From The Point is a weekly Penguins column from insider Matt Vensel, powered by North Shore Tavern, Pittsburgh’s home for steak on a stone.
In training camp, a few Penguins veterans approached Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
Now that he had established himself as a full-time NHL player, the team’s leaders felt he was ready to take on an important role in the dressing room. Brian Dumoulin had departed in free agency. Somebody needed to fill the void.
Did the young defenseman have what it takes to be their new team DJ?
“I think guys just started pointing their finger at me, knowing that I know a little bit of music,” he said. “As the preseason went along, it just became a thing.”
This task may seem inconsequential, but it helps to set the tone in their workplace, whether it’s the moments leading up to a big matchup or the morning after a tough loss on the road, when guys might be grumpy and sleep-deprived.
Dumoulin served in the role for several years, getting quite a few public shoutouts from Penguins teammates over the years, before joining Seattle in July.
His absence was noted at the start of camp. After Kris Letang and some other veterans kicked around ideas for potential replacements, they whittled it down to two candidates — Joseph and fellow blue-liner Marcus Pettersson.
“Petey has good knowledge of music and is a great singer,” Letang explained.
Pettersson had about as much interest in that thankless job as he did in singing in front of a group of reporters. So P.O was the pick.
“He’s done a good job so far,” Pettersson, thumbs up, said a few weeks ago.
Dumoulin liked to play country and other more casual music in the mornings or on an off day. Before games, he blasted house music and a little bit of rap.
Looking to strike a similar balance, Joseph asked each of his teammates to give him three of their favorite songs. The full list ended up being a pretty eclectic mix, not surprising given that about two dozen dudes are around the team at all times. It even included a Russian tune proudly picked by Evgeni Malkin.
In October, the Penguins’ content team released a separate playlist curated by the players. The musical artists ranged from country singers Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen to older-school rappers Nas and Eminem to Taylor Swift.
Letang is also a big fan of 80s music, which explained how he stumbled upon the team’s victory song for this season — “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls.
“I had never heard that before,” Joseph said. “It was a surprise when I heard it. I definitely didn’t expect it to stick around, but then guys started to like it.”
Anyway, their feedback gave Joseph a lot of songs — and a little less anxiety.
“It’s pretty tough to please everyone,” Joseph said. “But once guys started to tell me what tunes to put on, it was easy for me to base my playlists on that.”
He started to build a few different ones to queue up depending on the mood.
Joseph added similar artists from the popular genres and mixed in modern hits for the older guys. Equipment manager Jon Taglianetti gave him a hand.
“I’m trying to show them some new songs, as well,” the 24-year-old explained. “It can really be a bit difficult sometimes, but I feel like they’re enjoying it.”
Joseph wouldn’t bite when I asked him which guy had the worst taste in music.
Eavesdropping on our conversation, Malkin chimed in. “Say Crosby!” he yelled.
As for his own listening habits, Joseph said he prefers “rhythm,” meaning electric dance music. He also likes 80s rap and more modern country music.
But in his role, he knows the DJ’s job is all about making his audience happy.
“Sometimes,” Joseph said with a grin, “I just shuffle it and hope for the best.”
POINT SHOTS
• I think Mike Sullivan is handling the Ryan Graves situation the proper way.
No doubt Graves has been a massive disappointment. And we now have a large enough sample to wonder if he might not be a fit in Pittsburgh’s system. Obviously, with 455 games left on that contract, that would be catastrophic.
In the short term, Sullivan must balance the need to win games with getting Graves going. Dropping him to the third pair will trim his minutes slightly and maybe give Graves more favorable matchups. Playing alongside another stay-at-home type in Chad Ruhwedel could also take some pressure off him.
We’ll see if that helps Graves get out of his own way and allows him to get back to where he was in November, when he actually played pretty well for a while. That stretch should give hope that this signing will ultimately pan out.
• Another important question as it relates to that situation: Can Joseph play well enough in the next week or two and give the Penguins the ability to be patient with Graves? With John Ludvig out longer term, Joseph suddenly went from street clothes to the second pair, playing next to Erik Karlsson.
This might be a make-or-break stretch for Joseph. If he falters and the Penguins have to turn back to Ryan Shea, his days in Pittsburgh could soon be up.
• On the “32 Thoughts” podcast the other day, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman linked the Penguins to Michael Bunting, one of Kyle Dubas’ old players. Given that connection, it’s worth filing that tidbit away. But I don’t see a match right now based on their potential trade chips and tight salary sap situation.
• Jesse Puljujarvi looked and felt good enough in recent practices to move to the next phase in his comeback from double hip surgery — a pro tryout contract in the American Hockey League. If the power forward fares well enough in those games, he figures to get an NHL contract offer from the Penguins.
I would keep expectations low for the former top-five pick. The best-case scenario for this season is that Puljujarvi becomes a solid third-line contributor.
THREE STARS
3. Drew O’Connor. He’s been playing really well since Christmas, teaming up with Lars Eller to give the Penguins needed scoring from the bottom six. He had two goals and two assists in the first five games coming out of the break.
2. Kris Letang. Letang set an NHL record for defensemen last week when he piled up six assists in one period. With nine points since the break, he pulled into a tie with Erik Karlsson in scoring. Both had 36 points after Thursday’s win.
1. Sidney Crosby. Crosby was the catalyst as the Penguins climbed the standings with an 8-2-1 stretch. Then on Thursday, after finding out he was the team’s All-Star representative, he scored the winner to bail them out in Boston.
YOU ASKED ...
Is Nedeljkovic becoming the Pens biggest trade chip at the deadline? With so many teams in need of goaltending help I could see a big demand for him if he keeps up his quality play
— Jamie Schmidt (@jamieschmidt68) January 4, 2024
Interesting question here, Jamie. I’ll admit I had not considered this possibility.
First, let me say I am pleasantly surprised by Nedeljkovic. I had doubts about him after his rough 2022-23 season with Detroit. But he has given the team a chance in pretty much every start and has even stolen a couple of wins. Per Sportlogiq, he ranks in the NHL’s top 12 in goals saved above expected.
If Nedeljkovic keeps it up and the Penguins fall out of the playoff race, he absolutely is someone who would garner trade interest. He is on a one-year deal and would be due for a pay bump Pittsburgh might not be able to afford. And his $1.5 million cap hit wouldn’t be difficult for a Cup contender to absorb.
He could fetch them a decent asset, though they are hoping to not be sellers.
STAT N’AT
17 — How many times Jake Guentzel was whistled for offsides entering 2024, most in the NHL, per Sportlogiq. No, I don’t know what to make of it either.
FINAL BUZZER
Goalie coach Andy Chiodo deserves a ton of credit for steady goaltending propping up a defense that ranks in the middle of the pack in many key metrics.
Tristan Jarry has gotten yanked a few times but overall has rebounded nicely from his injury-marred 2022-23. And Chiodo has helped Nedeljkovic get his career back on track. Nedeljkovic has repeatedly talked about how Chiodo, a big believer in sports psychology, has him staying in the moment.
Obviously, the players themselves should get a sizable chunk of the praise. But it is clear the Penguins have a good one in Chiodo. Promoting him into the NHL role is one thing that Ron Hextall got right during his days as the GM.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and @mattvensel on the website X
First Published: January 5, 2024, 12:13 p.m.
Updated: January 5, 2024, 8:46 p.m.
