Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now delivers the inside scoops and analysis a few times per week on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Locker room interviews, expert analysis and whatever else we can scrape together.
No Pucks Given: The Penguins’ Road Trip Fallout & Rebuild Reality
Dan Kingerski dives deep into the fallout from the Pittsburgh Penguins' recent road trip and breaks down the critical issues surrounding the team. From Ben Kindel's medical episode off the ice to the team’s glaring structural and defensive struggles on it, Dan diagnoses what’s going wrong and why the current roster construction isn't fixable as is. Plus, a look at Kyle Dubas' upcoming decisions, trade rumors, and whether it's time to bring up young prospects from Wilkes-Barre. Stick around for the live viewer Q&A covering Sidney Crosby, the goaltending situation, and the reality of a Penguins rebuild.0:00 Intro0:18 Ben Kindel's medical scare on the team plane2:01 Kyle Dubas to give an update Thursday2:44 The on-ice product: a brutal stretch4:00 Five Bad Thoughts from the road trip4:25 Arturs Silovs has taken a step forward5:06 Sergei Murashov hung out to dry in Vegas6:03 What Dan Muse means by "structural"7:39 Breaking down the Penguins' D-zone scheme10:00 The forwards' defensive coverage10:56 The track-back problem13:52 Lack of speed kills the forecheck16:39 As constructed, this team isn't fixable17:20 A 4% playoff chance after 10 games18:17 Dubas' offseason fork in the road19:57 Reading between the lines of the Elliotte Friedman report21:16 Why this trade market is different24:33 Did Dubas tank on purpose? The conspiracy theory27:12 Live chat begins27:46 What's the direction of this team?29:42 Is the Big Three to blame?32:20 Will the days off help or hurt?33:14 Ben Kindel update33:42 Who gets called up? Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes & more36:59 Is this hurting Murashov's development?37:43 Joel Blomqvist's situation39:55 Andrei Kuzmenko: trade candidate?42:03 Special teams: coaching or personnel?44:04 Are Crosby and Rust defensive liabilities?45:36 Speed isn't everything: the Konstantin Koltsov story47:15 How soon will Dubas start moving veterans?51:14 Tommy Novak's season52:40 Who gets moved? Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell53:56 Scouting report: Landon DuPont54:28 Selling the rebuild to fans56:24 Has Dubas made the team worse?57:01 Why trade Parker Wotherspoon and let Ryan Shea walk?59:11 Is Rakell too slow?1:00:35 Year 4 for Dubas: is Pittsburgh still attractive to players?1:02:54 Rapid fire1:08:40 Is this all Crosby's fault?1:10:46 Wrap-up
13 Oct 2026
Penguins Roster Crunch After Caleb Jones Trade
The Penguins made their second trade in a week, sending Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch to the Buffalo Sabres for left-shot defenseman Ryan Johnson. Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now opens with what the move says about how Kyle Dubas is rebuilding the blue line, then gets into the bigger problem: too many forwards, and a waiver decision coming this week.In this episode:Why the Johnson trade fits the pattern of Ryan Shea, Parker Wotherspoon and Spencer StastneyDan concedes the Hollander argument: Dubas did create the situation that forced the moveElmer Söderblom, Ville Koivunen and Hendrix Lapierre, and why the order changes depending on what the lineup needsWhat Söderblom’s puck possession did for Sidney Crosby’s line against DallasWhy Owen Pickering is further from the NHL than his play suggestsGoaltending, the Letang and Trevor van Riemsdyk pairing, and Sam Gerard’s good and bad momentsLive chat: Dan Muse’s lineup quote, prospects stuck behind veterans, Rutger McGroarty’s RFA outlook, the Capitals comparison, Dylan Larkin, and when Chris Letang’s untouchable status endsTimestamps 0:00 Intro 0:18 Penguins trade Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch to Buffalo 1:19 The pattern behind the Penguins’ defense pickups 5:41 Hollander trade fallout and a conceded argument 8:50 Roster crunch: Söderblom, Koivunen, Lapierre and waivers 11:25 What Söderblom does for Crosby’s line 14:11 Söderblom vs. Koivunen vs. Lapierre 17:21 Owen Pickering and what the new defensemen mean 19:49 Goaltending and the defense 22:35 Letang, van Riemsdyk and Stastney 25:27 Live chat begins 25:46 Dan Muse on lineup decisions 30:55 Young players blocked: Hayes, Brunicke, Pickering 38:56 Dubas’s open call to young players 41:53 Season expectations 43:37 Is Muse’s development skill being wasted? 47:33 Zanon and Rutger McGroarty’s future 50:41 Two left-handed defensemen in five days 52:32 Dubas working the phones at the draft 54:30 Penguins vs. Capitals rebuild comparison 56:31 Robertson and the Crosby line 58:50 Dylan Larkin and Detroit 1:00:40 When Dubas starts selling 1:02:36 How long Letang stays untouchable 1:04:06 Is this Malkin’s last season? 1:06:42 Crosby and Malkin on one line
23 Sept 2026
NPG 71: State of the Penguins: Opening Night Lineup, Letang's Decline and a "Weird Spot"
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 campVille Koivunen's worst-case scenarioLiam and Markus Ruck setting up Rutger McGroartyThe Brayden Yager tradeWhy Letang's game is shrinkingWhether the Penguins should have kept Stuart Skinner and Brett KulakJason Spezza's midseason youth promiseFirst impressions of the new ownership and Marcel BraithwaiteFollow Pittsburgh Hockey Now on YouTube, Facebook and X, and read more at PittsburghHockeyNow.com.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
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.7 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
4.3 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
50
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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