Matt Vensel: Happy Friday, Pens fans. Excited to chat with you today before taking a little time off over the holiday. Submit your questions now and we’ll get going in a few minutes. Already see a few in the queue, which is great.
TP Ranger: Hi Matt, Happy Fourth to you and yours. If and when the games begin, who is going to have an advantage? The high skill teams like the Pens or the hunker down squads?
Matt Vensel: Thank you. I don’t know if the layoff will make much of a difference in terms of playing style. I think I’m following your reasoning, but playing the stingy style that the Islanders played last year also takes practice and precision to get it right. I do think generally speaking we could see a little less scoring, at least early on. If the Penguins get back to playing the tight, structured way they did in the first half of the season, they should be OK against the Canadiens in the play-in round.
Doug: Matt: I saw some chatter on a Pens Fan FB group discussing how Edmonton had an advantage playing at home. I was under the impression that Edmonton would have to play their games in Toronto and vice versa (please confirm). Also, if that is the case would that not lead to teams traveling between bubble cities? Edmonton beats Chicago and let’s say Colorado is the #4 seed in the West after the 1-4 round robin play. Would that not then set up Colorado having to travel to Toronto to face Edmonton?
Matt Vensel: Doug, it sounds like the NHL and the NHLPA are on the verge of an agreement that all players, including guys on the seven teams left out of the postseason tournament, must vote on to make it official. That agreement will, as you note, have Toronto and Edmonton as the hub cities, barring a last-minute snag. The NHL is apparently ditching its plan to have the Eastern teams play out west and vice versa, so the Pens will play in Toronto if the ongoing health crisis allows it. So they’re not concerned about a team having “home-ice advantage.” I don’t think the impact will be that significant since there will be no fans to rattle opponents and coax the zebras into calls, though I’m sure familiarity with home arenas won’t hurt Toronto or Edmonton.
pozone: If we trade Murray in the off season what do you think we can get?
Matt Vensel: Before I tackle this hypothetical, I want to make clear that I’m not saying Matt Murray will definitely be traded. It certainly is possible with both Murray and Tristan Jarry expected to become RFAs and Murray rightfully hoping to get paid like a guy with two Cups on his resume. All that said, I think Murray’s contract expectations would need to be taken into consideration when thinking about what a trade could look like, since that team in addition to giving up assets would also have to turn around and presumably give him a long-term contract paying him north of $7 million a season. Taking all that into consideration, I could see the Pens getting a protected first-round pick, a pretty good prospect and a useful veteran player. I don’t know that they’d want only future assets given they are in win-now mode, but I suppose they could always flip those assets in a future deal. Now, if he leads the Pens on a deep playoff run, that price may go up, but wouldn’t the Pens then want to keep him?
Ray: The most pressing question: do you think Sidney Crosby could crush a watermelon with his thighs? Do you think after all the talk about this this past week he probably sees it as a challenge and has tried it out quietly?
Matt Vensel: Ray, I’m not sure where you found the inspiration for this question. Maybe you’re in holiday mode already. But I appreciate the creativity. And no doubt he could do that. With those thunder thighs he might be able to crush someone’s head like something out of a bad Steven Seagal movie. Anyway, I’m sure Sid did that on July 1 to prepare some sort of festive dish for his Canada Day celebration.
Guest: Hi Matt....usually heading into the playoffs, you would have a sense of who is playing well, who is on a streak, and who is struggling. This is not the case this time. How will you be looking at who might fit into which category as they go through training camp.
Matt Vensel: I don’t think there is really any way to tell. Every team and every player is truly entering this postseason tournament with sort of a blank slate, which probably isn’t a bad thing for the Pens after they won just three of their final 11 games before hockey shut down. We should get a little bit of an indication during camp about how some players, particularly the goalies, are trending. But we’re talking about practice. Games are a whole different animal.
TP Ranger: Matt, do you think the league would make a mistake by having a long off-season after the playoffs? Wouldn’t it be better to take a brief break, long enough to make year-end transactions, and then get right back to action so the players don’t have to go through another back-to-basics training camp?
Matt Vensel: I don’t think they will have a long offseason. Based on what’s been reported about the current talks between the NHL and the NHLPA, it sounds like the draft will be a week or two after the Cup is rewarded. Free agency would be Nov. 1. You’ve got to give guys time to relocate their families. And they would probably be back on the ice soon after Thanksgiving to start ramping back up for the 2020-21 season. To me, that’s still pretty quick. What I question is the NHL’s desire to then cram in a full 82-game season and a full playoffs in the span of six or seven months. Would, say, a 62-game season make more sense?
Hey Bwent: Over/Under that the Pens will retire Flowers’ number someday? I hope they do.
Matt Vensel: The Pens have only retired two numbers, for Mario Lemieux and the late Michel Briere. So they’ve been pretty stingy about handing them out. I’m sure Jaromir Jagr’s will be retired eventually. Same with Sid and Geno. Beyond that, you can make a strong case for Fleury, who is a fine goalie, a three-time Cup-winner here and one of the most popular players in team history. It’s not my team nor is it my building, but if it were up to me #29 would eventually hang up there.
Wicky: will the pens try and trade Bjugstad? I don’t see him making an impact with their other forwards playing.
Matt Vensel: I’m sure that will be something they discuss, but I’m not sure many teams will line up for his services. Now, I’m a Bjugstad backer. I think he’s a good player who brought value as a third-line center, even if the production wasn’t eye-popping. Awesome, awesome dude, too. But he barely played this year due to ongoing injury issues and will make $4.1 million next season, the final year of his deal. I don’t know that they would get much back for him if it’s strictly a hockey trade, unless they are willing to take back a player with more term on his contract. And I don’t know if they will be looking to simply dump his contract, though they will probably have to move money somehow with the salary cap ceiling not expected to go up next season.
paullochrane@yahoo.com: with really no chance of finishing this season do you think the pens should pull a blockbuster trade and get a top defensemen? letang doesn’t always play top level, trade him and murray for a real stud !!!! what do you think?
Matt Vensel: I think the trade deadline passed about four months ago.
DBWenzig: Who would you say was more valuable to the 2009 Cup win....Tyler Kennedy or Max Talbot? I say TK!
Matt Vensel: I’m curious to hear your rationale on this if you’re still in the chat. I was a civilian when the Pens won that Cup and my memory doesn’t always serve me great, but I remember Talbot’s contributions much more, notably the shhhhhhhh and Game 7. I just took a quick look at their postseason numbers. Kennedy had nine points in 24 games and was a minus-1. Meanwhile, Talbot had eight goals, 13 points and a plus-8 rating. To me, the answer seems pretty obvious.
Matt Vensel: And with that, the question queue is empty. Did everyone just leave for the beach or something? I’ll give you guys a few minutes to toss some questions my way. Hope to keep this party going until 1.
Ron J: Stick taps to u & Mike. Love the podcast. Do u really think We are ever gonna play ? Happy 4 th !
Matt Vensel: Thanks, Ron. I’ll say this about the chances we actually see hockey this summer: To me, they feel less likely they did two weeks ago but still much more than they did two months ago, if that makes sense. Certainly, recent developments in the sports world and our world in general give me skepticism that we as a country will be able to pull this off. I mean, how hard is it to just throw on a mask and try to keep a low profile for a little while longer? Especially when following a few simple guidelines could ensure that we see hockey and the NFL and everything else back in the next couple of months? I still think it’s very likely the NHL will at least start playing games again next month. We’ll see if they are able to last long enough for the Stanley Cup to be handed out. As a hockey fan and a human, I hope we see it.
Matt Vensel: Alright, folks. That’s it for today. Have a great holiday weekend but please be safe. Wear a mask and don’t blow your fingers off. We’ll do this again in a couple of weeks. By then, with training camp expected to open in 7-10 days, we should have actual hockey to discuss!
First Published: July 3, 2020, 3:31 p.m.
