• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Time To Pump Up The Penguins Prospect Pipeline

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ByThe Other Rick

Mar 14, 2023

This may seem like poor timing to some of our readers who are currently enamored with the current Dr. Jekyll phase of our Pittsburgh Penguins, as they are riding a 7-2-1 stretch as our friend Phil pointed out yesterday. However, the bottom line is our Penguins prospect pool is very shallow and the main roster is laden with museum pieces and artifacts of a bye gone age.

The laws of probability that our favorite flightless fowl favor them making the playoffs. Getting out of the first round is another story. The relics that our GM and Coach have populated our roster with will need a lot of Geritol just to avoid a 1st round sweep, let alone win a series.

Barring a miracle, when the dust settles, sometime this April, we fans will be left with another long summer and our Penguins will be on the links with only a mid – 1st round draft pick and not much else.

To that end, I thought I would look to see if there were any College or European Free Agents coming out that could bolster our Penguins if not this coming season or relatively soon. (Hopefully, someone in the Penguins organization is looking at the road ahead too, and not in the rear-view mirror).

Valtteri Pulli

Valtteri Pulli LHD

The first player that I would love to see our Penguins try to sign is Valtteri Pulli. Our friend Mike and I have discussed him before on these boards in replies to other posts.

DOB:March 13, 2001Age:22
Place of Birth:Turku, FinlandNationality:Finnish
Position:DefenseShoots:Left
Height:6’-6” (197cm)Weight:209lbs (95kg)
Valterri Pulli Bio

Puli skates very well and has strong offensive instincts. <ore importantly, the kid has something this team desperately needs, youth and size. Pulli 6’-6” tall and weighs 209lbs and he isn’t afraid to use it. The only downside I see in him is that he may be too physically aggressive right now. He had to serve a 5-game suspension for a high hard hit at the opposing blue line, trying to keep the play alive.

Unfortunately, the New York Islanders were also after him, last time I looked.

SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIM+/-
2020-21TPS U20U20 SM-Sarja134151611
2020-21TPSLiiga80004-3
2021-22TPS U20U20 SM-Sarja1711284
2021-22TPSLiiga2102246
2022-23TPSLiiga5331417124
Valtteri Pulli Statistics

Jake Livingstone

Jake Livingstone RHD

The next player I would love to see Ron Hextall sign is Jake Livingstone. Livingstone is another big strong, tough defenseman. He is plying his trade for Minnesota State University (Mankato) right now.

DOB:April 16, 1999Age:23
Place of Birth:Creston, BC, CanadaNationality:Canadian
Position:DefenseShoots:Right
Height:6’-3” (191cm)Weight:191lbs (93kg)
Jake Livingstone Bio

This kid cleans up his own zone real well. He is a fearless shot blocker and finishes his checks. Blocks the passing lanes, takes away opponents sticks, boxes them out of the paint and seems to always be aware of opponents trying to sneak in the back door and he slams it shut on them. That defensive awareness, that sixth sense on knowing where the danger is coming from would go long, long way on our Penguins, where defensemen often look lost and not knowing who to cover or where to be.

Offensively, Livingston has great vision, he looks the ice over and distributes the puck well to open players, he jumps up on the play to help his forwards, but cycles back if the play fails to develop.

He skates smoothly and can move the puck up out of his zone and through the neutral zone, even into the attacking zone.

I wanted Maveric Lamoureux in the draft, but Hextall opted for Owen Pickering. I am hoping he doesn’t pass on Pulli or Livingstone. Like Pulli, other teams are looking at Livingstone too, the Islanders and the Vancouver Canucks.

SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIM+/-
2020-21NCAAMinn State Univ (Mankato)28410141615
2020-21NCAAMinn State Univ (Mankato)44922313227
2021-22NCAAMinn State Univ (Mankato)37826343012
Jake Livingstone Statistics

Jaxon Nelson

Jaxon Nelson Center

Jaxon Nelson is a big right-handed Center playing for the University of Minnesota. On a team whose youngest Center on their big-league roster is 34 (Nick Bonino), getting good young Centers should be paramount.

DOB:March 30, 2000Age:22
Place of Birth:Magnolia, MN, USANationality:USA
Position:CenterShoots:Right
Height:6’-4” (193cm)Weight:220lbs(100kg)
Jaxon Nelson Statistics

I am not as high on Nelson as I am on Livingston and Pulli, but I do like what I have seen of this young pivot. He goes to the blue paint and creates havoc with his size (6’-4”, 220lbs). Perhaps he will turn out to be as ineffective as Jordan Frasca has been in his first pro season (if you recall I was high on Frasca for his physicality too). But I would love to see a big guy like this on our Pens Power Play (PP). His size should tie up at least one opposing defender, maybe two while the black-and-gold is on the PP, giving more room for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to work with 9 Maybe eke out an extra season for both.

SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIM+/-
2019-20NCAAUniv of Minn332462-7
2020-21NCAAUniv of Minn3151015349
2020-21NCAAUniv of Minn26641017-4
2021-22NCAAUniv of Minn35814221011
Jaxon Nelson Statistics

Victor Ostman

Victor Ostman

I couldn’t find any video of Victor Ostman, but as inconsistent as Tristan Jarry has been and the fact that our starting Goalie is an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) this summer, add to that Casey DeSmith has had his worse season, stockpiling Goalies should be something Hextall considers. As a former Goalie, I can tell we are a strange bunch and hard to get a good feel for. When we are on, we can be unbeatable. When we aren’t on….well you get what we are getting in the ‘burgh this season, headaches and losses.

DOB:October 3, 2000Age:22
Place of Birth:Danderyd, SweNationality:Swedish
Position:GoalieCatchesLeft
Height:6’-4” (193cm)Weight:205lbs(93kg)
Victor Ostman Bio

I really liked Filip Gustavsson and said that he would eventually be better than Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray, on these boards. Jim Rutherford, in his infinite folly chose to trade Gustavsson, Ian Cole, and Ryan Reeves, for a spare part forward and PP specialist, Derrick Brassard. If he didn’t waste assets like he did, we may not be having this conversation. Unfortunately, here we are.

Don’t mistake Ostman’s inclusion on this list as any dissatisfaction, on my part, with our Penguins Goaltending prospects, I like to love what I have seen of Joel Blomqvist, Taylor Gauthier, and Filip Lindberg, or even statistically Sergei Murashov but nothing is for sure. Therefore, it never hurts to have a plan C, D, and E. Afterall, like in sales, it is a numbers game. The more Goalies, the more prospects you have the greater the chance of finding a gem. And if they all pan out, you have tradable assets to shore up your weaknesses or trade for future assets.

SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAASv%Record
2019-20USHLChicago Steel302.340.91325-4-0
2020-21NCAAUniv of Maine113.770.9023-6-1
2020-21NCAAUniv of Maine213.310.9005-14-1
2021-22NCAAUniv of Maine332.310.91814-12-4
Victor Ostman Statistics

Odds and Sods

Tonight, our Penguins take on the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs will be playing the back end of a back-to-back set. They lost last night to the Colorado Avalanche 8-4. While our Penguins have been on 7-2-1 hot streak, the Canadiens have been ice cold 2-6-2. My money would be on our hometown team tonight.

Malkin and Jason Zucker are on fire. Malkin has 8 points in the last 5 games and our friend Mike’s favorite Jason Zucker is tearing it up with 5 Goals over that same stretch. When you consider Montreal’s Goalies Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault are having trouble stopping beach balls this season (0.895% and 0.905% Save Percentages respectively) they should be able to stay hot.

The Game is scheduled for a 7:00pm start at PPG Paints Arena.

11 thoughts on “Time To Pump Up The Penguins Prospect Pipeline”
  1. Hey All,

    Kulikov is out week-to-week. Add that to Bonino’s lacerated Kidney and half of GMRH’s deadline deals are now injured.
    Maybe it was good timing to talk about propping up the prospect pool.

    At least it isn’t as bad as the news the Canes got, Svechnikov is out for the season with knee surgery.

  2. Hey Other Rick,

    Great article! Really enjoyed reading about these potential prospects. Also, just a really nice and refreshing change of pace in terms of subject matter.

    Again, great job!

    Rick

    1. Thanks Rick,

      Well it is a good spot for me, a chance to evaluate the future and another chance to play armchair GM.

  3. Phil & The Other Ric
    I don’t disagree with you on our goalie situation – both players are solid at
    their trade. I do think if Sullivan refuses to adjust his system you’ll need a
    stud in nets ( Top 5) or it will be much more of the same old, same old.
    I also think they need to have a younger up & coming goalie as our backup
    and signing Jarry for more than 2-3 years at 3.5 – 4mil would be another huge
    mistake on Hextall’s part.
    The Other Rick
    I will add a couple of names to your already impressive list of prospects. Great Job!!
    Jason Polin, (Western Michigan) LW – 6’0 200
    Hunter McKown (Colorado College) RW – 6’1 205
    Max Sasson (Western Michigan) C 6’1 – 185
    I love Nelson & Pulli

    1. Hey Mike,

      I haven’t seen a whole lot of video of Sasson. I will have to keep looking.
      I have seen both Polin and McKown. They both have potential to be snipers. I really like McKown’s stick handling in traffic and both show the ability to find the open spot in the D coverage and have good to great releases.

      Thanks for bringing them up. I didn’t want to bog everything down with too many players but these guys both appear to be able to help any team they may sign with. I could easily see Polin mesh with Crosby. Livingstone could probably makie a good living with those two as well.

    2. Hey Mike,

      Talking about Jarry, as I wrote to Phil. I won’t argue that he can be good when he is on. I do believe he can. He has just been way too inconsistent this season. Maybe other goalies have been too, but I want back up plans. We Goalies can be very hard to read and few have consistently good seasons year after year. There are only so many Drydens, Parents, Brodeurs, or Roys. Most good goalies will have 2 or 3 years on a couple of years down and move on to a new team before having a couple more good seasons.

    3. Mike,
      I would be very surprised and happy if Jarry were to accept 3.5. I would have no problem Hextall going 4-5 years at that price. In 5 years that will probably be the going rate for a quality back up.

      I think Hextall has to take a hard look at Jarry’s injuries talk to the trainers and decide if he will someday be able to be a full time starter or if he is one of those goalies that is always injured.

      If the Pens make the playoffs and Jarry goes in injured like I am assuming he is now or gets injured again in the playoffs then I wouldn’t go over a year. Jarry may then also want short term to prove his value next season. If that doesn’t happen give TOR’s prospects a shot and or hit the market.

  4. Incredible research thanks!!!

    Still not with you about the goalies. Desmith and Jarry have put up respectable numbers, and even better numbers if you are one of those that consider the Penguins defense less than adequate. Desmith as a backup has a .908 save percentage which is better than many starters. Jarry’s health is questionable and a great reason to make a lower offer for his future services. Playoffs will really show Jarry’s value. He needs to be healthy throughout and put up numbers, if one or the other doesn’t happen this season I will follow more down your path.

    That all being said, upgrades are always welcome!

    1. Thanks Phil,

      I do think DeSmith has had a really bad season, one that he would rather forget. Jarry on the other hand has had several games in which he has played solid, but he still gives up the short side shoulder way too often and has turned in over 1/3 of his games under 0.900 in SV%. I did see that Shesterkin has done the same, so I get why some people still like Jarry. Perhaps I am spoiled still watching Fleury and Murray win Cups locking down opponents. My problem isn’t so much with Jarry alone, it is more about him reputedly asking for %6 Million for 6 years. I would never give any Goalie a long term contract. They ae too inconsistent and Jarry has been just that this year.

      My point is to have as many options available as I can for when the ship hits the spam.

      However, as I wrote above, just as I said Gustavsson would eventually be better than Fleury or Murray, Blomqvist will be that same kind of good. Perhaps Musharov will too but I still haven’t had a chance to see him play, I only know his stats are unbelievable.

    2. Hey Phil,

      I agree with you about our goalies. When you consider that DeSmith has had to virtually split the goaltending duties with Jarry, something he’s really not cut out to do, and that he logged most of the starts during a stretch when Letang, Petry and Rutta were out? I think he’s done a pretty darn good job.

      As for Jarry? When he’s healthy I’d place him in the top ten around the league among starters. Of course, the operative phrase is “when he’s healthy.” The last couple of games he’s looked kind of stiff and mechanical, and he’s been deeper in his net. I think he’s trying to play through an injury…perhaps that chronic hip ailment we’ve been hearing about.

      For that reason…plus the fact that he’s a UFA to be…it sure wouldn’t hurt us to deepen our prospect pool in goal.

      Rick

      1. Ppoop curse strikes again. Either Jarry is playing injured or TOR is right.
        I would be all for buying out Jeff Carter, -4 last night, and bringing in Jaxon Nelson. I can’t imagine he could possibly do any worse. I would also be fine with bringing Caggiula back up. Has anyone heard anything about Hallander?

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