412 Sports Talk

I recently had the pleasure of having Taylor Haase from dkpittsburghpsorts.com on my podcast. We talked a lot about what the Pittsburgh Penguins will do and should do this offseason. Taylor, along with other people that cover the Penguins are pretty sure Pens' defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph is ready for a full-time spot on the big club. Joseph, a former first-round pick, was the key part in the trade that sent Phil Kessel to Siberia, I mean Arizona.  Joseph is a key part of the Penguins going forward mostly because there is no other NHL-level defenseman in the pipeline. The cupboard is bare, especially after the Penguins sent Calen Addison to the Minnesota Wild to acquire Jason Zucker. Not to mention, the Penguins have made one first-round selection in the last five seasons, and that was used on a forward. This is the cost of trying to compete for championships every season I suppose.  Joseph appeared in 16 games for the Penguins and made an impact right away, tallying a point in

The NHL has a new team, the Seattle Kraken, and because of that, we are blessed with another NHL entry draft. I got to admit, these drafts are pretty cool. They are a real-life version of a fantasy draft for a new team, with real-life and salary implications. As you may know, the Pittsburgh Penguins have will have to leave certain players unprotected, seven forwards, 3 defensmen, and a goalie to be exact. If you're unaware, the Penguins have to protect Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin, because of their no-movement clauses. That leaves five forwards left and I have to be honest, I'm a little taken back by the suggestions I've seen by both fans and local media regarding these lists.  Let's start with coming up with the rationale of why you would and wouldn't want to protect certain players. The number one thing is salary and value. Take for example Jake Guentzel, the Penguins' best and most productive winger. I've seen some calls, albeit wrong cal