It's past time for Ron Hextall to pick up the phone and start making some moves to help the Pittsburgh Penguins.
PITTSBURGH - Fans have started reaching for the panic button following the Pittsburgh Penguins and their most recent embarrassing loss.
A number of changes are needed within the Penguins lineup and it’s fully up to Ron Hextall to make the necessary moves.
Does that mean trades? For the most part, yes. The team needs a few new faces to stir the pot.
One of the biggest glaring issues starts between the pipes; the Penguins won’t go anywhere with their current goaltending tandem.
This isn’t a call to trade Tristan Jarry, rather to get him some help; Casey DeSmith isn’t the answer anymore.
Jarry as a 1A is in need of a 1B to take some weight off of his shoulders and take on a few extra games.
Thanks to Jarry’s injury history, load management is becoming the name of the game for him.
When he plays, Jarry is one of the best goalies in the NHL, he just needs some assistance to keep his stamina up.
Turning to the defense, there doesn’t need to be wholesale changes, but a few tweaks and a little more attention to detail.
Most of the San Jose Sharks goals came from defensive lapses and breakdowns and basically cost the Penguins the game.
Brian Dumoulin’s time in Pittsburgh seems to be up and there is no real reason to keep throwing him over the boards, especially alongside Kris Letang on the top pairing.
The Penguins bottom six doesn’t need much more introduction; they’ve been invisible for about a month now and there doesn’t seem to be a chance of getting them back.
Jeff Carter, Brock McGinn, and Teddy Blueger all haven’t scored a goal of importance since what feels like the French Revolution and they all share a line.
Ryan Poehling and Drew O’Connor have stepped in the right direction on the fourth line but that’s been about it for the bottom six.
While the Penguins are stuck with a certain few on those two lines, they need to cut bait somewhere.
Hextall can’t keep sitting on his hands, the Penguins need help and need it fast; really, they needed a move last month and we’re still waiting.
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