No Pucks Given | Pittsburgh Penguins Podcast · Pittsburgh Hockey Now

Penguins Live Chat: Inside dirt, and the Dan Muse Difference

·47 min·2 clips

Dan Kengurski goes live from the Calgary Flames morning skate on the Pittsburgh Hockey Now platforms. He starts by getting the microphone and camera sorted out, then points out that he is doing a live chat instead of sitting down to write the story he meant to file. The setup is intentionally messy. He says he and Josh Yobe were the only reporters around practice the day before, which gave them free rein in the locker room, and that his trip from Seattle to Calgary nearly fell apart before he got there by the skin of his teeth. That travel detail matters because it makes the whole chat feel like a working notebook, not a polished segment. From there he moves into the Penguins' roster puzzle. A big part of the discussion is Evgeny Malkin on the wing. He says the offense does not always look as clean with Malkin beside Ben Kindle and Chinnikov, but he still sees the move as part of a bigger picture. He raises the idea that Malkin could be used that way again next year. He also notes that if the Penguins get an offer for Ricard Raquel or Brian Rust, the club may need that kind of flexibility. When a listener asks about Malkin's position, he pushes back and asks whether people are actually watching the games. He does not treat the move as a mystery for mystery's sake. He suggests there could be shoulder-related reasons, but he also says Malkin's shot still looks strong. He keeps the speculation grounded. He refuses to quote the Fourth Period and says he does not use that outlet's language as a reporting crutch. Instead, he says he will rely on Josh Yobe when Yobe has reported something concrete, including the hypothetical idea that the Penguins like Jason Robertson if he were available. He also talks about how the team could slow-walk a player through the end of the season if that helps avoid waivers or losing him for nothing, especially if a return is not expected until March. The chat keeps coming back to practical hockey. He talks through the gap between what fans might want and what the lineup math actually allows. He answers questions directly, sometimes bluntly, and does not pretend there is one clean explanation for every roster move. There is also a travel-and-arena thread running underneath the whole thing. He mentions the Saddledome, how steep the seats are, how close the crowd sits to the ice, and how that old-school setup still beats a lot of newer buildings. He closes by telling listeners to catch the audio version, subscribe on YouTube, and support PHN Plus. The signoff is loose, candid, and very much in the tone of someone still standing in the building while the next story is already forming.

As heard by us

A live Penguins notebook that keeps roster questions grounded in real time.

This piece follows Dan Kengurski through a Calgary morning skate and into a practical Penguins notebook, with locker-room access, travel hassles, and the roster questions that sharpen as the conversation moves along.

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You want Penguins talk from the rink, not a polished recap.

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