No Pucks Given | Pittsburgh Penguins Podcast

The Penguins are days from opening night after a short camp, and Dan Kingerski says most roster decisions were made before anyone could force their way in. He walks through his projected lineup, from the locks to the waiver-bubble battle between Hendrix Lapierre, Filip Hallander, Elmer Soderblom and Justin Brazeau.

Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke have earned a third-pair look, but they don't fit the left-right balance behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang. Kaedan Korczak hasn't stood out either, which makes the Parker Wotherspoon trade look odd. Dan grades Kyle Dubas after a strong 2025 draft, asks whether he outthought himself this summer, and explains why he doesn't see a playoff team in a tougher Metro.

In the live Q&A:

• Ilya Solovyov's slimmed-down camp
• Ville Koivunen's worst-case scenario
• Liam and Markus Ruck setting up Rutger McGroarty
• The Brayden Yager trade
• Why Letang's game is shrinking
• Whether the Penguins should have kept Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak
• Jason Spezza's midseason youth promise
• First impressions of the new ownership and Marcel Braithwaite

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Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to No Pucks Given
 03:03 Projected lineup: the locks
 04:05 Murashov's net to lose
 04:56 Why Lapierre doesn't fit
 07:20 What should happen on D vs. what will
 08:48 Projected pairings and the Letang problem
 10:50 Korczak and the Wotherspoon trade
 12:10 Why this isn't a playoff team
 13:09 Grading Kyle Dubas
 16:05 Q&A: Solovyov on the top pair?
 18:59 Injury conspiracy?
 19:34 Koivunen's worst-case camp
 22:46 The Ruck twins set up McGroarty
 26:07 Korczak and the Red Wings' cheap shots
 27:43 Is Dubas' pipeline flawed?
 29:04 The Yager trade looks worse
 31:32 Letang's game is shrinking
 32:57 How fans kept Malkin in Pittsburgh
 35:48 The players hold the leverage now
 37:06 Seller at the deadline?
 38:45 Spezza's midseason promise
 40:00 Should they have kept Skinner?
 45:12 Missing Brett Kulak
 48:44 Stunting the prospects?
 52:57 Kindel's gun show and Rust's role
 54:57 Silovs and the long shots
 56:53 Contract inflation and the Fantilli fight
 57:48 Pens need more sandpaper
 58:17 How scouts really work
 1:00:09 First take on the new owners
 1:05:14 Letang every night?
 1:06:00 Wrap-up

Dan Kingerski closes out the season with Penguins offseason grades for Kyle Dubas — landing on a split decision between a D and a strong B depending on what the front office's actual goal was. He breaks down the Anthony Mantha-to-Kuzmenko downgrade, the righty-heavy defense problem with Van Riemsdyk stepping in, the low-risk Nick Robertson swap, and why holding onto expiring veterans like Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust without trading them undercuts the rebuild. Then it's the last live chat and Ask Dan Anything of the summer: lineup battles, the Wheeling/Florida ECHL affiliate swap fallout, Ville Koivunen's contract standoff, 39-year-old defensemen aging curves, and why Pittsburgh isn't yet a top free-agent destination. Show goes dark for August, back before training camp.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro / show format for the day
 00:25 – Final No Pucks Given Penguins chat of the season; August break announced
 01:35 – Penguins offseason grades begin: grading Kyle Dubas
 02:22 – Grade breakdown starts: Anthony Mantha → Andre Kuzmenko downgrade
 03:41 – Right-handed defense glut: Trevor van Riemsdyk in a tough spot
 09:38 – Nick Robertson trade: low-risk, high-reward move praised
 13:04 – Rutger MacGroarty and Ville Koivunen; lineup considerations
 16:02 – Why holding pending free agents (Karlsson, Rakell, Rust) hurts the grade
 19:34 – Wraps monologue; reiterates "split decision" grade, ties to March 1 trade deadline
 19:59 – Live chat begins
 22:29 – 15 back-to-backs this season, travel/roster management
 25:11 – Do Penguins moves signal real competition for young players?
 31:35 – Draft Kings playoff odds discussion; Penguins favored to miss
 36:15 – Are the Penguins the "next Red Wings," stuck in the middle?
 43:00 – Wheeling/Florida ECHL affiliate swap fallout, explained in depth
 1:00:03 – Point-producer predictions, Erik Karlsson trade scenarios
 1:09:04 – 39-year-old defensemen aging data (Karlsson replacement scenario)
 1:19:33 – Why Pittsburgh isn't a top free-agent destination yet
 1:22:26 – Sign-off; back in September

Dan Kingerski breaks down where the Pittsburgh Penguins rebuild actually stands — and why the realistic timeline for this youth movement to take hold runs to 2029 or 2030, not next season.

Jason Robertson signing a one-year, $12 million deal in Dallas takes him off the board, and Dan explains why that likely helped the Penguins more than it hurt them. Plus what Dallas set up for themselves next summer, and the window in January where the trade rumors start again if there's no extension.

On the roster: the prospects on the cusp — Koivunen, McGroarty, Pickering,
Murashov, Brunicke — and why they're contributors rather than cornerstones. The two-year gap after this season's influx. Why the Van Riemsdyk and Kuzmenko signings didn't fit the plan. And the case for moving Rust, Rakell and Carlson.

Then the mailbag: Alexander Nikishin as the primary target and why taking
Kotkaniemi back makes the deal work, why the Shane Wright talk isn't going
anywhere, whether the Penguins will be tough to play against this year, an
assessment of Kyle Dubas three years in, and a long detour into how goalie
coaching has changed the position.

Report card on the Penguins' offseason is up now at Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro — the show keeps going another week
1:07 Jason Robertson signs one year, $12M in Dallas
2:56 What Dallas set up for next summer
4:31 Why not landing Robertson helped the Penguins
5:29 The Penguins aren't a better team than they were in May
7:31 The prospects on the cusp — and what they actually project as
10:11 The two-year gap and a realistic 2029-2030 timeline
12:36 The Van Riemsdyk and Kuzmenko signings
13:54 Time to move Rust, Rakell and Carlson
14:29 What's really in the 2025 draft class
15:52 What Dubas has to do — and the top-10 pick problem
17:18 Penguins chat begins
18:12 Kuzmenko vs. what Brazeau and Mantha gave them
19:55 Will Robertson hit free agency? The Marcus Pettersson parallel
23:20 Will the Penguins be tough to play against this year?
26:56 Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa story that's waiting
29:01 "Chicken a la king" — overstocking the roster and what players notice
32:22 Rust and Rakell, the 2028 cap space question, Ryan Graves
34:20 Koivunen still unsigned — and the case for Alexander Nikishin
37:52 Why the Shane Wright talk goes nowhere
42:34 Will Horcoff played through a significant injury
43:20 Jack Quinn, and what the Beauvillier trade actually proved
46:09 Where does Hendrix Lapierre fit?
47:55 Is Dubas building toward a step back?
49:21 Does the Penguins' history attract free agents?
50:45 Dubas at year four of seven — and the Hextall elevator story
53:10 Assessing the Dubas plan three years in
55:55 The Guentzel return, and the "lost year"
58:22 Do the Penguins have the assets for a Nikishin trade?
1:00:00 Dan Muse as the wild card
1:02:39 Can you build a Cup team from the back end?
1:04:59 How goalie coaching ruined the position
1:07:35 Wrap

On this episode of No Pucks Given, Dan Kingerski breaks down whether Kyle Dubas's Penguins rebuild plan has gone sideways — and argues it hasn't, walking through why the front office hasn't landed a Jason Robertson-caliber star yet and why that's actually on schedule. Dan digs into the prospect pipeline (Bill Zonnen, Will Horcoff, Ryan Miller, and more), makes the case for a Nikishin-and-Kotkaniemi package over Elias Pettersson, and runs the numbers on why chasing a big name right now could backfire once Crosby, Malkin, and the rest of the core age out. Then it's into the live Q&A: Logan Stanley's fit, the Kuzmenko-vs-Mantha comparison, Nick Robertson's stalled contract and a looming buyout window, Wilkes-Barre prospect frustration, Owen Pickering's development, Kris Letang's pairing outlook, and a full trade-cost breakdown for both Nikishin/Kotkaniemi and a hypothetical Pettersson-for-Graves swap.

Chapters

00:00 — Cold open
 00:19 — Welcome to episode 69 & PHN Q&A recap
 02:44 — Has Kyle Dubas's rebuild plan gone sideways?
 08:21 — The prospect pipeline on the way (Zonnen, Horcoff, Miller)
 11:02 — The fork in the road: patience vs. the aging core
 16:44 — Dan's trade preference: Nikishin + Kotkaniemi over Pettersson
 21:21 — Why chasing Jason Robertson now doesn't add up
 24:45 — Live Q&A kicks off
 25:31 — Would the Penguins look at Logan Stanley?
 26:44 — Kuzmenko vs. Mantha: a fair comparison?
 29:37 — Nick Robertson's contract limbo & the buyout window
 32:21 — The "let the plan crash" conspiracy theory
 33:35 — Are the Wilkes-Barre prospects getting blocked?
 39:58 — Do the Penguins' trade targets have a skating problem?
 41:49 — When does Dubas make his next big move?
 43:45 — Which prospects make the team out of camp? (Owen Pickering deep dive)
 48:01 — Where does Kris Letang fit in the pairings?
 50:04 — Will Jason Robertson stay in Dallas?
 50:44 — Why Dubas has earned the benefit of the doubt
 52:43 — Shane Wright, Kent Johnson, and other reclamation targets
 53:15 — Mailbag: Wilkes-Barre jokes and the case against Robertson
 54:38 — The new AHL rule on 19-year-olds, explained
 58:16 — A wager: will the Capitals make the playoffs?
 1:00:34 — What would it cost to get Nikishin and Kotkaniemi?
 1:01:54 — Hypothetical: Pettersson for Graves + retained salary
 1:02:19 — Wrap-up

Host Dan Kingerski analyzes the evolving trade landscape for the Pittsburgh Penguins. This episode breaks down top-tier targets like Jason Robertson and explores "second-chance" reclamation projects such as Shane Wright and Kirby Dach. Kingerski also discusses potential salary cap-clearing moves involving Anaheim and Carolina, and addresses rumors surrounding stars like Connor Bedard and Elias Pettersson.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction and resetting the Penguins trade board
• 01:00 – Jason Robertson and the top-tier trade candidates
• 01:54 – Discussing reclamation projects and second-chance players
• 03:19 – The rising trade cost of Jason Robertson and the Leo Carlsson influence
• 06:47 – Evaluating Kirill Marchenko as a potential target
• 08:58 – The Alex Nikishin and Jesperi Kotkaniemi trade package opportunity
• 13:51 – Exploring salary dump opportunities with the Anaheim Ducks
• 15:12 – Analyzing Shane Wright as a primary second-chance option
• 19:16 – Podcast break and return
• 20:00 – Other second-chance targets: Kirby Dach and Cole Perfetti
• 22:50 – Final thoughts on the value of Nikishin vs. Robertson
• 24:08 – Live Q&A: Addressing Kevin Korchinski and Connor Bedard rumors
• 29:56 – Live Q&A: Discussing the rising NHL salary cap and player deals
• 35:10 – Debunking Elias Pettersson and Rickard Rakell rumors
• 37:31 – What the Penguins offer as a destination for free agents
• 40:34 – Assessing goaltending depth: Blomqvist, Murashov, and others
• 42:15 – Discussing offer sheets for Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson
• 47:51 – Exploring the death of the "second contract" in the NHL
• 51:48 – Impact of left-handed defenseman departures and roster imbalance
• 56:43 – Responding to viewer-proposed trades and final wrap-up

#pittsburghpenguins #penguins #nhl #nhlpodcast

Host Dan Kingerski analyzes the shifting NHL landscape, evaluating high-profile targets like Jason Robertson and potential trade packages involving Alex Nikishin

Dan explores reclamation projects such as Shane Wright and Kirby Dach, followed by a live Q&A addressing roster imbalances and debunking rumors.

Dan Kingerski breaks down a chaotic day one of NHL free agency for the Pittsburgh Penguins, live from the UPMC Lemieux Complex. Kyle Dubas grabbed Nick Robertson from Toronto for a fourth-round pick, then turned around and stacked the right side of the blue line with Trevor van Riemsdyk and Caden Kozak — on top of Declan Carlile and a one-year, $5 million flier on Andrei Kuzmenko. Dan hands out grades, digs into the Jason Spezza press conference, and takes your questions live on whether Erik Karlsson gets moved before the trade deadline.

00:00 – Intro from the UPMC Lemieux Complex
 00:51 – Penguins land Nick Robertson from Toronto
 01:55 – Head-scratcher: signing Trevor van Riemsdyk
 02:49 – Declan Carlile signs, replaces Ryan Shea
 04:43 – Andrei Kuzmenko inked for $5 million
 06:14 – Big picture: Dubas's "Jackson Pollock" offseason
 07:23 – Caden Kozak trade and the right-side D logjam
 08:57 – Jason Spezza press conference soundbites
 12:39 – Grading the moves: Kuzmenko under the microscope
 16:35 – Live free agency chat with fans
 22:46 – Recap and grades: Robertson, Carlile, TVR gets an F
 29:17 – Is Jason Robertson the next shoe to drop?
 30:48 – When do the RFAs get signed?
 35:20 – Darnell Nurse trade to San Jose, broken down
 37:22 – Would Erik Karlsson land in Ottawa?
 39:05 – The "Dave Molinari question" tradition
 43:45 – Second and third line center battle
 50:05 – Final thoughts: what could Ottawa offer for Karlsson?

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#Penguins #NHLFreeAgency #PittsburghHockeyNow #NicholasRobertson #ErikKarlsson

Dan's back and boy does he have some thoughts on the Penguins' free agency strategy, the status of various prospects and what Kyle Dubas might be thinking.

Dan fields ALL of your Pittsburgh Penguins questions including free agency, trades and prospect updates.