(upbeat music) - Hello everybody and welcome to the tip of the iceberg live your home for Pittsburgh, Penguins, News and Analysis. You can find us on YouTube at tip of the iceberg or anywhere. You get your podcast from today is the last live that we have before the Penguins drop the puck unofficially on the 2024-25 season. Of course, taking place in the prospects challenge this weekend up in Buffalo, New York, take it on the Boston Bruins on Friday at noon, take it on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at noon and then taking on the hometown Buffalo Sabers on Monday afternoon to round things out. The Penguins are the de facto defending champions going into that tournament, but they got a bit of unfortunate news earlier today about one of the players they expected to be participating this weekend that is not able to and we'll get to that in just a second. But as you can see from the title, we're looking for your questions. We want to know what are your burning questions as training camp is supposedly one week away. Of course, we don't have an actual training camp schedule. As of right now, the Penguins have yet to release it, but if we're going off of previous seasons, they typically kick things off the Thursday before the first preseason game, which would be next Thursday. So we'll see if they release the schedule. I would expect them to release one here, hopefully in the next couple of days, 'cause I'm looking forward to potentially picking out a few dates, getting up to the rink up at UPMC Lemue Complex in Cranberry, and I know a lot of you are as well. But let's get to the bit of news before we get to all of your questions here on tip of the iceberg on YouTube. And the one piece of news is Tanner Howe. Unfortunately, he will be out for the prospect challenge, dealing with a facial injury. He is considered day to day, according to Seth Roerba of the Tribune Review. So unfortunately, he is not going to be there in Buffalo this week. And one of the players that I think, you know, when you look at this year's draft as a whole, honestly, I feel like Tanner Howe was the player that most fans were eagerly anticipating watching this weekend. Now, fortunately, it is only day to day. So fortunately, he should get an opportunity to get out there during training camp, paying with fans can get some eyes on him before he heads back to the Regina Pats of the WHL. But unfortunate news that Tanner Howe is not going to be participating this weekend. I know somebody, Brandon Rickner, was in here an hour and a half ago, laying down a comment that says, "I was so pumped to see potentially Tanner Howe and Rucker McGrarty on a line together. The Penguins will not see that this weekend. Rucker McGrarty will be there as well as a handful of other very interesting names. We'll have a full preview of this weekend's Prospect Challenge tomorrow when co-host Nick Horrott joins me for a full episode of the tip of the iceberg. But for today, we're going to answer some questions. We're going to get the vibe of the listeners here, get the vibe of the viewers here on YouTube. And we're just really going to get ready for the start of the NHL season. But before that, I'm just going to give you a couple of names to watch. I know we're going to do the full preview tomorrow. There's a couple of names that I'm watching that I don't think a lot of people have thought about as they get ready to watch this Prospect's challenge this weekend. And the three names that I'm specifically watching for are the three undrafted free agent signings the Penguins made earlier in the summer. They were all signed on the same day. They were all announced in the same announcement. That's Jack Beck, that's Atley Calvert, and that's Gabe Plassen. Three guys that the Penguins went out and they signed a lot of talent, a lot of skill from all three of these forwards. I'm excited to see them take the ice. I'm excited to see how they're deployed this weekend in the Prospect Challenge, who they get to play alongside, and how they perform with some of these guys like a Villy Koi Voonin, like a Visily Pahnomarov, like a Rutgers Magordi who should all be out there on the ice in Buffalo. And then the other name to watch, and this is a guy that came over rookie development camp was a surprise. And he stole the show that week at Lemieux Complex in Cranberry. And he's somebody that, understandably, it is just, you know, what was the word I'm looking for? Informal skates in Cranberry that we've seen the last couple of days. But according to Taylor Haas of DK Pittsburgh Sports, Sergei Murashov is still impressing, is still shutting things down and is still the name to watch as training camp opens. The young goaltender for the Penguins coming over to make his North American debut this season. He's been impressive through every phase of this weekend. Sorry, every phase of the summer, and I would expect that it is no different as we head into the weekend. But like I mentioned, we're gonna get to all of your questions. Already got a handful of them in the comments section here. We'll get to all of them before the end of this show. This is a primarily question and answer episode. So if you have more questions, toss them into the comment section below. Gunner Murphy wants to know, who impresses the most at Prospect Challenge? In my eyes, it has to be Sergei Murashov, a guy we already talked about a little bit. Because last year, you look at who impressed the most, it was Sam Poulan looked good. Braden Yeager looked good, but Joel Blungfist stole the show. Murashev is not gonna get all of the reps this weekend. He is not gonna start all three games and play the entirety of all three games. But you'd have to imagine he gets a lot of work. And I think when he's in there, the way it's been trending, he is gonna be the guy that everybody comes away looking at as man. This kid is exciting. This kid is talented, and this kid is certainly deserving of everybody's attention as he heads down to Wilkesburg to start this season and to start his career in North America. Eric P says, "Should the Penguins manage McGrory these minutes since he hasn't even played in the AHL? Will all full 82-game season with the possibility of first-line minutes be too much for a rookie?" I do think they're gonna slow roll him a little bit more that everybody expects. Obviously, he does have the potential to play alongside City Crosby. I think we know that he does have the potential to be a top six type player this season at the age of 20. It's a lot to throw on a young kid, but he has been that good in college hockey. He has been that good in world junior. So it's deserving of the praise that he's getting there. The fact that he is making the jump from college to the pros, Eric, you're right. You do have to be a little bit careful about that 'cause there are several big differences in that. And I think part of that is he's not gonna start out in the top six right away. I think he starts out in the bottom six. There are some people that are saying that it's not a foregone conclusion that he makes the roster. I feel like he has, he's on the inside looking out at that conversation in my eyes going into this. As far as will they slow play him when it comes to minutes? We saw it last year with Leo Carlson and the Anaheim Ducks. They, I believe, when he was on the ice and when he was eligible to play, when he was dressed, he was playing full games. But there were days where he'd be a healthy scratch, especially early in the season as he got his feet underneath them at that level. I don't know if the Penguins are gonna do that, but I think that is something that could be on the table for the pens. If they determine that he needs to be slow play, that he needs to be slow rolled. But honestly, you don't see it very often. You don't see load management for lack of a better term very often in the NHL, especially with young guys. We saw it with Leo Carlson. Maybe that is just kind of the way that teams are starting to look at it. But I think if they're gonna go with McGrory, this is a big kid, he's built for the NHL. He's played college hockey. He plays that physical style. He enjoys that physical style. I feel like they're gonna let him go and play his game right off the bat. I'm not sure how much they're gonna have to pull the reins back on record McGrory. Dennis says, "I'm hoping there's gonna be a stream "for the rookie tournament." Typically there is. And again, this is something that the Penguins will have to announce. Typically they have it on their website and then sometimes it's also on their YouTube channel. So keep an eye out for that Thursday as they're kind of prepping and starting to post about this prospect tournament. But certainly on Friday morning, I would imagine they're at the very least going to have a stream for fans to watch. Typically it is on the Penguins website. So keep an eye on PittsburghPenguins.com for that. Nick wants to know, there seems to be a need for another move during camp. Do you think one happens before October? I think there's certainly opportunity for there to be a move. I think when you look at the Penguins roster and organization right now, you can tell that they have one very clear position where there's a log jam and that's center ice. And that's a good thing for the Penguins 'cause historically they have always wanted to build down the middle. From the early days of Sydney Crosby's career up into year 20, which is what we're entering right now, the Penguins, they've prided themselves on having a lot of strength down the middle. And they still have it with Crosby. They still have it with Malkin, but behind them, there's a lot of questions, right? Lars Eller was good as a third line center last year. He's still here one year left on his contract. Nolichari was their fourth line center when he was healthy last season. They brought in Kevin Hayes and when asked on July 1st about Kevin Hayes, Kyle Lewis quickly said he's a center. He can play both, but they brought him in to be a center first. So that's another option there. Cody Glass can play center. Vasily Ponomara can play center. Sam Pooley can play center. And I'm fairly certain that Jonathan Gruden can play center as well. So you have all of these options. Blake Lazade as well. Can't forget about him. You have all of these options. For a team that throughout this summer has made moves in accordance with a team that is rebuilding despite the fact that they refuse to say it out loud, you have to think that if another team is calling about Lars Eller and they're offering something that would be of very good value to the Penguins going forward for Lars Eller, I would have to imagine he could potentially be on his way out. But again, the need has to be there. And at this point, teams are bringing in PTOs. We saw a rash of PTO signings earlier in the day. It's going to be not right out of camp, but it's going to be as time goes on when people see what options they have in-house. And if they need that help out of the organization. And I think the Penguins are a team that other organizations are going to look to if they need center help. I mean, Nolichari can play center in the depth area, but he has two years left on that contract. That's a tough one to move. Lars Eller's contract is not tough to move. One year left, he can play as a third line center still despite being probably better off as a fourth line center. And I think that's where the Penguins would be in a good position with him entering the year if they have Hayes at three and Eller at four. I think they'd be pretty set down the middle. But when you have that many options in the bottom six, there's always the opportunity for a move to be made. So I would say there's a chance it happens. I wouldn't bet my bottom dollar on it. I would not say that it is going to happen, but I think there is a good chance the Penguins at least explore some trades in that area specifically before the beginning of the regular season. Jay wants to know, does Rutger McGrory score over or under 35 points? I'm going to go over if he's going to play the entire year at the NHL, which again, is not a given. He still has to go out there and earn that opportunity. We know what has happened in the past with young players and the Penguins organizations. They've been forced to earn it a little bit more. Looking for Valteri Pustinan, he came up, had a really good game, performed well in the minors and then didn't get another opportunity for a year and a half until last season, then he played 52. I don't think that's going to happen with McGrory. I think he's going to be afforded more opportunities this season because of where the Penguins are at. As an organization going into this season, they want to get younger. They want to start to, as Kyle Dubas likes to say, close the gap between this window of contention and the next window of contention. There's obviously going to be one, but you're trying to close that and part of that, a big part of it is going to be Rutger McGrory. So if he gets the opportunity to play 82 especially, I'd say he goes over 35 because I think that, by the midway point of the season, you will see Rutger McGrory get opportunities alongside Sidney Crosby. And if you're playing next to Crosby, 35 might be the floor because there is nothing in Crosby's game that leads me to believe that he's going to take a step back anytime soon. Jay also wants to know, does Owen Pickering get a couple of games at the NHL level by the end of this season? That one is very tough for Owen Pickering. It's not tough for me to answer. I think that it's unlikely. Pickering is a guy that, when you look at first round picks, in the NHL draft, they all take different routes. Connor Baddard was a superstar day one last year. When he stepped foot on the ice at PPG Payne Serena for his first NHL game, he was a star. And you could tell he was a star. Sam Poulan has played six NHL games he was drafted five years ago. And he was a first round pick as well. There are levels to being a first round pick, especially when you get into the fact that Owen Pickering is a defenseman. And as we learned with P.O. Joseph, the defenseman sometimes take a little bit longer to develop. And I think a guy in Owen Pickering's stature, huge kid, needs to fill out more. I think that it's gonna take a little bit more time for him to develop, especially making that jump from juniors to professional hockey this year, not to mention the fact that the left side of the Penguins defense at the NHL level is stacked. Now, am I ruling it out? No, because sometimes injuries happen. Maybe Pickering comes in and he has a stellar start to the season, a couple injuries happen. And they say, hey, let's give this kid a handful of games at the NHL level. There's a chance that happens. But I think it's more likely than not that you don't see Owen Pickering this year at the National Hockey League level. You certainly don't see him implemented as an everyday solution this season, just because it's gonna take a little bit longer for him to develop. Hemihead says, is another injury riddled season starting? Again, we don't know, according to Roaraba, as well as Taylor Haas of DK Pittsburgh Sports who both reported on Tanner Howe's injury. We don't know how he got the facial injury. It is day to day. I'm hoping it's not another injury riddled season, but we all know. I mean, knock on wood that it's not, but we all know the Penguins. It happens. It always happens. Every single year it happens. And typically it happens in groups. Hopefully this is the only one you have to deal with pre-training camp. Obviously, there's a couple of players coming off of off-season surgeries, including Chris Latang, including Matt Nieto who skated for the first time on Mondays since having his surgery. And including, there's one more that I cannot remember, John Ludwig, who's out there on the ice. Again, all according to Taylor Hoshy's, the only one seemingly in the building. So she's getting all the praise there. But other than those three guys coming off of surgery, and now Tanner Howe dealing with an eye injury, sorry, not an eye injury, you're hoping that it's not. But again, it's the Penguins. So, always up in the air. (upbeat music) Let's go to Austin, who wants to know, do you think it's more likely to trade Nolichari or Lars Ehler at this point, or lose somebody else to waivers by the start of the season? This is where, whenever I'm trying to project who's gonna be in the lineup on October 9th against the New York Rangers, this is where it gets a little bit difficult. 'Cause what I wanna see, doesn't really jive with the business of hockey and what the Penguins might have to do as far as decision-making when it comes to their opening night roster. I would like to see Jackson Ivey in the driver's seat for third pairing right side. But, he's waivers exempt. And early in the season, when you're not trying to lose these guys to waivers and where you're trying to figure out how do these pieces fit together, it's probably easier to send down a guy like Jackson Ivey. And the same thing goes for Rucker McGrody. Waivers exempt. You have a lot of these pieces. I have to do both Villeé, Cody, Glass, that you'd have to send through waivers. Sam Poulan is now, is no longer waivers exempt. So, Sam Poulan has to go through waivers as well. If these guys are in opportunities, you just deploy RV and you want to see what they bring you this year. You want to see more of an opportunity because you do have training camp, which is nice. You do have preseason games, which is nice as well. But it doesn't really, you know, considering the amount of names that are there, I'm sure there's going to be over 50 players that are at Penguins training camp. You only have so many preseason games. You only have so many shifts that you can dole out to certain players and also certain players together to see how they work together. To see if they have chemistry. So, it might be similar situation to last year where Radim Zohorna made the roster out of camp. That was shocking. It didn't last long, but that was shocking. Ryan Shea made the roster out of camp. That was shocking because they kept, I believe, eight defensemen and only 12 forwards. Last year, if I'm not mistaken, eight defensemen, 13 forwards. Last year, it was shocking. A lot of that was because some players, about Terry Pustin last year, are waivers exempt, they get sent down. So, the two names to keep an eye on for that this year. McGrory, hoping I'm wrong on that one. St. Ivani, I don't think I am. I don't think I am, especially with the fact that they signed Sebastian Ajo to multi-year deal. So, I don't know if they're going to be too eager to lose somebody to waivers. But to answer your actual question, I went off on a very large tangent that had nothing to do with your question. My apologies, Austin. Was, do you think it's more likely to trade Acharya or Ella at this point of the season? It's more likely to trade Lars Ella. You know, for the reasons I mentioned before, Ella is on a one-year deal. Ella is a player that can play up in the lineup a little bit if need be. I don't know if Acharya really has that left in his tool case anymore. And the cap hit, I believe, is not too far off. No, Acharya is at $2 million. Let me bring up the Penguins Puckpedia to see what exactly is Lars Ella. I believe it's a little over two as well. Lars Ella, 2.45. So again, easier to move than Acharya. So more likely to move, but you have to have a team on the other end that has that need. Right now, teams are probably looking at their roster and saying this is what we like. We're going to test things out when camp starts. And then we'll see what we need going forward. If teams start to need centers, Lars Ella is going to be a name that is going to be on everybody's mind early on. If you have more questions, by the way, thank you so much for tuning in to Tip of the Iceberg Live. This is a Q&A pre-season edition of Tip of the Iceberg Live. So if you have more questions, throw them in the comments section here. I'll answer as many as you throw in over the next 15, 20 minutes if we have enough questions to go that long. If not, we'll break it down. We have an episode tomorrow and we'll be back next Wednesday with a similar edition, although have some actual games to talk about. Have a three-star segment because there will have been three prospect games that we can sit down and look at and talk about who's going to be the best and who was the best over the weekend. So we'll do all that next week. For now, we're just going to answer some questions, anything that you want to ask, I'll try to answer. Let's go to Jay, who has another question here, says, "Hey, Kevin Hayes, played most of his career averaging seven minutes in a top six role." Very different than Lars Ella. Does this signal a change in what management thinks the role of the Penguins' third line should be? I think there is a change, certainly. I don't think it really has much to do with Kevin Hayes previously playing in a top six role in his career versus Ella, who has primarily been a bottom six or six guy. But I do think the mold of those players does exactly what you're asking Jay. It tells us that the Penguins want more offense out of that third line. They need more offense out of that third line. Last year, the goal was rely on your top six, rely on your power play to get the bulk majority of your offense, and then rely on the defense and the bottom six to keep you in games and to really play defense. It didn't work, it didn't work. The power play was not good enough for that to work. The top six had four words that were not good enough for that to work. Riley Smith went on extended droughts. Brian Rust had a couple of injuries. Ricardo Kell had injuries and went on extended droughts. It just didn't work because of that. And because of that, they shifted. They wanted a little bit more offensive leaning bottom six guys. Not to say that Kevin Hayes isn't good defensively. Kevin Hayes will likely be a penalty killer for the Penguins this season, but he brings a much higher offensive upside. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago on tip of the iceberg. Two years ago, Kevin Hayes scored 50 plus points for the Philadelphia Flyers. Last year, the leading bottom six scorer was Lars Eller with 31. They want more points out of that third line, especially with players like Valtteri Pustanin. Players like Anthony Beauvilla, who have a little bit more of that offensive upside that you're trying to unlock. Even if Drew O'Connor drops to that third line, he showed last year that he has more offensive upside than maybe was expected. So you're trying to unlock that with a guy like Kevin Hayes, whereas Lars Eller wasn't inept offensively, but he was out there primarily for defense. So bringing him in and essentially saying on July 1st, whether or not they go through with it, that's up to Mike Sullivan over the next handful of weeks, essentially saying that Kevin Hayes is the third line center right now. Lars Eller is the fourth line center right now. We'll see what changes in camp. That's telling me that they need more offense. They value offense in the bottom six, and they know that they cannot go through another season relying on the power play, which again, massive question mark for the Penguins, and relying on a top six that is led by a 38 in a 37 year old center, no matter how great they are. So I do think it signals a little bit of a change in what they want as far as third line is considered. Brandon Rickner asks, what are the odds that Tristan Brows leapfrogs everyone to make a mid-season appearance after tearing it up in the AHL? I'm daydreaming here. Everybody's in love with Tristan Brows after the great year that he had last year for the University of Denver, national champion, scores over time winning goals in the Frozen Four. Everybody is ecstatic that he then signed his ELC, is joining the Penguins, is making the jump to professional hockey. It is a crowded, crowded, forward room. The odds that it happens, I would say, are long. It's similar to Owen Pickering. When a player is making that jump from college or juniors to pro, it's a lot to ask of them to make that jump, acclimate themselves with the professional game at the American Hockey League level, and then make another jump up to the National Hockey League level. I think it's a long shot that you see Tristan Brows. I think it's more of a long shot that you see Brows than it is if you see Pickering. 'Cause it just feels like Brows is a guy that they're gonna go out, or put out there, and they're gonna let him really just try to mature in the professional game this season down in the AHL with Kirk MacDonald and that new coaching staff. So I'd like to see it. I'm very intrigued to watch what he does in Wilkes Bear this year, but I think the odds that he's able to make that jump, play a couple of games. I think the odds are long. Unless again, injuries occur every single season. Last year, sample and only play three games. You probably would have had double digit games played in the NHL if he wasn't injured at certain points in time. So it's not just injuries at the NHL level. There could be injuries at the AHL level that allows Brows to leapfrog. That's about the only way that I see him making one of those appearances in the middle of the season Brandon. Anthony wants to know, who do you think will be the starting goaltender on opening night? I think as I sit here today, it is going to be Tristan Jari. Not that I particularly trust Tristan Jari to be the starting goaltender, but I think as camp starts, it is one versus two and three versus four. And I don't think it's really three versus four 'cause when you look at the AHL, the Penguins have done a pretty good job of making sure everybody gets playing time down there between the pipes. So when it comes to Blancfist and Murashov, I think they're going to have a net share when the season begins down in the AHL. Blancfist is clearly and obviously, the Penguins number three goaltender going into this season, which allows us to know that there's a chance that he gets an opportunity to start a few games at the National Hockey level, but as far as the NHL is considered, I have a hard time believing they're not going to give the first look to the guy that they are paying for the next four years. The guy that they last off season essentially put the foot down and said, he's our guy for the next five years. Now it didn't work out in year one. They did reportedly try to shop him or at the very least listen to offers for Tristan Jari in the off season, but I do think as of right now, Tristan Jari ends up being the starter on opening night. Do I think he is clear starter, clear backup situation? No, I think as of right now, it is a one A, one B. And if it was me, it would be whoever performs the best, but it's not up to me. It's up to Mike Sullivan, Kyle Dubas, Andy Kyoto. And I think they would lean towards Tristan Jari early in the season. Let's go to Josh, who says, do you think Raquel might get traded and what do you think the return could be? As of right now, the return could be anything and the Penguins might actually think about it. Now you do need top six forwards. The Penguins aren't flush with that right now. And I know we're all expecting good things from Rucker Maguerti this year, but as was pointed out earlier in the show, he's 20 years old. So you might have to pump the brakes on expectations a little bit. When you look at the Penguins top six right now, you have your two centers, clearly and obviously, but you have Brian Rust as your best winger. You have Michael Bunting, who's up there. You have Ricard Raquel and you can make the argument for Maguerti, but he's young. And I'll throw Drew O'Connor up there as well. If you trade one of those away, you're an injury away from having somebody that probably shouldn't be in the top six up in the top six. Now I understand the Penguins are to me and to a lot of people they rebuilding team this year. The expectations I said it yesterday are as low as they have ever been in the Sydney Crosby era. But that doesn't mean the Penguins are willing to just wave the white flag. They wanna be a team that, even though that's not the goal, they wanna be a team that can contend for a playoff spot this year. So I don't know how willing they're gonna be to trade Ricard Raquel unless the right deal comes along. And unless some of those younger players, while Terry Pustin and Rucker Maguerti start to perform well enough to where they expect them to take on those larger roles and be able to keep their heads above water. I think that there's a chance that those players do. I have high expectations for Pustin and I have been bullish on him for years if you've been watching this show. And I really have high expectations for Rucker Maguerti, but the Penguins, they need to see it before they're comfortable trading away a bona fide top six winger in Ricard Raquel, who is coming off of a bad season. So right now, I don't think there's any market for Ricard Raquel, but if he plays really well, the Penguins are gonna have to make that decision. Do they wanna keep him and risk, you know, this up and down that we've seen from Ricard Raquel, the last couple of seasons for the next three years, 'cause that's what he's signed to. Or do they wanna cut bait, open up a little bit of flexibility in the salary cap and especially going forward into the future and get rid of Ricard Raquel's contract. That's gonna be a decision that has to come later, but he has to perform in order for that to be the case. As of right now, I don't think there's a trade market for him. If he performs well, the trade market is not gonna heat up too much 'cause that is still a pretty hefty contract that has a lot of term left on it. So the return, especially considering what the Penguins want, might be a B or C prospect and a mid to low tier draft pick. Unless, again, he's going out and becomes a 30 goal scorer and you're at the trade deadline and a team is desperate 'cause they really wanna win a Stanley Cup. Let's go over to Alex, who says, "Will Tanner Howe still likely be at training camp "even if he's injured? "If he's injured, he's going to be there physically. "Whether or not he's playing is dependent upon his injury." Again, according to Seth Roerba, he's day to day, which leads me to believe that at some point, he will be on the ice for Penguins Training Camp. At some point, he should be able to play at Penguins Training Camp 'cause it is a couple of weeks long. But even if he's not playing, we saw it from Owen Pickering in the last two training camps, he'll be there. He'll be around the team. He'll be around the players. He'll be around the facility. So even if he's not playing, he's going to be there. And I'm sure the Penguins are gonna wanna be keeping a close eye on his injury to make sure that it's progressing well before they ship him back to Regina. Let's go over to Scott's question, who says, "Hey Nick, will Crosby sign for one to three years or more? "I think he'll sign for three." Again, this is something that I thought was set in stone. I thought that everybody was in agreement, of course. Not knowing what the actual conversation is, but I thought early in the summer, everybody was in agreement that feels obvious that it's gonna be a three-year deal. I don't think it's gonna be a one. It might be a two, but I think more than likely it would be three. It comes out last week from Elite Freedom and that the Penguins have put a long list of options in front of Sydney Crosby. You can sign for two, three, four. I believe he even mentioned five years. I think five is a bit extensive. But I feel like three years is what I'm expecting, personally. Again, we won't know until he signs it. The good news is, it seems like he's going to sign it and he's going to sign it before October 9th. So we just have to sit back and wait. But I think it is certainly clear that he's going to sign a contract and clear that I think it's gonna be multiple years. I don't think he signs for one. Again, I think I agree with you, Scott. I think three is probably the most likely. (upbeat music) - T. Robinson says, in all likelihood, we're gonna move a forward, probably a center. Is Lars the candidate? And does Dubas need to add a sweetener such as a third round pick to make it happen? I don't think he needs to add a sweetener for Lars Ehler, if he needs to add a sweetener, there's no point in trading Lars Ehler, personally. Because why are you gonna give away a piece that you've been working all summer to bring in, right? You've been working all summer to bring in draft picks. That has been the one thing that has been a very consistent thread throughout this offseason is Kyle Dubas bringing in draft picks. He's not gonna attach a draft pick to Lars Ehler to get rid of him. He did the exact opposite to bring in Kevin Hazy to the exact opposite to bring in Cody Glass. The Penguins aren't in a position to attach a third rounder to get rid of Lars Ehler. Not to mention, if you don't have to trade Lars Ehler, don't trade Lars Ehler. He was a good player last year. He was a great third line center last year for the Penguins. Solid defensively, decent offensively. Best they've gotten out of that position in years. If he bumps down to fourth line center, he's probably gonna be the best they've had at that position in years. So if nobody's offering anything good for Lars Ehler, there is no need to trade him. I understand you want to see Cody Glass. I understand. You want to see guys like Pahnomara and Koi Vounen, but you have to be patient because the Penguins, if they can get a little bit more for Lars Ehler by simply sitting on him and waiting until the middle of the season, that's what's best for the future of the franchise. And Kyle Dubas knows that. The rest of the NHL knows that. So I think that it is certainly not happening when it comes to attaching a third rounder to get rid of him. I think if anything, they're gonna hold on to him longer to make sure his value goes up a little bit more. Let's go down to a couple more questions. Vermina Hill says, listening to a lot of pundits takes on Pittsburgh entering the season. They say they're likely a bottom of the division, or at the bottom of the division, excuse me. After their hot end to last season and vastly improved bottom six, why? I think a lot of people, some of that is their moves in the off season because when you look at the penguins, they did not bring in outside of Rucker McGordy, who again, 20 years old, a lot is unknown. But outside of that move, they were all rebuilding moves, right? They didn't bring anybody exciting in. It was Matt Grizzlyk on a show me deal. It was getting Kevin Hayes 'cause the blues needed to get rid of him. It was getting Cody Glass 'cause the predators needed to get rid of him. It was bringing in Sebastian Ajo because he fell out of favor in New York and needed a fresh start. It was bringing in Blake LaZod. I don't think I put him with everybody else, but I think bringing in Blake LaZod, taking a chance on him as a bottom six guy. I agree with you. They had a hot end to last season. I think they improved the bottom six more so than they have in the past. But I think people look at that and say, this isn't a team that is really going after the top of the division. So because of that, people dropped them to the bottom of the division. I think people look at, obviously, the Rangers, the Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Devils and say, well, they are far and away, you know, the three biggest teams, best teams in that division. Okay, so that already puts the Penguins in fourth. They'll look at the Washington Capitals who went out and make splash moves, who went out and got PL Dubois, who went out and got Jacob Chickron and say, all right, this is a team that wants to be taken seriously to get back into the playoffs and to prove that they were better than the sweep that they got last year. And then they'll look at the Islanders as a team that finished third in the division. And because of that, automatically, you see that the Penguins are in the bottom third, simply because a lot of national pundits, they look at the moves in, moves out, and they say, all right, based on where they were last year, based on their moves, this is where we're gonna put them on paper. I think the Penguins have a chance to surprise a lot of people. Like I said, the expectations are very low. It would be much easier this year to surpass expectations than in years past, 'cause for a while, the expectation was, make the playoffs get, go on a run. Now it's, can they make the playoffs? Lower expectations, national pundits are automatically going to throw them at the bottom of the division, even if you look at what they did late last season, even if you look at them on paper and say, well, really, their bottom six has improved. So I think that's why is because a lot of people look at their moves in the off season and see them as a rebuilding team. So they're going to rank them as such, going into the season before we see how everything shakes out with the lineup. A Mitch says, also not to bring the vibes down, but you think Kevin Hayes is going to have an off season because of Johnny Goudreau. I think if anything, it'll be the opposite. Kevin Hayes has proven to be one of the best locker room guys in the NHL, and that doesn't change depending upon what happens. He is always a locker room guy. He's already out there with him getting maulkin, joking around, smiling. Obviously, what happened to Johnny Goudreau and previously with Jimmy Hayes is horrible and something that nobody should have to go through losing their brother and their best friend within a couple of years stretch. But I don't think it changes what happens with Kevin Hayes. He is a veteran in this league. He is a well-respected player in this league, and I think that he is a player that is going to play with his heart on his sleeve this year. And I think it's going to endear him to the Penguins fan base, and I honestly think it's going to elevate his game and not do the opposite. So obviously, thoughts go out to Kevin Hayes, thoughts go out to the entire Goudreau family, all of his friends, because of that situation is awful, and something that nobody wants to see, nobody wants to have happen. But I do think that I would be surprised, I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin Hayes takes that and turns it into one heck of a year for the Penguins. Again, it is the last thing on anybody's mind when it comes to that situation, but since you asked, I don't think it's going to cause an off season. If anything, I think it's going to cause them to hit for the Penguins in 2024. Let's go over to Chicken, Allah King, who says, would anybody claim Pulan were he to hit waivers? I don't know, I don't know what the vibe is around Sam Pulan, around the national. Right now, I think he's a player that obviously does have that first round tag to him. So automatically, his name's going to throw up a couple of flags and organizations more so than others. This is a guy that has had a very rocky development to him, but it's still a guy that you could see becoming a pretty decent bottom six player if all things go the right way. So whether or not he gets claimed, I don't really have a beat on that because it's kind of hard when you look at a player that should have been given more opportunities, should have more opportunities, but he's just timing. Injuries last year that timed up with injuries in the national hockey league level, he does come up, plays three games, then he gets sick and by the time he comes back, the pens are on a roll, there's no real spot for him, and he gets sent back down. If he comes out and starts the season, has a great camp like he did last year before he got injured, maybe he elevates his stock, maybe people around the league take notice if he has a really good preseason, and maybe he becomes a guy that could be snagged on waivers. But as of right now, I think the odds are more so that he would clear. Let's go to Mickey, who says, "How do you think Malkin's season will go points-wise?" Last year, let me double check this to make sure I'm right, I believe he had 70 plus points. And obviously everybody was a little upset about the way he got to that marker, 67 points, excuse me, but he had 27 goals, 40 assists, and 82 games played the second consecutive season that he played 82 games. Whenever I look at Malkin this year, I'm again looking at him playing with Michael Bunting for a full season, looking at him and Raquel playing with Michael Bunting for a full season and what Bunting did for that line down the stretch. Do I expect them to produce at the clip they did in the final two months of the season? No, I think if they did that for a full 82, a lot of people would be surprised. But I do expect that and the fact that I think the Penguins power play will be better, it just has to be, it can't be any worse. I guess it could be, but very hard to be, very worse, considering the talent they have on that, but again, that's still a mystery. But I would say he does better this year than he did last. I would say he finishes somewhere between 70 to 75 points. I would say he's a little bit more consistent even though the fact that we're going to see times like we did last year where it looks like his legs aren't there. His legs are starting to go, the explosiveness is starting to go, but as we saw last year, he still has it in him, especially down the stretch we saw that he has it in him. So I would say points wise, I'm going over 70. I don't know if I'm going over 30 goals. I think he probably does get close to that, he probably gets close to that 25 to 30 goal mark, certainly over 20, but I don't know if I'm confident saying he's going to score 30 goals again or this season. Let's look down at some other questions here, Pittsburgh fan 412 says just got here. Sorry if it's been asked already. Is the prospects challenge going to be streamed? If so, do you know where? In the history, historically they have streamed this and typically it's on the Penguin's website. So if it's going to be streamed, it's going to be on the Penguin's website, maybe on the Penguin's YouTube, give or take there. Typically it's hit or miss, but certainly if it's going to be streamed, it'll be on the Penguin's website. So around 11.30, they'll probably tweet out if it is or not around 11.30, check their website, check their socials, I'm sure it'll say whether or not it is and if it is, but I would expect if it does, it's on the Penn's website. Mitch says what's your ranking for the four nations tournament? Well, we haven't seen the full teams yet, so that makes it hard to rank them. I would say just off the top of my head based on the initial, I believe they announced four for each nation already. I would say Canada, oh, that's tough. I would say it's tough. It's between Canada and the United States for one. I think the US is going to be really good this year, not that the team Canada isn't, like team Canada is going to be stacked. They're going to have names, but I think when I look at defense and goaltending, I like the United States and that's always been the story. So I'll go, I'll go USA one, Canada two, Sweden three, Finland four. That's where I'm at as of right now. Anthony wants to know, "Am I excited to see a full season of Michael Bunting?" Heck yes. Heck yes, I'm excited to see how he rubs off on other players, specifically guys like Drew O'Connor. How does Drew O'Connor's game evolve? Seeing really the ideal situation for him, right? Michael Bunting is a at his best, let's say at his best, is a 20 to 30 goal score. Anywhere in between there 30 would be the absolute ceiling. Maybe he goes a little above it if he has a ridiculous season, but 20 to 30 goal score, chippy player, can be put out there on the power play in front of the net, antagonistic, physical, good on the forecheck. It's everything Drew O'Connor wants to be in the NHL. How does that affect his play going into this year? Last year was the breakout year for O'Connor. What does he do this year? And does he add more of that net front presence? Does he add more of that pest like presence in front of the net? That's going to be huge. And I think part of that is obviously due to Michael Bunting. And I'm just excited to see Bunting for a full season because the one thing that a lot of people have said has been missing from the Penguins lineup for a long time is that pest, is that energy? Michael Bunting has that in spades. So too does Blake Lazott. So too, I think, is Rucker McGurdy. I think there's going to be a lot of guys in the lineup this year, the Penguins fans are really going to enjoy. Let's see if there are any other questions. Nas26 says, "Hello, Buck is the number one. Can't win big games. Swam and never won anything. Canada forwards is going to light up the United States." See, you say that. But that was also the rhetoric around Ryan Miller. And yet look at how close those games were in, was it 2010? When Crosby scored the Golden Goal? Look at how close those games were then. And that was the team USA's strength, was defense and goal tending. And they went toe to toe with Team Canada in both of those matchups. You can say he hasn't won anything with Winnipeg, but can't even win something with Team USA. I feel like that could be a different story. Let's close it out with this one. Zach Attack says, "Hi, are you happy about all of the new players?" I am, listen, there's not too much to get overly excited about. I'm interested to see how Kevin Hayes performs this year because it didn't work in St. Louis. But at his best, he is an upgrade over what the Penguins have had scoring-wise from a third-line center. Blake Lazott, I'm interested to see how he performs. Anthony Beauvilla and Matt Grizzlyk are the two that I am a little bit concerned about, especially, you know, where do they want to deploy? A guy like Matt Grizzlyk, is he supposedly, or is he supposed to play? Next to Chris Latang, not that he hasn't played with top-tier defensemen. And he spent the majority of the early portion of his career playing with Charlie McAvoy in Boston. So he's played with top-tier defensemen before, but he's also had two down seasons. So are you expecting him to be a top-four defensemen for this team right away? Do you put him down on the bottom pairing and therefore move Ryan Graves up, in which case are you expecting Ryan Graves to bounce back right away and be much better than he was last year? There's a lot of questions with Matt Grizzlyk and it affects the left side of the defense, which affects the entirety of the defense. So that one I'm cautiously optimistic about, which I think is more so than a lot of people. Bovillier, if he works, it's great. If he doesn't work, you can move him and you have other options. That's the thing about this year. There are so many options for the Penguins when it comes to forwards, especially. Defense, you don't have as many places to go, right? You do have Shea Ludwig back again who were in and out all of last season. You do bring in Sebastian Ajo. You do have Jack St. Ivan who now you know is an option. But forward-wise, there is a variety of options, both veteran and young that they can turn to. So as far as am I happy about all of the new players? Maybe not ecstatic, but I'm also not overly upset because they're not tied to really any of them. Right, it's very low risk what Kyle Dubas did this offseason. After last offseason, making the big signing for Ryan Graves, making the big signing for Tristan Jari. This offseason, he really didn't tie himself down to anybody he passed two seasons. Outside of, I think, the only player that got a three-year deal was Rucker McGrody. So, again, can't be upset about it because it's very low risk as far as, you know, things go. Also, I'll add, last year, three-year contract for Nolichari is tough as well. Two-year contract for Matt Nieto looks a little tough as well. So, Dubas this offseason said, I'm not making the same mistakes. We're not gonna do that. We're gonna sign a lot of, you know, low risk signings and a lot of proof-it deals. That's what he did. I'm not, and I'm upset about any of it. I'm excited to see how it all plays out. I think Mike Sullivan, Dan Quinn, or David Quinn, and Mike Vellucci have a lot on their hands in the next couple of weeks as they have training camp and a lot of players and a lot of things to figure out before that October 9th opening of the NHL season. But that is gonna do it for this episode of Tip of the Iceberg Live. Thank you to everybody for tuning into this one. Remember, you can find us on YouTube at Tip of the Iceberg or anywhere. You get your podcast from, we'll be back tomorrow with a full episode of the Tip of the Iceberg and then Friday, Saturday and Monday. The Prospects Challenge, keep an eye on Penguin social media to see where it's gonna be streamed, if it's gonna be streamed. A lot of really interesting players will preview all of that tomorrow on the Tip of the Iceberg. But for now, thank you guys for tuning in. We'll see you guys next time. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
