Penguins Perspectives: Your move, Ron
Welcome to Penguins Perspectives, a weekly column by KDKA-TV Digital Producer Patrick Damp. Each Monday, Patrick will talk about the week that was, the week to come, what to watch for, and more.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A growing chorus of Penguins fans have been singing from the same hymnal lately and while I tried to ignore it, the song became so loud I had to listen.
The refrain is simple: Ron Hextall needs to make a move.
While I don't totally disagree, I also acknowledge that as I write this Tristan Jarry is hurt. Kris Letang is hurt. Jeff Petry is hurt. Marcus Pettersson got sick.
Those are four very key contributors to the Penguins' defense that are unavailable and as good as P.O. Joseph has been, Ty Smith has shown promise, and Jan Rutta being steady is, that's a lot to be missing.
I also know this – this team is not good enough.
Similar to what I wrote last week as I worked to decide whether this is a good team that's mired in a slump or a flawed team that finds itself competitive from time to time.
No, it didn't take a mere week to make a declarative statement but watching them against Winnipeg on Friday night without some key pieces, did bring me closer to an answer.
They're a shallow roster.
And that is where the problem truly lies and lies at the feet of General Manager Ron Hextall.
It's been nearly two years since Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned as the Penguins' GM and Ron Hextall has been here about that long – it didn't take much time for Hextall to be named Rutherford's replacement.
Where Rutherford was the old-school gunslinging general manager that would make a move simply to make a move, Hextall is much more methodical, much more willing to see if what he's built will work.
Well, I think it's time to say that so far what he has built isn't working.
That's not to say re-signing Malkin, Letang, and Rust wasn't smart. Those three have done their jobs and what is expected of them. The same goes for bringing back Rickard Rakell.
The top six is fantastic. They're scoring, they're fast, and it seems no matter which way Head Coach Mike Sullivan configures the wings, they produce.
Hextall's problem, however, is his depth moves have proven to be a problem.
While he's a cult hero and fan favorite, Jeff Carter has disappointed.
He has seven goals but only five of those have had a goalie in the net for them. Hextall clearly brought Carter back because he's a playoff performer – in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Penguins, he's scored eight goals. You can't ask for much more from a depth player in the postseason than that.
But getting there right now is completely in flux.
Meanwhile, this offseason it appeared the Penguins' return to Kasperi Kapanen was going to reach its end. While that return was a Jim Rutherford move, this summer Hextall decided after a disappointing 2021-22 season, to offer Kapanen a two-year, $3.2 million per season contract.
While Kapanen has improved slightly as of late, it took him being scratched for several games to get there. When you're given that kind of contract extension you must produce. 17 points in 32 games are not enough, especially when you were acquired with the intention of playing in the top six, not the bottom six.
The Penguins are once again reverting to a place they were in the mid-2010s.
They're hoping that their top six can carry the team to success while not worrying about the bottom six.
However, there are two problems with that bet – first is that Crosby and Malkin are no longer in their early-20s. They're still elite talents, but they're no longer the Thanos of the National Hockey League. There's no Infinity Gauntlet they can snap and take over a game at a moment's notice.
The other problem is that the best teams in the league have depth. Sure, the fourth line isn't putting up 20+ goals or scoring at a pace a first line does, but right now, no player outside of the Penguins' top-six forwards has more than 20 points.
That's a problem because if you remember the mid-2010s, the book on how to beat the Penguins was simple – shut down the Penguins' top six and their depth won't be able to make up for their lack of production.
The good news for Hextall is finding depth and off-loading contracts might not be as hard as expected, despite teams being in salary cap quagmires like he is.
If you watched the IIHF World Junior Championships, you know the name, Connor Bedard.
He will be the first overall pick this summer, especially after a nine-goal, 23-point performance at the WJC…in seven games played.
Right now, seven NHL teams find themselves 10 or more points out of a playoff spot, and by this time of the season, being more than 10 points out of the playoff picture means you likely will be watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs from home.
For Hextall, teams like Chicago, Anaheim, Arizona, Montreal, and San Jose should be on speed dial.
"You want Bedard, I want another Stanley Cup for Sidney Crosby, let's make a deal."
This is the caveat I will add, however, in the two-ish seasons Hextall has been general manager, his deadline work has been solid.
Sure, I've been tough on Carter, but at the time, it appeared to be a career-revitalizing move, scoring nine goals in just 14 games after his acquisition.
Rickard Rakell has been a consistent, productive top-six forward.
This deadline, though, is a huge test for Hextall. The team is in a funk, their depth is not working out, and they need a spark. It's going to be on him and the front office to provide it.
Their top need remains a third-line center. As I said last week, someone who could kick-start Carter and Kapanen. Whether that's someone like Adam Henrique from Anaheim or Max Domi from Chicago, the Penguins desperately need an answer at 3C away from Jeff Carter.
The mandate from the new ownership was clear: win.
Right now, this is a roster that doesn't possess the necessary tools to win a championship, but it could.
While a trade isn't going to make this roster healthy, even at 100 percent this team has holes. This is a bit of a make-or-break moment for Hextall's tenure as Penguins' GM.
This isn't a team worth just sitting on your hands for and waiting for the offseason for reinforcements, the clock is ticking - fast - for your franchise cornerstones and time is the one entity in sports you cannot get back.
Patience can certainly be a virtue, but for the precarious position these Penguins are in, it's a poison pill.
It's high time for Hextall to find the antidote.