Matt Vensel: Happy Friday, Penguins fans. Looking forward to talking hockey with you again. We will get started at 1 p.m. Chat with you all then.
Buck from Kentucky: This past offseason the Pens traded our top pick for Rutger McGroarty. He was supposedly upset that he was ready for the NHL and Winnipeg didn't think so. He played in a game early and was quickly sent back to minors, where he struggled but has improved. Still no call up even as many others have,though. Did we lose out a top future center for a winger who clearly isn't as ready as he thought he was? Should we have gotten more back in the trade?
Matt Vensel: Buck, thanks for the question. Have wrote about this topic on a few occasions and touched on it in last week's chat. I'll summarize quickly here. With Rutger McGroarty, he did struggle early in his first pro season. Pretty typical for a 20-year-old. He has steadily improved over the last six months and has really been lighting it up in the AHL. So, time will tell if they should have just kept Brayden Yager, but there is zero concern with McGroarty's development, at least internally. And that brings us to the second part of the question. This season, the Penguins have not called up any of their young prospects, with the exception of Owen Pickering and Joel Blomqvist, for a reason. They want them to be in the WBS until they are 100% ready for the NHL and do not want to tinker with the good vibes they have in WBS.
Tom: If Pens end up picking at say the 7th spot in the draft, should they go all in to try to move up to top 4? Or do you see them likely top 5 next year and they should hold onto as many picks as they can and hope they luck into a 2nd round gem?
Matt Vensel: Tom, if they land outside of the top five and there is someone they really like who might not make it to them, they do have surplus of picks that they could use to try to get that player. You don't see many trade-ups into the top five of the NHL draft, though.
Jason: Hey Matt! At the beginning of the season the Pens were a borderline playoff team fighting for a wildcard spot. Now the season is coming to an end is it fair to say this season has been a disappointment or is this what you expected? If there is any hope for next year what would you say that is and do you see any major signings coming for next years team?
Matt Vensel: Jason, I expected them to finish somewhere around 10th in the East, so I'm not at all surprised by how the season unfolded. And while the players and coaches had aspirations to make the playoffs, management always viewed this as a transition year. Their transactions tell the story there. They signed a bunch of free agents to cheap one-year deals and their top two acquisitions were draft picks they received in exchange for taking on unwanted salary. The Penguins, I think, will have an open mind with what to do with all their cap space this summer. But they very well could follow a similar script this offseason.
RedondoBeach: With all the cap space… do you think the Pens will still be in the market of taking on bad contracts to obtain picks, or do you think they have enough picks and will use the cap space to sign players that will be apart of the rebuild?
Matt Vensel: Good question. Honestly, it could be all of the above. As I said in my previous answer, I think they will have an open mind about their cap space. They will look for opportunities to improve the roster long-term with younger players. I expect them to sniff around on restricted free agents this year. But I also believe they listen if teams want to dump some unwanted short-term salary, like they did with Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass.
Bob: When do you think the Pens will be free from Geno and Letang? They are old and liabilities to the team.
Matt Vensel: Malkin has one year left on his contract and the Penguins have said they want him to finish that contract here. Letang has three more years and a no-trade clause, but you do wonder if there will be a parting of ways this summer. Ultimately, Kris has the final say.
Ron in Baltimore: Matt- who do you think is most likely to make the jump from WBS to the Pens next year?
Matt Vensel: Ron, atop the list would be Pickering, McGroarty and Blomqvist. Ville Koivunen has had a very productive season in the AHL and will be in the mix for a roster spot. That could come down to what he does this summer. The team wants him to get stronger and into NHL shape. Vasily Ponomarev can earn a bottom-six role. And don't forget about Harrison Brunicke. He isn't in WBS... yet. He will be one to watch in training camp but still has a year of WHL eligibility left. So it will be Pittsburgh-or-bust again for him.
Dan N: Matt confused by the Penguins second first round pick this year.. if the Rangers finish 13-16 the Pens get the pick or do the Rangers have to make the playoffs to get it ?
Matt Vensel: Dan, it is top-13 protected. So if that pick ends up being anywhere from overall selections 1 to 13, the Rangers keep the pick and the Penguins will get their unprotected 2026 first-round pick. If the pick winds up being 14th overall or later, the Penguins get it this year.
SPACEMAN: Hi Matt. Want to shout out the positive efforts from the previous 4th / now 3rd liners Lizette and Acciari. High Energy and efficiency are their calling cards, especially when tagged with Dewar. Good combo for next year….(assuming no trades during off-season).
Matt Vensel: There's no questioning their effort. Especially Noel Acciari. Every game I am cringing after one of his shot blocks. That said, those guys provide so little offensively. I know their role is very much defense first. But this team desperately needs a few guys who can at least score occasionally down their lineup. So we'll see what happens there, especially with some young guys potentially ready to make the jump to the NHL.
Tom: Sullivan has changed lines up all year long. Time to just put some guys together, stick with them, and see what happens?
Matt Vensel: You must be new here, Tom. Welcome to Penguins hockey.
Buck from Kentucky: I've sort of bought into the Dubas rebuild excitement. Obviously it needs to be done but want an opinion on the realities of it. We have a ton of picks, but statistically how many will make impact in the NHL? Our team this year was littered with 1st round busts. Remember how great Milan Kraft was supposed to be!? Also, yes our WBS team is good, but they aren't even in first place. Aren't they behind the Capitals AHL team? Isn't is really bad that a team we are drastically behind has even better players than the ones who are to be our future?
Matt Vensel: Oh yeah, I can definitely feel your "Dubas rebuild excitement" right now. Haha
BHS79: Thanks for the chats Matt!! Until the 3rd period of the Isles games, I was thinking the Pens were playing a little faster, a little smarter and with some purpose with the new additions. Or was it just mostly Jarry playing like, you know, an NHL-caliber goalie? Thoughts? And why do you think Letang and Karlsson have so many horrible moments at the most inopportune times?
Matt Vensel: Tristan Jarry was definitely covering up a lot during that little winning streak. A few of the players admitted as much. But the players were playing with a lot of energy, making good decisions with the puck and were at least trying to defend for the most part. That all went away in the third period against the Islanders. Now they are basically drawing dead after that four-point swing in the standings.
RedondoBeach: Goaltending may be the most important position in the 4 major sports (or QB). How comfortable do you think the Pens are with that position heading into next year. Jarry is playing better, and they have some solid prospects… but what do you think their plan is for next season?
Matt Vensel: I'm assuming that they remain very uncomfortable with it in the short term. I do not believe they can put their full trust in Jarry again, though kudos to him for putting in the work to get back to the NHL and play well. Alex Nedeljkovic is a hard worker and a popular teammate but his numbers have regressed this season. He is a solid #2, and that's it. And now there is a lot of uncertainty with Blomqvist after he struggled mightily in his recent NHL stint. The Penguins are high on Sergei Murashov and he keeps on winning wherever he plays. But he is probably at least one more year from the NHL. So, yeah, a lot to sort through if management actually wants to try to put together a playoff team for 2025-26. Which... time will tell there.
Harry: Do you think Dubas will try to go after a 2nd line center in the off season and move Malkin to the wing?
Matt Vensel: Good question, Harry. I definitely would not rule out the possibility.
TS: Matt, thanks for the chat. I’ve never understood how Letang can make so many boneheaded careless plays particularly after 20 yrs in the league. As a close observer, how do you explain his lack of basic fundamentals when protecting a 2-0 lead. If you were his coach would you sit him for a couple shifts. Thanks.
Matt Vensel: I've fond that many of Kris' miscues stem from him trying to do too much. He is at his best when he keeps it simple, relatively speaking. But, for better and for worse, he is a very passionate guy and wants to win. As for the particular mistake you are asking about, it may have simply been a bad bounce. That's what he suggested.
Jason: Do the pens draft for positional need or best player available in the first round?
Matt Vensel: In the NHL draft, teams will pretty much exclusively take the best player available. Maybe positional need would be a tiebreaker if two players are in the same tier. But remember, it takes some of these teenagers a few years to grow into their bodies and become NHL players. A lot can change in terms of team needs over that span.
Mario: Have you gotten any sense of whether or not the Penguins would serious consider signing an RFA to a deal this summer (e.g., Mason McTavish)? It's rarely done but the Pens may be in a position to be the rare exception?
Matt Vensel: Touched on this earlier, Le Magnifique. Yes, I think the Penguins will explore the RFA market this summer. They have a surplus of picks and that's one way to put it to us in the very near future, as opposed to waiting a few years for a prospect to develop into an NHL player.
Matt Vensel: That will do it for today's chat. Sincere apologies if I did not get to your question. I see there's a few more left in the queue, but I've got to pick up the kids from school. We will do this again soon. In the meantime, you can fire me a question at mvensel@post-gazette.com.
First Published: March 21, 2025, 3:30 p.m.
Updated: March 22, 2025, 1:52 a.m.
