HOUR 1 - Dubas wants Geno back, Dubas offseason plan, Kirk Ferentz

Kyle Dubas held his end-of-season press conference today and the big question & answer was in regard to the future of Evgeni Malkin. Is that the smartest move by the Penguins right now? He was still a point per game player this past season and really isn’t blocking an abundance of young talent since he made the move from center to wing. All along it felt like the tea leaves were saying the Penguins wouldn’t bring him back, but today made fans and media feel as if their goal was to have Malkin run it back. Do fans want the Penguins to bring back Evgeni Malkin? Does Kyle Dubas have something up his sleeve this offseason? Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz joined the show. Ferentz is a Western PA guy and would also know better than anyone about the recent Steelers draft picks that played for him at Iowa. Kirk jokingly advised Gennings Dunker to not eat any fish he catches in The Mon. Kirk talked about the emergence of Hawkeyes that have gotten drafted by the Steelers in recent years. Kirk said he has a ton of respect for the Steelers organization. The guys had Kirk breakdown the vibe of Dunker, with the red mullet and personality so fitting to be an offensive lineman. He said Dunker is much smarter than he looks and very wise to the game. Kirk raved about Dunker as a teammate and person. Kirk things Dunker is a good fit to start his NFL career at guard and maybe move to tackle, what he played at Iowa, later in his career. The Steelers also drafted Kaden Wetjen, the return specialist – what can he bring to the Steelers? Kirk said Wetjen was a walk-on that turned into a star with the Hawkeyes, emerging as one of the best return men in the Big 10. The Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson in 2025, the former Iowa RB, who failed to make much of an impact as a rookie. Kirk said Johnson didn’t start fast with Iowa, but finished his career extremely strong. He said Johnson had some focus issues his first few seasons in college, but was ‘wired in’ for his final year. Chris made sure to ask Kirk about the Iowa victory over Penn State nearly 20 years ago with the Hawkeyes beating the Nittany Lions 6-4 at Beaver Stadium. Going back to his Pittsburgh roots, Kirk talked about the 1979 Pirates, his favorite childhood team. Kirk talked about the origin of the Iowa uniforms and why they match the Steelers.