Could the Penguins look to add Vladimir Tarasenko?

Could the Penguins look to add Vladimir Tarasenko?

while the Penguins went bargain shopping on July 1st there’s a chance they could go kind of big game hunting this summer and Hunter and I will talk about that and more on this edition of the locked on Penguins podcast your locked on Penguins your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and welcome back to another edition of the locked on Penguins podcast I’m one of your hosts Patrick damp you can follow me on Twitter at synonym for wet joined as always by the one and only Hunter hodies you can follow him on Twitter at Hunter hodies you can give our shows account a follow at loore penguins and we thank you for making this your first listener watch of the day because we’re your team every day and don’t forget we are free and available wherever you get your podcasts as well as YouTube and today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more as the playoffs wind down the Sports Stop sporting like we want them to but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com lockon to get started so Hunter while yesterday was a day of bargain shopping for Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle dubis with a lot of one-year deals save for Blake lazat who who we will get into later in this show it was a lot of as I said at the top bargain hunting they didn’t go for any of the big names on the market they didn’t hand out big money or longterm but according to our friend Josh Yohi who I’m sorry to say will not be on this show because you’re not on vacation anymore he made that very clear that’s his new policy he said this morning that he has heard that the penguins have made an offer to Winger vladim tereno the recent Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers and former St Louis blue and New York Ranger and I gotta be honest I did not see that one coming I figured he was happy as a clam in Florida they were going to do some tidy business get him locked up again because he was a very crucial part of that Stanley Cup run while he’s not the Vladimir tereno of four or five years ago he’s still a very effective middle to top six forward he was a solid contributor for the Panthers once he got there and he while didn’t light it up in the playoffs had some big moments Paul Maurice spoke very highly of the role he played especially with some of Florida’s younger players who may have been going through a rough patch even when he would go on extended slumps morce said he was a great leader he stuck to everything he needed to do didn’t go into any kind of shell are shut down so he was a very integral piece to the Panthers Stanley Cup Championship this past summer so Hunter I throw this to you say it’s a one-year deal for Vladimir tereno should Florida not lock him up and the Penguins go after him would this be a smart move by Kyle DUIs you know what sure we all know what the direction of the team is heading into this season it’s very much a again retool on the fly soft rebuild I know dubis has not said the word rebuild to the media every time he’s talked to them but that is exactly what this is we even said it during our Monday episode as well so with that in mind yes I would be fine with signing teraso to a one-year deal whether that’s I don’t know three million 3.5 million four million I think that’s a very fair deal for him and if the Penguins aren’t in a playoff spot come trade deadline they can flip him to another team after hopefully he UPS his value even more with the Penguins and then they can get back add draft pick a prospect something along those lines he was pretty solid for the Panthers after getting traded there in the playoffs especially I like that you said it five goals nine points in 24 games he was especially good in that Series against the New York Rangers scored a couple of very crucial goals for the Panthers during the playoffs and even though he is 32 and yes it is kind of funny that dubis continues to go after some players who are 30 plus he still had 23 goals and 55 points during the season he is not close to being cooked washed up whatever ever word you want to call it he can still very much play and I think it’d be fun seeing him play next to ofgy Malin or next to cdy Crosby I think at the start it would probably be next to Cindy crosy just because when you look at the second line right now Michael bunting is with Gino along with Ricardo Kel and tereno while he has mostly played at rightwing throughout his career he can still play leftwing I mean at the time of the trade he played 57 games for Ottawa he lined up 16 times at left Wing 41 times at right wi and prior to that season he actually had not played left wing in Four Seasons so left wing is it’s a little more new to him compared to rightwing but he can still play it if the Penguins ask him to and I think they would in this case and he would give them I think decent middle six to top six production if you can get him for a contract similar to what Jeff Skinner signed with the Oilers I would be all for that I would too and I also think that if you’re going to put him with cydney Crosby on the Top Line which I think is The Right Move since because let’s say I think all signs point towards them keeping Ricard Raquel I think that’s going to be a very hard contract to move especially on as a whole I think if they were to try to move it they would have to retain and I don’t think they want to do that considering they still have some dead money on the cap and add it even more in the Riley Smith trade you still have Brian rust on that Top Line and we know he’s a Swiss Army knife they could if they need to move him to the left and he could do just fine there as well as he does on the right because that’s just the kind of player he is but back to teras senko before I get into any of the numbers with him I want to say this it fits into what they’re trying to do you know they’re not going to give him three four five years this would be one maybe two if they really need to entice him to come here but you look at what this team doing they are looking to get pieces that they can flip if they need to guys that are going to be very easy to move and if this team isn’t trending towards a postseason birth near the trade deadline you can flip him for assets and all you’ve really spent on him is cap space you haven’t traded to get them you didn’t trade away a prospect or draft picks so if you sign him to a oneye four something million million dollar deal and then you flip them to hell Florida at the deadline you can get some picks back maybe some prospects and this continues along the path that the Penguins appear to be taking right now and then you look at his numbers like you said he was solid his counting stats were pretty good this year pretty solid in the playoffs as well the one thing I looked at this morning when this came out from Josh was I went right to Natural statc as a nerd like I always do and I look at his time in Ottawa and like we always say say when you’re on a team like that don’t get too enamored with the numbers because it is a bad team but you look at his numbers there his expected goal percentage about 47% on a bad team that’s pretty solid High danger chances 4 percentage 47% he his uh possession numbers just a shade under 50% so on a bad team being able to do that and still drive offense when you’re on one of the worst teams in the NHL you put them in a a little bit better of a situation again I know the Penguins aren’t contenders but you’ve got more talent and more of an ability to drive offense on a team like Pittsburgh so I think this could be a solid top six fit which is kind of the one last thing they really need right now yeah and another thing I noticed 42 goals for 34 goals against for terasen Go’s time in Ottawa I don’t look at plus minus too often but the fact that he was a plus eight on that really bad centers team speaks volumes to how good he was playing overall and then his numbers obviously take a jump when he gets traded to the Panthers 52.3% shot attempts per 60 rate also a 50.6 expected goals for rate so pretty solid overall there too the biggest thing is can you pry him out of Florida according to David pagn of the fourth period he said terasa would like to stay in Florida but a deal is not close yet other teams obviously the Penguins continue to show interest so you might have to give him a number that he can’t refuse but if you do that penguins are going to have to figure out something with the salary cap situation because right now per our good friends at cap friendly which that website is not going to be up for too much longer my friends it sucks but puckpedia is hopefully going to be a really good replacement the penguins have a projected 4299 million in cap space so it’s G to have to be in a perfect world in that three to four million range and even if it is you’re probably going to have to move some salary out yeah and then you look at Florida’s excuse me uh cap space they have 7.3 projected according to cap friendly and just about everybody’s locked up but you still have Anton Lindell who’s an RFA who’s going to be due for a solid raise so it kind of brings in the idea of all right what are they gonna do with terasa what does he want if he wants a multi-year deal that’s going to be a problem for them because after this season you then have Sam Bennett who comes due for uh a UFA status Carter Veri Jesper boquist Tomas NOK and Aaron eblad so they’re they’re not totally out of the woods they’ve got everybody that they wanted to get locked up locked up but if you want to keep teras senko it might cause you some headaches after this coming season so it really depends on what Florida wants to do and what Vladimir Sarah tereno excuse me once so we’ll see on that but if the opportunity cost is there for the Penguins to swoop in for this I would take it I think it fits what they’re trying to do right now yes he’s not what he was four or five years ago but it really does suit what the Penguins want to do and what their needs are right now but right he’s not the 30 goal scorer that he was several seasons ago he’s not the 40 goal scorer that he was several seasons ago but he can still pot 20 to 25 goals for a team that badly needs some finishing will take that all day long and you’re right about the Panthers with Anton Lindell he is going to get a nice pay raise for this next contract he’s one of the most underrated forwards I think in the game right now and I think that’s going to take up a good chunk of their salary cap space they’re going to have to do some fin angling with their salary cap situation if they want to bring terasen go back but if he does sign with the Penguins I would be here for it and as you said it definitely fits for what they want to do for this season yeah and one last thing before I throw it the break here on teras yeah he’s not the 30 goal scorer he once was but when healthy he’s been money in the bank for 15 or more the last few years I mean you look at he goes to New York and in 2223 18 goals this year 23 goals so he still has an ability to put the puck in the net it’s not to the level it once was but like you said at the top it’s not like the guy’s washed or has nothing left in the tank there’s still some game there left to to be played so if nothing else it could help the Penguins with asset management or it could be enough to just push them into the postseason roll the dice and see what happens but that is going to do it for this first segment when we come back the Blake lazat contract is official and we’ll also talk about some of the AHL deals that Kyle dubis signed on July 1 but before we do that we’ve got to tell you about our sponsor and that is FanDuel I love sports I love them so so much that I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports aren’t sportsing like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open up the app and dream up any bets when I’m in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long so head over to fanduel.com locked on and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel the official sports betting partner of major League Baseball all right we’re back here on this edition of the locked on Penguins podcast I’m one of your hosts Patrick damp joined as always by Hunter hodies and we said it near the end of the show yesterday that Dorian Kyle dubis is Media availability he did say that the team had agreed to terms with Blake lazat not long after that press conference the details were revealed on that deal he gets a two-year deal with an average annual value of 1.85 million per so for a younger fourth line Center who can put up four good fourth line bottom six numbers I love this deal I’m a huge fan of it I think this is a guy who W he’s never going to be anything more than a bottom six Ford you got him for a very affordable deal for the next two years and he really could help you especially in year two for what the penguins are doing with trying to stockpile assets and prospects that could be a solid trade candidate or if they’re back on track next season that’s a guy who can really help you in the bottom six right off the rip I think that’s the best bottom six deal that Kyle dubis has signed since taking over as president of hockey operations and the general manager two-year term perfectly good with me 1.8 million per year that’s a steal for someone like Blake Lazard he scored double digit goals multiple times in his career it was a bit down this year but I think can get back to double digit goals for this team next year really solid fourth line Center can kill penalties can play well in his own Zone can bring you a little bit of offense his underlyings are also really sound as well he spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Kings this year played in 62 games played a little over 600 minutes at five on five when he was on the ice the Kings had 53% of the shot attempts 22 goals for 16 goals against also a 52.5 expected goal share rate 51 1.5% of the scoring chances and 51.8% of the high danger chances I will take those numbers all day long from the team’s fourth line Center and just immediately when you look at the fourth line for this season compared to last season I already think that line is better right now compared to where it was at the end of the year yeah I do too and it’s like we talked about yesterday something eventually here is going to have to give because now you got Kevin Hayes You’ve Got lar Eller you’ve got Blake lazat so something there is going to have to give it wouldn’t surprise me like I’ve said if Lars Zeller is being dangled out there in trade discussions because I do think he could bring you back some solid value as a third or fourth line Center for a team that’s right there he’s a as as he’s been described before he’s a very noons very mature type of player and while that’s something the penguins have needed I think they’ve got it now more than ever before with those three players so I think it’s a very real possibility they could move him for some value but moving on to some of the AHL deals no reason to beat around the bush or wait on this one uh they signed uh let’s see let me make sure I got it right here forward boo imama to an a to a one-year deal and if you like big bad bruisers in the American Hockey League oh boy did Kyle dubis ever get one yes if you love watching fighting at the AHL level or heck even at the NHL level because I think he there’s a chance he might come up to the NHL level at times this season you are going to love boo imama last season for the Ottawa Sanders AHL team he had5 penalty minutes he is a big time fighter he’s also a very physical player fans are going to love him three goals 10 points in 53 games in the AHL this past season the last season before that five goals 15 points in 50 games with 109 penalty minutes before that in 2021 2022 178 penalty minutes he is going to throw his body around he’s going to get into tussles and it’s G to be real fun to see on a good chunk of nights for wils Berry yeah if you’re looking for a guy who is going to basically just be a battering ram you got your guy so I thought that one was very interesting I think that’s mostly going to be a WIS bear guy like you said there’s probably going to be some times we see him with the big Club just when there are injuries and you know what if they just want to give him a look they can just give him a look and see what he does maybe if you’re at PPG Paints Arena on a night where he’s with the big Club you might see him get into a fight give you something to cheer for so that’s fun we also have to talk about how it’s become a meme at this point and it’s true but Kyle dubis loves his guys they also signed defenseman mck holwell to a one-year deal 25y old mostly AHL defenseman he was drafted in 2018 in the fourth round by the Toronto map beliefs and he had a pretty solid year last year with I believe it’s still the Rangers AHL affiliate the Hartford wolf pack 64 games three goals 41 assists for 44 points he’s only played six NHL games that was in the 2223 season with the Maple Leafs two assists uh and a plus three in those games so another depth defenseman signing don’t think it’s bad idea to take a chance on this guy fourth round pick 118th overall solid AHL defenseman good defensive depth if you need it when injuries happen so overall can’t say I care too much but it’s a nice little depth sign and gives us a chance to remind people that Kyle DUIs loves his guys well Pat you’re forgetting one thing he’s also a former Sue Greyhound so again Kyle dois very much loves his own guys with that but you’re you’re right 44 points in 64 games this past season for the Harford wolf pack even before that with the Marley’s in 2021 2022 he had five goals 26 points in 45 games he’ll mostly be playing for wils Berry this year but I could see him being you know that number eight number nine defenseman if injuries arise and he’s had pretty sound production at the AHL level for the last couple of years so he’s definitely not the worst option to have as defensive depth overall in this organization yeah again it it points to the the the thing we’ve been saying about what they’re trying to do with the farm system they’re trying to make it a more competitive team they’re trying to make it more of a place where guys go and it’s not just an incubator for the bigname prospects to develop and get better they want everybody that’s there to be playing winning hockey that way they’re in that kind of culture when they get to the National Hockey League couple other ones that the Penguins announced they signed defenseman Nate Kerman to a one-year deal and forward Jimmy Huntington also to a one-year deal again same kind of deal guys who have pretty solid AHL numbers they are it nothing else they are depth signings and insurance for when you have injures or guys don’t work out but nothing too crazy or anything that you need to worry about with guys who are going to show up at the NHL level for more than just a cup of coffee right Huntington fresh off a caller cup with the Hershey Bears and Hershey just won hell of an AHL team they continue to be flat out awesome as the capitals affiliate 67 games this year 16 goals 33 points during that time but he was great in the playoffs for Hershey five goals 14 points in 20 games he’ll bring that experience to a wilbury team that definitely I think could use a little bit of that experience heading into the 2024 2025 season and as for Kerman this past season played for the Colorado Eagles of the AHL one goal Five Points in 37 games he’s also played for the ECHL at times throughout his career he’ll be playing for either Wheeling or wilsy this year for the Penguins yeah so lot of depth there you can see that they’re really trying to both rebuild the prospect Pipeline with all the draft picks and Prospect that he’s going after as well as getting solid contributors at the minor league level to really help bolster wheeling and wils bears chances when they take the ice this season but that is going to do it for this second segment when we come back okay we’re two days into free agency and the off season Hunter and I are going to discuss what’s left to do what’s next and what the Outlook is for this Penguins team going into next season all right we’re back here on the Tuesday edition of the locked on Penguins podcast I’m Patrick damp that’s Hunter hodies and we’ve we’re starting to get an idea of what Kyle dubis and the penguins are thinking obviously they’re kind of out on going for it as they have been for the better part of 20 years wherein what we have pretty much deemed to be a soft rebuild or a retool on the Fly I don’t think that we’re looking at a team that’s going to be pushing hard for the Stan for the Stanley Cup let alone just making the playoffs this is probably going to be a fringe playoff team or a team that’s willing to miss the playoffs for one more year stockpile some prospects and assets and then get back after it the season after so I look at what he’s done so far we’ve talked about Vladimir tereno in the top at the top of the show and how they still have a need top six Winger we still know that there’s some unanswered questions about what else they have to do this summer including maybe a Tristan jari trade maybe some other trades but hunter in your estimation what does Kyle dubis need to still do this summer yeah I mean as we’ve discussed quite a bit I feel like these last couple of days they do very much need another top six Winger especially for Cindy Crosby Tera senko would fit that bill and I do have at least a small scoop for you I’ve heard from a reliable source that if Genny Malin is very much pushing for teraso to sign with the Penguins and that the penguins are again very much pushing for him to come here so just wanted to kind of confirm Josh’s report but also add a little new nugget in there as well outside of that I still think they got to figure out their go tending situation as a whole are you still committed to this tandem of jari and ad delovic for this upcoming season and also if you do sign someone like tereno what gives with your salary cap situation you’re going to be right up against it you might have to move someone out again if I had to guess at this instance I think it’s GNA be Lars Eller that gets moved over aari I could see either one getting moved just but just because of how many centers they have overall I think it’s going to be Eller that gets moved if they do add that top six for that this team still badly needs yeah and I mean Eller really does fit the bill as somebody you could move for some good return he doesn’t have trade protection in his contract it’s one year left of 2.45 million and at that cost you know it’s similar to what we talked about with lazat he’s he’s a very solid Center he’s only making 1.85 but he’s a bottom six center and there’s a lot of need around the NHL for teams to get that elusive third or fourth line Center that’s a affordable and still productive and Lars Eller fits that bill I would hate to lose him but when you think about what this team is angling to do for the next couple of Seasons moving him for assets and cap relief would be the smartest move there’s also one thing I kind of want to float out at you and we can have this discussion real quick to close out the show would you be against moving Marcus Pon because I don’t think I would at this point because when we had the discussions earlier this year about keeping him extending him making him part of the long longish term plan we still kind of figured this team was going to be mostly in go for it mode right now they’re really not anymore and he already makes a shade over $4 million you know he’s going to be due for a raise at the end of this season just because of what a solid Defender he has turned into but then you look at it he’s got a modified no trade it’s all of eight teams so that’s not really handcuffing you all that much of where you could move them and with a need with a a defenseman like him contenders are always looking for a player like Marcus pson and you could really drive up the price and this could really help you over the next three four years and again similar to what I was saying about lar Zeller would hate to lose him would love to keep him here in the long term he’s involved into a leader he’s a great two-way defenseman but with what it appears this team is trying to do I think that might be one of your best assets to really kick off what you’re trying to do here right we really wanted them to sign marus Pon to an extension because at the time we thought they were still going to be in win now mode heading into this upcoming season and try to do everything in their power to try and get Sydney Crosby and Company one last inly cup it doesn’t look like that’s the case anymore so circumstances change a little bit so yes to answer your question I would be at least a bit more open to trading Pon I think when you look up and down this team right now outside of the core pieces P you know Crosby Malin let hang and Carlson who would bring back the most value in a trade I think that’s got to be Marcus Pon and really no one else when you look at the roster right now me Brian rust he can bring you back some value but I don’t think it’s going to be as much as pon bonang etc etc I think Marcus pson would bring you back a pretty hefty package you know he’s only 28 right now makes four million for this last year on his contract if this team is out of it at the deadline and there hasn’t been an extension signed yet I could see Kyle dubis trying to auction him off to the highest bidder because he would be at least a very good rental defenseman for a team that’s a contender for this upcoming season I think the Penguins would get at least a decent package for him back overall so yes I would definitely be open to it I’m way more open to it right now than I was earlier this year when I thought this team was going to be in win now mode for this year and that’s where I am too because like you said and like I’ve said four million dollars for a essentially a top pairing guy or at the very least on a contender a second pairing guy that’s a very affordable very attractive contract for that team and you know that they would pay a premium for it you could likely have it similar in a sense to the Jake gensel deal where you get not just a roster player but maybe a prospect or two and a pick because of the value he holds and we know he’s not going to take a step back because he’s 28 years old and he’s been consistently getting better for the last couple of Seasons he’s absolutely in his prime as a defenseman so I think really if they can move him even if it’s not at the deadline even if it’s at the start of the Season or even this summer I really think that’s an attractive way for this team and Kyle dubis to really replenish everything that they they have they want to have in their system but before we close it out today one last thing we’ve got to mention Gotta Give a huge shout out and congratulations to Steve MIRS he is leaving the Penguins organization he’s going to the Columbus Blue Jackets where he will become their television play-by-play announcer we’ve kind of talked about it on the show before we know that he’s really wanted to stay on TV he was with the radio side this past year and you love to see this for a HomeTown kid he really wanted to stay on TV he would have loved to have it happen here but it just wasn’t in the cards so a big congratulations to mey for keeping the dream alive and going to unfortunately a division rival he’s going to do a solid job there man I’m really excited to see what he can do with the Blue Jackets and hey he’s not going too far away Columbus is not far from Pittsburgh and I wish him all the best he did an admirable job here on television and on radio for the Penguins and I’m very excited to see what he can do on TV for the Blue Jackets but now P the penguins have a void to fill for their radio broadcast who was going to replace Steve mirers as play byplay that remains to be seen heading into this season yeah very curious to see who takes that spot because everybody that’s filled in gets off mirrors after the hole left by the legendary Mike Lang they are gigantic shoes to fill I’m very excited and curious to see who they get but that will do it for the Tuesday edition of the locked on Penguins podcast for Hunter hoodies I am Patrick damp thank you as always for tuning in we will return on Wednesday with a brand new episode and we will talk to you then

After a day of going bargain shopping in free agency, the Penguins are reportedly looking to make somewhat of a splash by adding Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko in free agency. Patrick and Hunter discuss what it would take to get him out of Florida should they not re-sign him, where he would fit, and if this is even a smart move by Kyle Dubas. Next, they go over the official contract for Blake Lizotte and how this was one of the Penguins’ savviest signings of the offseason as well as all the AHL depth added. Finally, what’s left for this team to do and could they move a pretty big piece to kick this rebuild/retool?

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