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Jason Mackey's Penguins chat: 11.9.17
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OHIO412FAN
1:25
Injury report?
Jason Mackey
1:25
I'm feeling OK. Back was a little sore yesterday but no serious issues. Might've slept weird, too. Neck's a little funky.
OHIO412FAN
1:26
Current lineup as of now for Washington tomorrow? What are the biggest areas of need to improve on for this team?
Jason Mackey
1:27
Need to get on the Twitter. Sheary-Crosby-Hornqvist // Guentzel-Malkin-Kessel // Hagelin-Sheahan-Rust // Kuhnhackl-McKegg-Reaves ... Maatta-Letang // Dumoulin-Ruhwedel // Cole-Schultz. ... Depth scoring, for one. Better starts. Second night of back-to-backs. Oh, scoring more five-on-five might be a kinda big one.
OHIO412FAN
1:27
What’s the status quo on the Civic Arena Site? I heard they are building an outdoor concert facility, etc.
Jason Mackey
1:28
I'm not totally sure. That's Mark Belko's domain. I would encourage you to check out his coverage on our website or in print. He's the best.
OHIO412FAN
1:28
Riley Sheahan, could the Penguins do more to get him more acclimated to getting the chances and minutes to succeed? Do you think they that trade was a hit or miss?
Jason Mackey
1:29
I think it's neither at this point. Need a larger sample size. Could be something there. I'm worried there's not. He tends to disappear and isn't terribly assertive when he has the puck. That could change, though. They've played with him good people, in advantageous situations. Not sure there's more they could do from that standpoint.
Steven
1:29
When does Archibald get back into a game? He looked good in the one he did get into, and now has been relegated to perma-scratch so Reaves can average 7:17 a game. Is there a plan to get him more time or just waiting for injuries to hit?
Jason Mackey
1:29
I think probably waiting for injuries to hit ... or getting him a game sporadically just to keep him involved. There's nobody on the cusp of losing their spot.
Titan for life
1:29
Better head coach, Sean Kelly or Carmen Nocera's bag of clean balls?
Jason Mackey
1:31
Oh, boy. That's a tough one. See, Sean Kelly always made sure our shoes were clean, we dragged a razor across our face and we could do a backwards duck walk. Carm was the greatest baseball player Geneva had ever seen, coached third base while talking on a cell phone and actually knew what the hell he was doing. So, I'd go Carm.
Dave
1:31
While I give JR credit for trying to find hidden treasure in the clearance aisle, between the Niemi and now the Sheahan experiment, when does he finally give up something of value to get a legitimate 3rd line center?
Jason Mackey
1:33
I would say when he needs to. Niemi didn't work. And give Jim credit, they cut bait fast. Got lucky with Florida picking Niemi up. ... If they don't get anything from the 3C spot before the deadline, I think Jim will get someone. Will it be Duchene-esque? I don't think that. But they know full well one of the biggest reasons why they've won the past two years is getting scoring up and down the lineup. Right now -- whether you agree or not -- they feel like they can be getting more and they're trying to make that happen.
MarP
1:33
Do you see the Pens going out and maybe trading for a top 6 forward at some point in the season/signing a big UFA (Neal coming back). At the same time, do you see them trying to move Hagelin?
Jason Mackey
1:35
Why would Vegas trade James Neal? No, I don't think they need to address the top-six. They might need to address the 3C center spot again, but their top six is perfectly fine. ... Not picking on you MarP, but I get the Hagelin question a lot and don't understand it. The guy has seven goals in his past 77 games and makes $4 million a year. What NHL team would willingly give something up to take that on? It's not like they'd be shopping Guentzel or Murray here.
Titan for life
1:35
Would Sean Kelly have been able to turn around the Pens the same way Sullivan did?
Jason Mackey
1:36
Easily. Only problem would be whenever he appointed Ian to take care of the ice at PPG Paints Arena.
Chuck in D.C. (HATE CAPS)
1:36
Just my 2 cents.  I still believe it is way too early to panic. It's a marathon...not a sprint.  Health and adjusting to missed former teammates is most important.
Jason Mackey
1:36
Chuck, if you're going to be rational, we have no place for you here.
John
1:36
What is your opinion of Kuhnhackl?  I hate having players in the lineup for the PK who can't score, it reminds me of having Glass and Adams in the lineup.
Jason Mackey
1:37
I know where you're going with that John, but I would argue that Kuhnhackl gives you more than Glass/Adams. Kuhnhackl's scoring was fine with Matt Cullen and a good version of Eric Fehr. No, he's not Phil Kessel, but if they played him with better people -- he's on a line with Greg McKegg and Ryan Reaves for crying out loud -- I think you would see him score more.
Kevin
1:38
Hi Jason! Alot is being made of the lack of bottom 6 scoring. With guys like sprong, ZAR, Di Pauli, & Johnson down the AHL, could the fix be as simple as bringing them up in Dec allowing guys like haglin to slide down to better roles. That's kinda what happened with the 1st wave in 2015. We still made need a trade or 2, but maybe minor ones like the Schultz/Haglin trades at the time. Your thoughts on this group of youngsters?...Thanks for the chat
Jason Mackey
1:40
I think Sprong is a card they could and should play at some point, but he doesn't address the 3C need. Neither do Di Pauli or ZAR. I worry whether Johnson is big enough for the NHL; he probably needs more time. It is intriguing to me -- and I don't know if I totally agree with this yet -- whether they would move Guentzel to center and try something like this: Sheary-Crosby-Sprong ... Rust-Malkin-Kessel ... Hagelin-Guentzel-Hornqvist ... Kuhnhackl-Sheahan-Reaves. Probably not, but I'm just trying to think of ways to create a third line that can actually score without making a trade.
RandomHockeyGuy
1:41
Would the Penguins have any interest bringing Bonino back, if NSH put him on the block or he requested a trade?  Seems he left for a shot at being a 2nd line center, which may be off the table with the Turris acquisition.  NSH says they may want to move Bonino to wing, but that has never been his cup of tea.
Jason Mackey
1:42
Definitely different circumstances for Bonino with the Turris thing. And I do think there's mutual attraction. However, the money is hard. What, $4 million per year over the next four? That's a lot with Rust, Guentzel and, in two years, Murray, needing paid.
dave
1:42
Why do you think they moved Guentzel off of Sid's line?
Jason Mackey
1:43
I think Sully likes Sheary, Sid and Hornqvist. I just don't know if Sid likes Sheary, Sid and Hornqvist. Guentzel is going to be in your top six, and this team is best with Malkin and Kessel together, IMO. At least right now. I also think maybe to try and give Guentzel some different looks and to get him going offensively. There's also the idea that they haven't scoring much and Sullivan has been trying anything and everything to get a spark.
Steven
1:43
If Hunwick comes back and is steady, does Cole become trade bait for a 3C? His contract is up at the end of the year, and while he provides a lot for the PK, he's normally at the bottom of ES TOI for the D.
Jason Mackey
1:45
No way. I think you're robbing Peter to pay Paul at that point; what happens to your depth on defense? You're decreasing it. Cole is probably their best PK defenseman. Yes, he's going to walk after the season. Some team will overpay. But I wouldn
't trade him.
Constantino
1:45
Is it a given that Sprong slots into Crosby's RW when he is called up? Either way, what does the (if healthy) top-12 look like upon his arrival?
Jason Mackey
1:47
No, I wouldn't say it's a given. He might actually fit better with Malkin. If you had to compare Sprong with one NHL Penguin, I'd probably go Kessel. Kessel and Crosby, because of their divergent styles, have never had a ton of chemistry. So, maybe it's not a natural fit. But if Geno has Phil on his right side, the only top-six opening is with Sid. If you kept Guentzel on the wing, you could go Sheary-Crosby-Sprong // Guentzel-Malkin-Kessel // Hagelin-Sheahan-Hornqvist // Rust-Rowney/McKegg-Reaves/Kuhnhackl.
Guest
1:47
I know in a previous chat you gave some great tidbits about the human-side of all the pens players (Sid and Olli hanging out together, etc.). Any more of those things you can share?
Jason Mackey
1:48
I can, but I don't know what specifically you're looking for. Feel free to ask again and I'll say what I can.
MG
1:48
If the Wild continue to not play well through Jan/Feb, do you think there's a chance for the return of Cullen as a rental for another Cup run?
Jason Mackey
1:48
I do, yes. But I really don't see Minnesota falling out of the race. If they do, though, I think it makes a ton of sense for all involved for that to happen, and I would fully expect GMJR to place a call if Minny is way out of it.
Rek
1:52
When looking at all the upcoming UFA/RFA for the Penguins, who do you think comes first in order of priority for GMJR?
Jason Mackey
1:53
I think they will try to sign Hornqvist (UFA). I think it's going to be tough, though, because he has a great resume to shop to other teams and might've priced himself out of Pittsburgh. RFA-wise, I think they need to pay Rust the way they did Dumoulin and Sheary this past offseason, and I think they will absolutely do that.
Kevin
1:53
Why do the pens never try & sign their young players to longer term team friendly deals? It's pretty well know bridge deals are bad foe the team in the long term. Instead of 3yrs $2.4m for dumo they could've done maybe 5 or 6 at a better rate. Now they're locked in on bigger deals for sheary and dumo...seems they maybe missing an opportunity to stretch cap space a bit
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