Penguins Keep Separating From Ron Hextall Era

Kyle Dubas has worked hard to turn the Pittsburgh Penguins into his team after the Ron Hextall era.

 The day after the 2022-23 season ended for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) stepped in and fired Ron Hextall as general manager.

Over the next few weeks, FSG and the Penguins cast a wide net looking for a new head for their front office.

After some time and a fortunate dismissal north of the boarder, FSG eventually landed on Kyle Dubas as president of hockey operations and later general manager.

Ever since Dubas arrived in Pittsburgh, he’s been working hard to cleanse the team of any stench that may have been left over from the Hextall era.

Both in the front office and on the ice, Dubas took the lead on a massive organizational overhaul.

Most recently, Dubas traded away depth defenseman Mark Friedman but that came after a number of Hextall acquisitions departed Pittsburgh in free agency.

Each of the NHL additions made by Hextall at the 2023 deadline left for different teams; Nick Bonino, Dmitry Kulikov, and Mikael Granlund all hit the road.

Even trades made before the 2022-23 season began didn’t make it to a second season in Pittsburgh; Jeff Petry departed via the Erik Karlsson deal, and Ryan Poehling signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Also involved in the Karlsson trade was a free agent signee by Hextall in Jan Rutta and a goalie Hextall gave an extension to in Casey DeSmith.

In the place of these names, Dubas has brought in numerous players who already look to have more upside.

Obviously there’s Karlsson, but Matt Nieto, Noel Acciari, Lars Eller, and Ryan Graves can all be difference makers in the NHL lineup.

Dubas bolstered the Penguins depth and AHL team with his additions of Vinnie Hinostroza, Rem Pitlick, Colin White, and most recently Jack Rathbone.

The Penguins look to be in a much better position organizationally, and Dubas has only been in Pittsburgh for a few months.

Some notable names that joined the Penguins under Hextall are still around; most notably Rickard Rakell and Jeff Carter.

Rakell and Carter are sure to stick around in Pittsburgh for a little longer, each with their own reasoning of course.

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