe ever, you know, or, you know, at least since Brandon Dobinsky, for example. I think Monaghan is better than Dobinsky, but like that might be the last time they had a real adult center and not children and wingers playing at center. Yeah, I think it is going to be a very challenging year in Columbus. It's going to be a challenging year for all of our teams as we try to get into the top half of the division. We're going to talk

Starting point is 00:19:17 about what's at stake for all of our teams and maybe get our digs in into the other teams that aren't here just for funsies coming up next. Today's show is brought to you by Fandul, America's number one sports book. And for NFL fans, you can start the season with a big return. When you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play by play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets, guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. Plus, it's not just the NFL.

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Starting point is 00:20:14 dollars in bonus bets when you place a $5 bet. Fandle official sports book of the Locked-on Podcast Network. All right. So I hinted earlier on this show that there really isn't like a ton at stake for the Flyers in terms of moving up in the division. The last time the Flyers made the playoffs was in the bubble where they won around. The Devils have made the playoffs most recently of any of these teams. Are they the most hungry to get back?

Starting point is 00:20:47 into the playoff conversation. And if they don't, like, what are the consequences here? Well, that's a really tough question because we're anticipating for them to make the playoffs. That's the thing. If they miss it, it really depends. Like, if the players aren't responding well to Sheldon Keefe, then like it is in hockey, you're going to have to, you might find a new voice. I don't really know.

Starting point is 00:21:11 But that's like worst case in error. And by the way, Patrick, shout out to Ryan Graves. I forgot, I completely forgot that Ryan Graves signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, so hope he's doing well. Do you want him back? Because I'm kind of tired of them. Well, let me think about that. He was good with the Devils, and I thought the contract was good at the time. But yeah, I hear it's not really going all that well in Pittsburgh. Respect. So, Rachel, I don't really know. Like, if they don't miss the playoffs, or if they do miss the playoffs, I'm going to be puzzled. Jay, do you think Columbus is kind of playing with house money this year on this front?

Starting point is 00:21:49 Like, is there, is there an expectation? So is there a point of disappointment here? Oh, absolutely not. Like, two weeks ago would have been a very different answer, you know. But right now, I think the goal is let's get through the season. And, you know, I think no one is going to be, like, what do you do with this team if they end up? This team could go, oh and 82. and I don't think anyone would be able to sit here and criticize anything about it, you know?

Starting point is 00:22:18 I don't think they'll be that bad, but they really are kind of, like you said, playing with house money. If they finish, if they end up drafting first overall, great, you know, like it'll suck to sit through another miserable losing season. But they really are there really are no expectations here. And there really are no consequences either, because you've got a brand new head coach, brand new GM, like, neither of those guys are getting fired, regardless of what happens this season. So it is really just kind of like a, let's just see how it goes. Patrick, the Penguins made the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, but have not for the last two. And they seem to be holding on to this core for give it one more go.

Starting point is 00:23:07 Well, I guess Crosby is sticking around for a few more years. but like what are what are the consequences here if they don't make the playoffs it's it's really tough to say i mean obviously i think the the most obvious answer is maybe they get a new head coach and move on from mike sullivan but at the same time you can tell that kyle dubus in fenway sports group the ownership are very committed to him and they think he's one of the best coaches around and i would be inclined to agree, because if you look at some of the recent failures, whether it's missing the playoffs or first round exits for the last few years, it's really difficult to pin it on coaching alone, because the guys you need to perform have performed. Your core guys have continued to be

Starting point is 00:23:58 productive members of the team. It's been things like goaltending has fallen apart on them down the stretch or the former general manager that the Philadelphia Flyers cursed us with in Ron Hextall did not seem to have any sort of a plan outside of hey maybe Crosby, Malkin, Latang can carry this team again and we don't need anybody else. So I also, you noticed. Yes. And I also, I've said this on our show. I think even though they're not saying it out loud, they're saying, hey, we're going to compete again this year and all this stuff. I think they're looking at this upcoming season as a little bit of a wash, because going into next year, especially now having Crosby locked down,

Starting point is 00:24:47 next summer, they're going to have a boatload of cap space available to them. They're going to have a few young guys who either have another year of development under their belt or are ready to come up to the NHL, and they'll be able to take one last big swing, whether it's via trade or free agency. But I think if they miss this year, it may lead to some difficult conversations. But if it turns out to be a worst case scenario where this team completely falls on its face, then we might see some big changes going into the off season. Sydney Crosby surprised me last season, the way he carried the team on his back towards the end of it.

Starting point is 00:25:28 because I thought the penguins were down and out, but they made a run for it. And like the Devils, they didn't get it. But I said, if Sidney Crosby wills that team to the playoffs, yes, he will not be a finalist for the heart, but you've got to put his name in discussion at least. A lot of surprises on the Penguins roster, especially given their age. Just to kind of, as someone who has been frustrated by the Penguins for the past decade and change, I love Mike Sullivan as a coach. I was really rooting for the penguins to fire him this off season

Starting point is 00:26:02 so we could swoop in and have him. Because the problem with this is, if you get rid of Mike Sullivan, then you don't have Mike Sullivan anymore. It sounds just like me. It's kind of the same thing with, do they get rid of Guanymalkin? Well, if you do that,

Starting point is 00:26:19 the problem with doing that is that you don't have Evgeny Markin anymore. And so the penguins are a really interesting case because I don't think that there's a ton that they can do right now to change the roster without making it worse. You know, they can add, they can tweak, but kind of like the Leafs,

Starting point is 00:26:36 their money is locked up in kind of the big four. So the Penguins are going to be what they are. And I think if people are looking to the Penguins for being a drastically different team next season, I think they're going to be disappointed because I don't think you can, you can't improve this team without giving up pieces and the pieces that you give up

Starting point is 00:26:54 will not make the team, like losing Eric Carson. The team will be worse without Eric Carson. So that's kind of my opinion on the penguin is I would love for them to kind of do what the Washington Capitals have done and kind of crumbled into dust. But I don't think they're going to do that just yet as much as it pains me to say. Yeah. I will also add that there's a reason why Mike Sullivan is the head coach for Team USA heading into four nations and the Olympics come around to use that.

Starting point is 00:27:24 good of a coach. You know, speaking of some of those other teams, I think it would be really interesting if we have a similar playoff battle toward the end of the season in terms of what teams are in it. I'm really looking at, you know, the other teams here. And if the Islanders and Caps do not look like they are teams. Yeah. They cannot. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:27:51 Exactly. I just really think both of those. teams are going to fall and two of the four of us are going to be talking about the playoffs next year. But what do you all think about that? Well, that's kind of the fun of this, isn't it? For me, anyway, and I know the blue jackets weren't in the conversation basically at all this season. But for me, it's way more fun when you do have this kind of end of season, like, who's going to make it as opposed to, you know, well, it's December and the top three spots are locked up and there might be a battle for fourth place, you know. But right until I think

Starting point is 00:28:28 like the very last game of the season for a bunch of teams, like the Flyers, the Red Wings, the Capitals, we're really kind of hinged on the last games of the season as to whether they were going to make it. And I think that's fun and exciting. Stressful for the teams involved, probably, but also way more fun than, oh, well, it's going to be the same four teams. It always is. So yeah and and I don't see like you said rachel i look at the two teams that finished in third and fourth the islanders and the capitals and i look at their off seasons and i'm not going to say like the penguins had a great off season because i think it was fine enough but i look at the way they they got in and i go did these teams really improve upon what they did last year or

Starting point is 00:29:12 are they kind of hitting the status quo and i think they did and as much as i was sure to see the LA Kings able to move on from PLD and send him to Washington. There's a reason this guy's on his third team. And if they can fourth, yeah, that's right, fourth. Sorry, I forgot one. But like at the same time, you look at it and go, you might not be the ones to fix him. And this isn't a team that's looking for a lot of development.

Starting point is 00:29:41 This is a team that needs to be good now. And then the islanders are just the islanders. They kind of did everything around the margins. I don't see a big game changer there. So I think you're right. Like I look at the teams that just missed. I think the devils are going to be right in it for the top. I think the flyers are going to hang around again because John Tortorella can get blood

Starting point is 00:30:02 out of a stone. It's his one superpower. And then you got the penguins. It is true. I still have a lot of talent. I do so. So I think that you're right. I think at least two of us from this episode are going to be talking about this team.

Starting point is 00:30:15 Our team is possibly making the postseason again. Yeah, I mean, I'll tell you guys the average age for some of the teams in the metro. The penguins are number two in the entire NHL for average age. Hurricanes are seventh, islanders are eighth, and the capitals are 10th. Going back to what you said, Patrick, when it comes to the capitals, I've said it on my show religiously. At this point, Alexander Ovechkin is just gunning for the Wayne Gretzky all-time goal record, which is an incredible accomplishment. And he's going to get it.

Starting point is 00:30:52 No ends if it's not a matter if it's a matter when. But that's not going to win you championships. But here's the thing. The Capitals already won a championship a few years ago, 2018, so it's 2024. Wow, that was a while ago, actually. So Ovechkin has nothing else to accomplish. And we saw in the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:31:12 He basically was non-existent. And Rachel, for the Flyers, I actually do respect John. Tortarella. Yes, he could be tough. But I think the thing about Tortorella is that he genuinely does care about his players. We saw that with the Kevin Hay's situation where he went to bat for him, despite Kevin Hayes no longer being a part of the organization. And I just think that, you know, it's going, I think it's going to be the devils, rangers, hurricanes. And then that middle tier is kind of up for grabs similar to what it was last year. It's just a

Starting point is 00:31:48 matter of who's going to click at the right possible time because the penguins, they clicked a little too late. The flyers fizzled out hard towards the end, almost made the playoffs despite having one of the worst or if not the worst power play in the NHL. It was the worst. You don't have to look it up. And the capitals just like I said, Ovechkin was a cone during the playoffs, a traffic cone. Didn't really do anything, but he doesn't need to. He's already accomplished pretty much everything you can accomplish. And Jay, for the, for the blue jackets, I actually do have a sauce spot on my heart for the blue jackets

Starting point is 00:32:24 because they have a lot of University of Michigan Wolverine players on their roster. And both my parents went there. So I do have a soft spot on my heart for the blue jackets a little bit. And also, and also Damon Severson. But yeah, I think the Metro in terms of the middle tier is going to be up for grabs. Yeah. I think with the caps, they have drafted extremely well. I just think those draft picks aren't quite ready yet,

Starting point is 00:32:50 and that's why this year isn't going to be the year for them. But the following year, I think everybody's going to have to watch out a little bit for the caps. But we'll see how this season turns out. This has been a ton of fun talking to y'all. Hopefully, maybe all of us can make the playoffs in the perfect world, right? Thanks for making this episode of the 2024 Locked-on NHL season preview. Your first listen today.

Starting point is 00:33:16 if your second listen, catch the rest of the Metro Division in every episode of the 2024 Locked-on NHL Season preview on Locked-on NHL on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Why the Pittsburgh Penguins are all in on getting Crosby, Malkin & Letang back to the playoffs

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