The Pittsburgh Penguins need to find more goals on deflections and rebounds to climb back into the playoffs. PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins have played nine games since the NHL trade deadline and things don’t seem to be getting any better. General manager Ron Hextall made moves he thought would bolster the Penguins lineup, but they haven’t panned out, and that should put his job in jeopardy. If his seat wasn’t already hot heading into the deadline, the moves that Hextall made should have all but sealed the deal that he won’t see another season as general manager. Hextall got out from the Kasperi Kapanen and Brock McGinn deals which is a net positive, but he filled the $6 million void with Mikael Granlund. [https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-acquire-granlund-from-the-predators-for-a-2023-2nd-round-pick/c-341692280] In nine games with the Penguins, Granlund has produced only two points and struggles to show signs of life in most situations. Granlund went a perfect 12/12 in the faceoff dot against the Montreal Canadiens, and head coach Mike Sullivan loves a good faceoff guy, [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/jeff-carter-cant-faceoff-guy-pittsburgh-penguins] but there has to be more brought to the table. At $5 million for another two years after this, Granlund already looks like an overpayment. Hextall also added Dmitry Kulikov [https://www.nhl.com/news/dmitry-kulikov-traded-to-pittsburgh-penguins-by-anaheim-ducks-for-brock-mcginn/c-341790710] and Nick Bonino on deadline day; they were interesting moves to say the least, but they’re both week-to-week with injuries. When it happened, implementing Kulikov to an already log jammed defensive core didn’t make sense. The addition of Kulikov pushed P.O. Joseph out of the lineup despite a great season; sure, Joseph has tapered off a little, but he still seemed like a more positive option than Kulikov. After four games with the Penguins, Kulikov was placed on long-term injured reserve; maybe the injury is a blessing in disguise for the team as Joseph’s spot in the lineup was secured. The other injuries to the defense that have followed don’t help things, but regardless, Kulikov wasn’t the right choice. While re-acquiring Bonino [https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-acquire-bonino-in-three-team-trade-with-san-jose-and-montreal/c-341774568] is a great story, he shouldn’t have been any team’s first option for a depth forward during this deadline period. Bonino is a month away from turning 35-years-old and doesn’t have the same step he did when he was winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins. Being out week-to-week before anyone could really see what Bonino can bring to the Penguins bottom-six isn’t ideal, but again, he shouldn’t have been the first option. In reality, none of the the three new faces should have been Hextall’s first option; Hextall acquired three pieces that he likely turned to after striking out on bigger names. Hextall jumped for Granlund instead of Brock Boeser or even J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. The Penguins were a team in on Jakob Chychrun until he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators; having missed that opportunity, Hextall turned to Kulikov. Bonino is a solid option to replace Teddy Blueger, but depth centers like Ivan Barbashev or even Nick Bjugstad were missed out on. Hextall waited too long to make any moves of substance and got stuck with backup options. None of the players added have helped the Penguins improve and now thanks to Hextall’s decision making, they might miss the postseason for the first time in 16 years. If the Penguins miss out on the playoffs, or even lose in the first round, that should be the end of Hextall in Pittsburgh. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more! Playing Field Leveled in Penguins Chase for Wild Card [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/podcasts/playing-field-leveled-pittsburgh-penguins-chase-wild-card] Playoffs Won't Stop Changes From Coming for Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/playoffs-wont-stop-changes-coming-pittsburgh-penguins] Penguins Focused On Gaining Ground in Wild Card Race [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-focused-gaining-ground-wild-card-race] Penguins Loss Pulls Them Out of Wild Card Spot [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-loss-pulls-out-wild-card-spot] Penguins Record Almost 50 Shots in Fourth Straight Loss [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-almost-50-shots-fourth-straight-loss] * undefined * undefined
