Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager, Ron Hextall, is now the team’s biggest issue.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins limp into the All-Star break, questions are abound. Special teams, goaltending, and bottom six scoring all continue to cost this team points and playoff positioning, and there is no clear solution in sight.
Coaching and team leadership have expectedly taken the blame and shouldered the responsibility for the team’s struggles, but it’s obvious the blame lies elsewhere. The biggest issue in Pittsburgh is not the goaltending trouble or the bottom six's failures, it’s their general manager.
Ron Hextall as a player and Ron Hextall as a team executive are two entirely different people. The player was a mixture of immense skill and fiery passion. The executive is patient, calm, and often times, removed. It's a big reason he was selected to replace former general manager, Jim Rutherford.
Hextall has stuck to his patient and low risk approach since taking over in December of 2021. To his credit, he’s made some successful moves so far. He was patient with the contract extensions of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell, and arguably got each player on a lower than market value contract. He let negotiations with Malkin get to the night before free agency before closing the deal, despite reports that Geno had decided to test the market.
But the time for patience with this team has long passed, and Hextall seems to be the only person who disagrees. After re-signing the above mentioned players and swapping defenseman Mike Matheson for Jeff Petry, Hextall seemed content with the roster. He made no real efforts to solidify the Penguins' porous bottom six, instead opting for low-impact fringe players like Josh Archibald and Drake Cagguila.
As the season's halfway point has come and gone, Hextall remains patient. Despite the obvious issues with the bottom six, he has made no trades this season. With injuries to the team's number one goaltender, Hextall has given the team no back-up option aside from the woefully inconsistent Casey DeSmith.
After a seven game losing streak, he made no changes.
After a six game losing streak, he made no changes.
And now, after the team’s worst loss of the season, the Penguins sit in the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference. They hold that position by the skin of their teeth, with the Buffalo Sabres just one point behind and the New York Islanders two points back.
A change for this team is long past due, but still Hextall remains patient. Will Ron Hextall sit on his hands again while he costs his team a shot at the playoffs? If he does, he proves my point definitively: the problem in Pittsburgh isn’t on the ice, it’s in the general manager’s office.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
Identifying what the Penguins Need to Change
Sidney Crosby Wants Better Execution from Penguins
Penguins Re-Assign Jonathan Gruden, Dustin Tokarski
Penguins Enter Bye Week in Real Trouble
Mike Sullivan Expects More From Penguins and Himself
- undefined
- undefined