Pittsburgh Penguins Offseason Checklist

Pittsburgh Penguins Offseason Checklist

[Music] hello everybody and welcome to the tip of the iceberg podcast brought to you as always by inside the Penguins a proud affiliate of the hockey news I’m your host Nick Bell joined as always by Nick horwat we got a fun show for you guys today horwat you put out a offseason checklist for the Pittsburgh Penguins and we’re going to go through that piece by piece and talk about what Kyle dubis needs to do this summer in those certain areas and what would make a successful summer for the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager but before we get into that Brian Russ broke the cardinal rule of NHL players he actually talked in front of a camera in the offseason and spoke the truth instead of just locker room talk so we’ll talk about what Brian rust had to say leading off here and he said a lot of things he talked about Sydney Crosby he talked a little bit about his season in general he talked a little bit about the fact that he’s moving this summer into Jake gel’s house after Jake gensel was traded he purchased the house but the one thing that he said that broke through everything else and this was on a stream from Ninja so of course if you’re going to say it you’re going to say it in front of 19 million followers on Twitch so he said it on Ninja’s video game stream the Penguins they could have taken down the New York Rangers if they were to get into the playoffs this year saying quote it would depend on a couple of factors but I think we would have beat them those factors included the Penguins power play getting some success against the Rangers uh excuse me the Penguins penalty kill having some success against the Rangers Power Play and then the Penguins quote trash power play being able to be a factor in that Series so what the question becomes do you think the Penguins would have had a shot if they would have made it to the first round against the New York Rangers so this is a good question that you have to consider what we were all thinking what all of our mindsets were in late April early April sorry late March early April whenever they were on that hot streak when they defeated the Rangers by a pretty good score sure they lost two of three to them during the season but first game was a one- nothing shut out again Jonathan Quick a goal they likely wouldn’t have even seen in the playoffs uh the second game was one we don’t necessarily talk about and the third one the team was half sick uh and I believe it was the second no the next game was the second straight day of n donovich starting um but the team was half sick half half alive and still managed to defeat him at the time at that time of the season when the Penguins were getting hot they were getting hot at the right time and they may have put put up a fight against the Rangers I don’t know that they would have won or lost but man they would have definitely put up a fight and who knows maybe come out on the right end of things because for some reason they just have sherin’s number um on most times at least there are defin definitely times where curkin stands on his head um and who knows what play what the playoff the playoffs would have brought to the Penguins uh it’s I I can see where Brian R is coming from and part of me wants to agree that especially if they if the penalty kill could straighten itself out especially down the stretch at certain times and if the quote unquote our power play was trash All Season also correct take um if that was able to get straightened out maybe they would have had a real shot so I could see where he’s coming from with it and if those things were leaning in their favor yeah absolutely but I don’t think that power play was ever going to get fixed yeah the one thing I unequivocally agree with is Brian Russ saying quote I think any other team that got in would have done better than Washington I saw the Washington Capitals Penguins game late or I think it was early April the capitals were very unimpressive and they were unimpressive through a majority of of the late stretch of that season they had a really good week in the final week of the year and they had a Barry Trot trots is don’t give up anything score one goal and hold the fort type of mentality and that got them into the playoffs but against the Rangers it’s not a it’s not a style that was going to take down the president’s Trophy winners and that’s what I think you know bruss Brian Russ mentions it’s it’s all about matchups and I do believe that the Penguins would have been a better matchup for the New York Rangers would they have won that’s a tough one I mean there have been times Penguins Rangers where the less talented team might have come out on top simply because of how close these two teams play each other whenever they match up in the postseason but I mean they were one- two against New York like you mentioned even in that 7even to4 loss it was one of those well the Penguins didn’t start on time went down two to nothing quickly and then they came back and they scored a little bit more but they just couldn’t hold the fourth down defensively but Crosby and Malin were both clicking on all cylinders at the end of the season Eric Carlson was finally starting to hit his stride he was at his best at the end of the season and the bottom six was contributing a little bit so yeah I I agree with rust if their penalty kill would have been able to kind of quell the energy of the Rangers Power Play which has been a problem for the Penguins every time they go up against the Rangers No matter how good the Penguins penalty kill is and if their power play would have been able to do something maybe they would have been able to put up a fight I think it would have certainly been a better fight than the Washington Capitals that’s just my personal opinion I agree I think the Red Wings would have give given them a little bit more of a fight than the Washington Capitals did but at the same time I mean you look where the Rangers are right now they’re tied two to2 against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals I think think if the Penguins of the last three weeks of the Season would have showed up they would have had a chance but I’m not so certain that the Penguins of the last three weeks would have shown up whenever things turned into playoff hockey officially so I’d like to say that yeah I think they would have beaten them I think they’ have a chance to beat him but I still think that I would have picked the Rangers if that would have been the first round series who knows I I think that mentality that we all had going into that going into the final weeks of the season was this team can beat anyone it’s there was a very big uh uh just the morale was high and the streak of whatever it was it was points and however many straight this team did look like they could beat anyone they were beating good teams they were beating the bad teams and again the goal tending wasn’t outstanding the entire time from uh Nadel kovich wasn’t outstanding but it was good enough uh maybe that would have also played a factor in just because it was good enough that’s not good enough in the postseason MH there’s a different there’s a million different ways you could have taken this uh and thought about it and again it is all just sort of revisionist History it is looking back at uh the hindsight because maybe Penguins would have done this differently or that differently and definitely would have put up a bigger fight or more of a fight than the capitals did maybe they would have put up more of a fight than the Red Wings or even the Flyers because they were in that dance um it could have all been very different uh and I think a lot of people wanted to face the Rangers because of that matchup because they knew that in 2022 yeah as a know couple seasons ago Penguins were the better team yeah and had it not been for a Third String Goalie and some cheap shottery from a couple of players there losing Raquel and Crosby maybe just maybe they would have pulled that one out and you’re looking at this year as well you’re going to likely have a healthy Crosby maybe if if you know a flying elbow doesn’t come flying out of yeah I was about to say there’s a chance that that cheap shottery would have continued and it probably would have considering what we’ve seen Jacob trouba from the top rope decided to come back out again it’s uh yeah who knows exactly what would have happened again it’s hard to tell Whenever there wasn’t a contest Whenever there was no inclination of anything happening maybe someone on the Rangers gets injured and it changes things there’s a Bazil different things that could changed yeah but on the surface on on paper I see where Brian Russ is coming from and part of me wants to agree but that I just don’t think that power play would have fixed itself and that is yeah kind of what he was saying needed to be fixed for them to have it yeah 100% and I and here’s the thing I said I would have picked the Rangers I think the Penguins would have won at least two games in that series I think it would have gone six because I think the Penguins would have put up a fight I think they would have been in that series close games but at the same time we’re not just talking about Penguins Rangers we’re talking about a Rangers team that won won the President’s trophy this year and two started the postseason 7 and0 yeah swept the Washington Capitals and then they went out to a three to nothing series lead against a very good Carolina Hurricanes team they are 10 and4 so far in this postseason it’s a very good team and like you mentioned with Jacob trouba’s bionic elbow who knows where that series could have gone if it would have you know reared its ugly head once again so I’m not sure again it’s revisionist history something that we’ll never know the answer to but I tend to believe Brian rust when he says he thinks they would have put up a better shot than anybody else and he thinks that everybody else would have put up a better shot in the Washington Capitals so it would have been fun to see and maybe that’s something we see next year but at the end of the day they missed the postseason and that’s all that matters in the grand scheme of things and that’s what’s going to go down in the history books but let’s move over and talk a little bit about the Penguins offseason checklist hor what this is in a piece that you put out earlier this week for inside the penguin.com you wrote about five OB jectives that the Penguins and Kyle dubis need to check off of their list this summer let’s go through them one by one here and start with the one that to me is a little bit like a free space but clearly it’s going to be some work no matter what and that’s extend Sydney Crosby it’s a matter to me of when and not if Sydney Crosby signs a contract extension this summer and the only figures that have been thrown out where by Elliot Freedman of sportset and 32 thoughts the podcast a long time ago right at the end end of the season where he said around three years 10 and to 10 and a half million dollar and that was just kind of I feel like musing just kind of about what it could be and what it could look like the early figures so we have no idea where those negotiations are at but extending Sydney Crosby’s at the top of the list I feel like this is one that could get done sooner rather than later yep I think um to anyone you ask within Pittsburgh media at least uh you know it’s we’re going to all be looking toward free agency on July 1st we’re all going to be curious who’s going where in the NHL and then that email’s going to hit and it’s just going to say Sydney Crosby extended by Penguins it’s gonna be pretty easily handled I think it will come down to money in years maybe a little bit because he’s getting up there in age and I mean Cindy Crosby is worth every dime that he signs for it’s it’s gonna be that that that will be the big negotiation but and like Kyle dubis said at the end of the season they’re going to REM keep that as private as possible um between dubis Crosby and his agent and if anything comes out it’s doubtful but we’ll see I would expect it to be what fredman was pontificating with as well though with three years about $10 million uh he’s worth every dime of it it’ll keep him in Pittsburgh maybe forever I think Brian Russ said in that interview as well that uh Sid could go until he’s 40 until things start declining so um we’ll see how the math lines up I think uh this is essentially a free space unless you are aund behind a desk north of the Border than it is uh no he’s getting traded I think the the one thing that’s guaranteed is there’s going to be an eight in the seven somewhere sequentially in in the contract whether that’s in the money definitely not in the Years uh but you know the other thing that I think that’s likely is the three-year timeline it feels like it it’s perfect for him because not only does it if I’m not mistaken line up perfectly with the end of Chris lat Tang’s contract but it takes them I believe to the age of 41 and I think that’s a good age where you could consider especially a guy like Sydney Crosby who has reinvented himself time and time again in this league changed his game made it a little bit more adaptive to somebody playing at the age of 37 where he can still play at a very high level I feel like to me that’s where I’ve thought the whole time that he would end up going after this contract and again that’s only personal belief that’s with no other you know information but it feels like three years would be the right number for an extension for Sydney Crosby and as far as the money you know some people are saying it’s Sydney Crosby he’s gonna take a pay cut just like fgny Malin did just like Chris L Tang did even if he and I said this on Tuesday’s live stream even if he takes a$1 million aav that is a pay cut from what he probably deserves so that’s in my eyes that’s what the pay Cut’s going to be not going down from 8.7 because you look at leang you look at ofgy Malin when they took those deals it was we want to stay in Pittsburgh there is a little bit of a question of if we do or not and to make sure we stay in Pittsburgh we’re going to make you know that sacrifice of taking less money there’s no question about whether or not Crosby’s gonna be in Pittsburgh so he doesn’t have to say well just to make sure I’m here I’ll I’ll take 8.7 again he’s going to get 10 point maybe 10.87 maybe 9.87 maybe it’s 10.5 Z87 or something like that $87 or 87 cents at the end of the contract whatever it ends up being we know Sydney Crosby’s going to get it involved in some way but even if he takes the $10 million that’s a HomeTown discount for the Pittsburgh Penguins but I I’ve personally feel like three years is the timeline for Crosby even before Freedman said that back in early April yeah three years not seems to be the right choice and when it comes to the price tag I I would say it starts at 8.7 you kind of hit him with a right out of the gate of would you like to stay right where you’re at is if if he wants to go up from there you work with it and here’s the fun thing he’s negotiating with Kyle dubis who you keep saying maybe the number gets in there Kyle dubis is known to do that yeah Kyle dubis has been known to do that look at most of the contracts he signed in Toronto it’s a little ridiculous for certain things but I could I would say that this negotiation starts at the 8.7 and goes up from there just because you want to see if you can get a guy as loyal as he is to his team and to that Superstition to go here’s the opening off for three years 8.7 all of the other details essentially just extending the exact contract he has so that was number one that was objective number one on your checklist for the Pittsburgh Penguins objective number two was trim the fat and I love the way you put that especially considering the two names you mentioned were Riley Smith and Ryan Graves let’s start with Riley Smith in this one is it a definitive at this point that Riley Smith gets traded this offseason I would assume it’s tough to say because Kyle dubis does keep a pretty tight ship not too much is going to leak out in terms of uh rumors speculation not too much is going to get out uh but it seems pretty easy that Riley Smith will be uh de the summer he seemed to have more trade interest Than Jake gensel with the deadline which should say something um heading into the final his deal has that Stanley Cup experience is a veteran player there are plenty of teams around the league that’d be willing to take that on and let’s be honest I mean he makes $5 million it’s not an overly expensive contract especially these days um but it’s it’s definitely the most likely option it just depends on who’s willing to take it on he has a modified no trade what teams does he want to go to uh or is willing to go to essentially who isn’t on his list um I think plenty of teams would be willing to take him in though I think that’s going to make him not an easy move but uh the most possible yeah and the question then becomes you know when it comes to his no trade list is it he just won a Stanley Cup two years ago so is it does he want to go win another Stanley Cup or does he want to get back to maybe the the Southwest where he he loved living with Las Vegas I don’t think Las Vegas is going to have the money or the cap space they’re going to have to probably let go Chandler Stevenson they might have to let go Jonathan Marshall because they signed hurdle they signed Noah hanin so they might have to let go of some guys I don’t know if Riley Smith’s going to be able to make that sweet reunion as some of us had talked about around the trade deadline because they they pulled that hurdle trade out of their butts at the 11th hour so I don’t know if that’s going to be an option but I mean the two names and the two teams that I threw out there earlier this offseason were Anaheim who is a very young team and look in search of some defense first forwards and and Smith does bring a 200 foot game in that aspect and I think he’d fit in well with a young fast team that likes to play and score off the rush that is what Riley Smith is is best at even though he didn’t really show it in Pittsburgh simply because Pittsburgh’s not an off the rush team they they haven’t been in some time and then I thought Buffalo would be another adjustment there but another team that he could potentially go up to uh joining Alex tuck former teammate from the Las Vegas golden Knight so that’s certainly an interesting name and I I think that everybody’s talking about him as if it’s a foregone conclusion and I think for good reason it did not work in Pittsburgh by the end of the year he was on the third line it sort of started to work on the third line but you don’t want to pay $5 million for a third liner especially when you have holes that you need to fill around the lineup and upgrades that you need to bring in this off season the other name is Ryan Graves that you mentioned do you truly believe somebody’s GNA take on that contract this summer and do you think that Ryan Graves ends up being out of Pittsburgh by the time training camp rolls around here in Fall hey that’s a tough it’s tough to try and nail down what exactly will happen with Ryan graves because um a of the Season he had obviously and B because of the contract but also just the way K Duba spoke of Ryan Graves returning and coming into camp with a better mindset with a more confident Outlook and with an improved season ahead I I get GMS and that these guys will just kind of speak they’ll just kind of talk and uh straight up lie let’s just be honest kind of lie to you and say that you know he’s expecting these guys to return and improve upon themselves something about it though with Ryan Graves just felt like yeah he’s likely coming back I think we all understand that contract’s hard to move he signed him for that long for a reason you gotta I mean you don’t have to give him at least two years time to work things out but you gave him that long of a contract it’s hard for sometimes it’s hard for managers and guys that sign sign those deals to quit after a year be that’s enough of that let’s wrap that up sending you out somewhere it’s one thing if you traded for a guy like Riley Smith and then they’re just trying to trade him again whereas KY dubis actively went out and grabbed a free agent in Ryan Graves and tried to you know insert him like maybe just where it didn’t work the contract’s going to hurt but um I think it’s likely he returns next year I just kind of threw it into trimming the fat because of how much space the team could open up if they send him out uh because there was another thing that I wrote uh the next day that or a day or two later whatever it may have been that um Shane gopar could be somewhere on the radar or at least the penguins are among betting favorites to land him if they’re going for him you got to move Graves out first because that’s where the money will come from first and then you just nabbed another Puck moving defenseman hilarious gos of Spar St ivenue wouldn’t be a bad third pairing but again it might be an expensive third pairing yeah I was gonna say gos of spar’s contract projections start I believe at like more than Marcus Pon makes right now yeah I don’t know I don’t know about that I mean we’ll we’ll see how everything plays out but man another Puck moving defenseman on the left side certainly can’t play in with lat tang and and Carlson so again very interesting very interesting uh your third demarcation here is the Penguins need to get younger you and Kyle dubis agree on that point on an infusion of prospects like a ponamarev a konin a jagger a Poston we can keep going the St Ivy Pickering Joel blong fist yeah you can keep going there’s a lot of names of a lot of young players that could make their way to the National Hockey League level and we didn’t even mention them all guden should be thrown into that to that list as well do you think they could swing a move for an outside piece to get a little bit younger there’s a name that everybody’s loving to talk about right now he’s a gold medalist over in at the moment from World Championships and that’s Martin NES you had a new management down in Carolina he’s a restricted free agent but from the outside appearance it looks like he might be on the chopping block as they try to maneuver and keep the team together that they they built there to go on the second round this past season do you think Marty NIS or or some other name like that a restricted free agent do you think Kyle dubis makes a big swing and a big pitch to get one of these young restricted free agents that might have fallen out of favor with their current team I don’t know why he wouldn’t I haven’t started thinking or looking into possible trades I mean trade season has officially opened it seems um so maybe I should take a look into those but it’s yeah it’s that’s also a possibility that he’s going to look for a guy like Martin hes where it’s he’s young he’s still under RFA status and the Penguins want to get younger I threw it in there because that’s it’s getting preached by Kyle it’s this team needs to get younger this team needs to get younger whether it be through all these different a Avenues of promotion from within uh free agent signing if they’re like first year on rfas or uh yeah first year of ufas or rfas that don’t reach and then trades deals like it for a guy with Martin hes so I’d say I have no words on Martin hes or if you know what could be on the horizon for the Penguins in terms of those sort of young trades um but it wouldn’t shock me if the Penguins were in on a guy like NIS or any other young younger players that are going to get hung out on the trade block um and then looking for 27y old free agents that could be another one yeah yeah grabbing guys like Anthony boiler do do you think he would be a fit in Pittsburgh I mean boiler is a guy that made his bones in a berry Trot system so you would imagine that he’d be able to assimilate well to a Mike Sullivan system but do you think a guy like an Anthony boiler is what the Penguins need because they have all these young guys at the end of the day anybody you’re bringing in is going to end up being a hurdle for one of these younger players you know pamar Konan and a lot of them do you think a guy like boiler for the bottom six because I don’t see him being a top six option in Pittsburgh do you think a guy like that could fit so it’s hilarious about the Islanders let’s let’s be honest the Islanders and the Penguins don’t match stylistically no the issue is is if you’re pulling one Islander or two and sticking them on of the Penguins roster they fit because of they’d go straight to that bottom six they’d go straight into that that role that Mike Sullivan loves for the bottom six which is that hard knows two-way game you pull one or two Islanders they fit perfectly you pull the entire Team Hell No it’s they’re different stylistically yes absolutely but one or two players that kind of fall off the ship and get picked up by the Penguins it’s they they’d fit right in and I without looking at numbers without looking at any sort of tape or anything like that just hearing name and knowing what I’ve seen before I think bavil could fit here yeah I mean if you could pick one or two Islanders I would like to pick Pelican pulock personally I mean that would be a nice that’ be a nice infusion on the defense if you could you know Fantasy Land pick one or two of them but no boil is a name that has been very interesting he’s been passed around a little bit since he left the Islanders I know he was with at for a time being I think he was with the Canucks I know he was with the Chicago Blackhawks then he was traded the Nashville Predators this past trade deadline so uh certainly been on the Move since leaving the New York Islanders and and maybe you give him a home maybe you give him some stability and maybe he rewards you with some of that highflying offensive Acumen and then also you know can bring a little bit of that responsible game on the back end I think the big thing for the Penguins here when you look at getting younger are you going to to bet next season on a bunch of guys that are unproven at the NHL level that’s the question for Kyle dewis because you can get younger with some NHL experience but it’s just going to cost you because you’re going to have to W either trade for the rights of a guy like Marty NIS or you’re going to have to overpay for him if he ends up making his way to the free agent Market if he he doesn’t get a qualifying offer and they don’t find a deal for him and they say you know what we just got to get rid of you anyway and they let him walk to free agency as an unrestricted guy are you gonna overpay for a guy like that that that becomes the questions for Kyle dubis because getting younger by just bringing in guys like kyonin and jger and it’ll be exciting and it might work out but you’re still betting a lot if you’re trying to win a St cup in the next couple of seasons and that is the stated goal is to give Sydney Crosby the best chance to win a cup here in the next couple of seasons is betting on these unproven guys enough of a plan and I think that’s what we’re going to see Kyle DUIs answer this year as to whether or not he believes in that and if he brings in a lot of guys like even a a Yesa Yari is kind of that to a te right he’s a younger guy 25 years old he’s proven in the NHL and he’s the stop Gap in case these guys aren’t ready they’re gonna give pull yv the chance if these guys aren’t ready and I think they need maybe one or two more of those guys to be on the forward side of things yeah it’s they’ll have to look around I think it’s too much of a bet to just say we’re going all AHL recalls yeah or prospects yeah so getting younger there’s many ways to do it and sometimes you know that I’m not going to rule out the fact that they sign a 30-year-old at a free agency because sometimes that’s what’s available you talked about it maybe you sign a 27y old from free agency that’s the youngest you get in unrestricted free agency unless in once in a blue moon a guy like Marty NIS is just not tender to qualifying offer and then all of a sudden you have a 25y old on the market the 125-year-old on the market for all 31 other teams so yeah it’s going to be something that we started seeing last season which I think is nice you’ve already started to see Kyle DUIs make moves to get this team to be a little bit younger so we’ll see what he does over the summer to continue that Trend but let’s talk a little bit about uh step number four for you in this one and that is make a goal tending plan have a plan for somebody to tend the goal horwatt right now they have Tristan jar at four years 5.35 375 excuse me million dollars and then behind him it’s a rookie Yol Blan fist that’s what they have right now the question that I have for you is when making a goaltending plan if the plan is jari at one veteran go tender out of free agency at two and Yol blun fist at three with the opportunity for blanus to move up if he proves that he’s ready is that enough of a plan for you and would you be disappointed if they brought in a per James Rhymer a Martin Jones a cam talbet to be that number two this summer I don’t think it would upset me um because go tending is tough to nail down it’s tough to sort of predict and these guys’ uh trajectories are always different H you sometimes you see the young hot goalie come in and make a statement right away sometimes that takes some time to sort of grow in the system and then finally make it multiple years down the line without that long playoff run that we had all hoped for in the AHL it’s hard to say exactly what uh Joel blonquist can bring um so it wouldn’t shock me to see the Penguins go out and get a veteran backup uh Mo I and I mostly say figure out a goal tending plan because it does sound like the delovic likely walks free agency and Jar’s likely here again next season as much as you know his play sort of I don’t want to say deteriorated down the stretch but it he didn’t get a chance he didn’t get a chance to play after it started deteriorating yeah um I’d say it’s going to be him next year just because I I don’t know if anyone would take him I don’t know if the want to trade them and if they do then really who are you going with because a goalie for a goalie I can’t think of the last time something like that has really happened it’s tough off the top of my head at least I’m sure it’s happened like yesterday um uh and I mean the Penguins literally did a goalie for a goalie trade earlier at the deadline but for third stringers a third Stringer that also is no longer the organization yeah went back to Switzerland yeah um but I would say when it comes down to it do need a plan and that is a plan for Joel blanquis mostly is he ready do they want to see what he can do a little longer in the AHL could there be that jump made to start as the backup next season I’d say he’s G to get a lot of reps in preseason and then we’ll see especially no matter what happens with free agency I also don’t know the go tending free agents right now I know you mentioned Rymer and Jones those are a couple that I don’t hate um you got to find a cheap one though too because the uh Penguins need every dime they can get I know have a lot of salary cap space right now but it could fill up quickly yeah as of right now they have around $9.8 million if you put some of these league minimum contracts that they’ve signed into the NHL to fill out the roster they have about $9.8 million left in salary cap space and that’s including guys like pan and Poon in at the NHL level as well as guy like Jack St ivany and Y blun fist as well so they have some space in which to work with and if they end up trimming the fat as you mentioned earlier with a guy like Riley Smith in his $5 million with a guy like you know Ryan graves in his four plus million dollar and they’d have a little bit more room to breathe a little bit more room to operate but you know a guy like cam Talbot I think shuts the door on Yol blung fist for the year I I really do I think that if you bring in cam Talbot you’re not bringing him in with the thought process of well at some point he’s gonna be supplanted but if it’s Rymer or Martin Jones I could kind of see it I can kind of see it so we’ll see what ends up being the plan I mean whoever the Penguins get a you’re not going to go in with jari blon Fist and then goate and and the other guy they signed out of the Red Wings system oh yeah they’re not going to go into the season with that being their only golender so whoever that goal tender is that gets brought in is going to tell you a lot about what they think about where Yol BL longfist is going into next season and again opinions can change if he comes in and looks star studded early in the season if he ends up playing at rookie development camp and they go to Buffalo and he looks great there again then maybe their opinions change and and maybe they try to integrate him a little bit sooner but again whoever they sign in net this summer is going to tell you a lot about where they think Yol Blan fist is but let’s talk about you know the fifth and final Point here that you made on your your story find scoring depth the Penguins haven’t had scoring depth since well the the 2022 playoffs against the New York Rangers when they had guys like dayon Heinen playing well when they had Caspar Ka in the bottom six when they had tanev and Aston Reese and bler as a very solid fourth line they need some scoring depth how much of that could be internal promotion of the guys that we mentioned earlier with these young guys in ponamarev and maybe Braden Jagger who had another three-point performance in the Memorial Cup earlier this week so how much of that scoring depth do you think could be internal versus how much of it do you think they need to go out and bring in some external help for I’d say a lot of it could be it’s it’s a matter of just finding the right guys that can fit a lot of it can be promotion from within I don’t think I really listed any names off of who could be a Target who I was just throwing this in there because I’ll continue to stand on they need said this on theep on the episode last episode I think uh they just need someone who can score in the bottom six I need one or two guys that can do more than l l did a great job as third line Center but I think you need at least another guy that can do a little bit more than that um I mean I’m not saying find a Phil kessle and stick him on the third line because you know a that that is what worked in uh 16 but it was a different situation I think the team was that’s just what worked and look at Carl Haggin and Nick Bonino next to him those are bottom six guys I mean Hagan’s quick and has speed but Nick Bonino is not getting anywhere above the third line especially on the Penguins uh you’re not I’m not like I said I’m not saying to go out and find a guy like Marty natures and then stick him in the third line because you need scoring down there no just you got to find a guy who can fit that role of a third line player and then contribute more than what the Penguins had it could be any number of faces it could be any number of Ages too I know the Penguins need to get younger but if a 32y old is going to fit that role perfectly go for it just make sure it’s not a long contract yeah um but it’s it’s a tough one to to decipher whenever uh you have a lot of these prospects and young guys ready to make that jump um I’d say it knocks larella to the fourth line fourth line Center move aari to the wing and then fill out the rest with those good two-way faces that have defense but can also contribute offensively because that’s the biggest thing that I’m looking for here and even if you can get somebody for the top so you can start Drew o Conor in the bottom six that helps your scoring depth and then you mentioned you need maybe somebody that that scores a little bit more than lar Zeller lar Zeller scored I believe 14 goals last year if you can get somebody that does that as well it doesn’t even need to be oh you need a 20 goal scorer as a third line center right you need somebody else that can score and can create offense to the level of lar Zeller that way you have that on your third and fourth line because last year the fourth line I mean Jansen Harkins has still yet to score a point he might not have scored in in ball hockey at this point this summer so you didn’t have any scoring from that fourth line Nola we understand I don’t want to offend Kyle dubis sensibilities and say anything about no laari trying to score on offense but no laari was not scoring from the fourth line Center role does that better from the wing anyway so if you can bump him down and we’ve said this so many times this summer if you can bump larel down it’s going to move Char to the wing it’s going to create a little bit more offense in your depth and at the end of the day last year we all knew the plan top six score bottom six defend that’s that can’t be the plan again like that didn’t work and they started to shift away from that at the end of the season they started to get better at the end of the season so I think we all know that they need to continue to Trend in that direction and like you mentioned get that score in depth so the five things are extend Sydney Crosby trim the fat get younger make a goal tending plan and find scoring depth that is the Pittsburgh Penguins offseason checklist for this summer and to close things out the question becomes how many of these five does Kyle dubis need to check off for you to consider his summer a success um I mean obviously there’s more small things I think these are just the biggest ones um when it comes to it I’ll just roll down through them real quickly here the extending Sydney Crosby It’s not a need you have another year it’s just more of a it’s the free space you don’t need to do it but it is top priority if he doesn’t do it I’m not going to consider it a failure it’s just uh when will you get to it uh trim the fat again that doesn’t have to necessarily be just Ryan Graves or and or uh Riley Smith but finding ways to knock off some salary and knock off some dead weight that’s a must it just is so that’s one getting younger I think I think that’ll happen anyway I think it’s kind of an easy one uh and also this team can only get so much younger considering all the main guys are staying and they’re all getting older so I’m not GNA harp on that one the goal tending plan needs to happen for certain uh because you got to figure out what you’re doing with your net minders scoring depth I think is a need so I’d say that’s three did I miss one one no I did not so I’d say three of them need to happen at least those three specifically I don’t think it’s out of the realm a possibility that he can get all five because I think the bar is very low for him to check some of these boxes it’s just a matter of how he checks them and I think he needs to do it to a high level at at least three like you mentioned but he should address all five of these things this summer and and the easy thing is Crosby and you check that box very simply but making a go tending plan if he brings in I don’t know Capo cocken is not a name I want to see in the Pittsburgh Penguins but if he brings in a Martin Jones okay you’ve checked the Box am I very happy with with jari Jones and blun fist no I think it could be better but you’ve addressed the need anyway and I think if you bring in a guy like Martin Jones what you’re signaling is Joel Blan fist is going to play a significant amount of games at the NHL level and significant meaning 10 or more this year not just hey he’s come up in spot start every once in a while like Magnus hellberg last year so I I think that he needs as I agree with you I need he needs to significantly address three of them and hit the hit the ball out of the park with three of them but he needs to at least touch on each of these five yeah no doubt and if it is a guy like Martin Jones that comes in I mean that’s a face that was in the minor leagues for uh some time this this past season so find a guy who’s got that just used to it is okay with that role on in an organization um and then that could be you ful you get finding I mean Martin Jones used to be one of the top rated goalies in the league and now that he has gotten to a point where he is accepting of a new depth role um those are important to find because you don’t want you don’t want someone that’s going to be unhappy with not playing at the NHL level unhappy with being sent to the miners and sitting out even being a third being a third string guy that kind of sits who knows that the penguins look to carry three goalies it’s it’s goofy season that could even happen yeah yeah I you know how I feel about that we had that conversation when Buffalo did it and we both said I don’t know why you’re doing this but at the same time you look at Martin Jones he did play in the American Hockey League for the first time in 10 years last season was the Third String Goalie behind Joseph wo and ilas Samona for the Toronto Maple Leafs had five games played for the Marley’s at the American Hockey League level but at the NHL level 902 save percentage 287 goals against average that’s I mean that’s backup goenda Smith gave you when he was here that’s along the lines of what Alex Nadel kovich gave you this past season so you bring a guy like that in you’re not shutting the door on Joel blun fist but you’re also bringing a guy that if Joel blun fist isn’t ready this guy’s proven it before at the National Hockey League level and you just need him to do what Alex NAD delovic did and take the opportunity run with it and be the best version of himself which I believe we all agree is what Alex n delovic was able to do but interesting checklist for for Kyle DUIs we’ll start keeping track of this as the summer gets going as you mentioned the the trade market started heating up of course it’s the T Tampa Bay Lightning that kicked things off reacquiring Ryan mcdna so we’ll have to wait and see but the only downside is in about a week or maybe a little bit longer depending on how long these Conference Finals go Stanley Cup Final begins and when that begins that is two weeks of mandated Silence from the National Hockey League calling all the other 32 team or 30 teams and saying you need to shut up because nothing can overshine and outshine the Stanley Cup finals there’s going to be a dead period but after that that’s when things are really going to start to pick up so hopefully Kyle dubis is already having a couple irons in the fire and we’ll see if he gets anything done before that not mandated but unspoken rule of don’t do anything during the the Stanley Cup Final but that’s going to do it for this episode of the tip of the iceberg podcast thank you guys so much for tuning in to this one we’ll see you next time [Music] a [Music]

On this episode, the Nick’s discuss Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Bryan Rust’s recent comments about the New York Rangers and why he believes they would’ve upset the Presidents’ Trophy winners in the playoffs (0:52). They also present the Pittsburgh Penguins offseason checklist and what Kyle Dubas must do to accomplish a successful summer (9:48). Tune In!

The top podcast for the most avid Penguins fans! Tune in as Nick Belsky and Nick Horwat bring you all of the Pittsburgh Penguins top news and analysis every day! New episodes of “Tip of the Ice-Burgh” on Tuesday & Thursday and “Ice-Burgh To Go” on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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