As for Mikael Granlund, I think buying him out is the only logical move. Thoughts on Penguins resetting the deck by attaching picks to any of the bad contracts to get them off the books (i.e Carter, Granlund etc)? - Carter has a no-movement clause. Fleury said no and that he wanted to win another Cup before he left. He was willing to trade Fleury at the deadline that season. The only time I ever saw him in the locker room was minutes after that game, when he barged through a bunch of cameras to put Marc-Andre Fleury in a bear hug.

Jim Rutherford never stepped foot into locker rooms. The Penguins won Game 7 in Washington in 2017. Kunitz was sitting on the floor outside of the locker room with his kids in his arms, not saying a word. About 15 minutes after Chris Kunitz beat Ottawa in the classic double overtime Game 7 of the 2017 conference final, he was waiting to speak at a press conference. I called my lady friend and told her the Penguins were winning the Cup that night. Matt Murray was the first man off the bus. I was standing beside the Penguins’ bus in 2017 when it arrived in Nashville for Game 6. I’ve never heard the building louder than when Nick Bonino beat the Capitals in overtime of Game 6 in 2016.ģ. Hockey has never been bigger in Pittsburgh than it was then.Ĥ.

Thousands of people who didn’t have tickets swarmed the city that night. Trying to get inside the arena before Game 5 against the Sharks in 2016 was like nothing I’ve experienced. And I’ll personalize them, since I get to see things most people don’t get to see.)ĥ. So many moments stand out – what are your top five? - give you five moments other than the three Cup wins, because those are obvious. I was a sophomore in high school when the Pens playoff streak began. It would be foolish to not speak with him in some capacity.

But president of hockey operations? A consultant? Sure. Not sure Ray wants to be a GM anymore or even if he’s the right fit. They’re also way, way better at Players 4-10. The Big Three remains great, but the problem is, most contenders now have three players who are at least comparable to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. If you’ve been watching the playoffs, you surely see how far away the Penguins are from being a real contender. The Hextall Abyss - may I steal that for future articles - was a dreadful thing. But yeah, I’d say long-term damage is very much in play. Even if Jason Zucker leaves, they have a top-notch top six. Or are we looking at irreparable, long-term damage? - is not lost. Josh, the optimist in me thinks Pens can climb out of the Hextall Abyss as easily as they fell in, if they find right management. Some good pieces remain, but clearly it’s going to require incredible work from whoever is selected as the team’s next general manager. They’re going to attempt to re-tool very quickly. In fact, I’d say we have more things to discuss than usual.ĭo you see the Pens retooling quickly? Like the Rangers did? Or is this going to be a slow, agonizing decent? - could both things occur simultaneously? Fenway Sports Group’s Dave Beeston made it pretty clear at his season-ending press conference that the Penguins aren’t going to rebuild so long as Sidney Crosby is here. This doesn’t mean we don’t have things to discuss, of course. The playoffs are ongoing and the Penguins weren’t invited to the dance party.

Zuck vr photo