Hextall not feeling pressure as trade deadline nears
If you gave Penguins general manger Ron Hextall a video game and asked him to design his ideal player, a specific archetype emerges.
“Would we like a big power forward that can run you over, go to the net and score goals?” Hextall said. “Of course. Everybody wants one, but there’s not a whole lot of them out there.”
That answer was in response to a broader question about the general vision of the club in the eyes of the front office. But as the March 21 trade deadline approaches, Hextall’s answer also offers a window into his priorities over the next 10 days.
As Hextall explained, almost no player checks all those boxes. How many will the Penguins be able to address?
That largely depends on how Hextall navigates the competing dynamics at play. On one hand, the Penguins are like many teams that are pressed right up against the $81.5 million salary cap limit. Any contract the club takes on, they’ll need to shed one of equal value. Other than the volatile Kasperi Kapanen, who is on the last year of a deal that carries a $3.2 million cap hit, it’s hard to pinpoint what contract could be taken off the books while also making the club better.
Hextall also recognizes the Penguins enter Friday’s matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights carrying the Eastern Conference’s sixthbest record even though they played significant chunks of the season without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He made a point, unprompted, to say he feels comfortable with the depth on defense and likes some of the minor league forward options. For those reasons, he doesn’t necessarily feel pressured to make a move.
“I don’t feel like I have to do anything,” Hextall said, careful not to paint himself into a corner. “But if we can get better, we’re certainly going to do that.”
On the other hand, if Hextall does pull the trigger, a pretty obvious need has emerged: A middlesix winger who can add depth scoring. If he can boost the club’s average height or weight? Even better. And if he’s more than a rental? Fantastic.
“I feel good about the depth of our team. Would we like to add a little bit up front [at the forward position]?” Hextall said. “Yeah, that would be a fair statement.”
Even before Hextall stepped in front of the microphone, the Penguins’ wish list had become rather obvious.
Earlier this season when Crosby and Malkin were recovering from their offseason surgeries, the Penguins counted upon role players to step up — something they did admirably. However, in the past 10 to 20 games, there have been times when that secondary scoring has left something to be desired.
“When you look at maybe our first game, 35 games, depth scoring was there,” Hextall said. “Recently, the numbers just show who it’s dried up for.”
Entering Friday’s matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights, Jeff Carter has one goal in his past 17 games. Evan Rodrigues has scored once in 25 games. Zach AstonReese has one goal in 50 games. Brock McGinn has one goal in 16 games. Dominik Simon has three goals in 52 games. Danton Heinen has scored one goal in 11 games. Teddy Blueger has two goals in his last 18 games.
The list goes on.
The issue has been felt especially hard on Malkin’s wings. Six different forwards have skated alongside Geno since Jan. 11.
Perhaps it was fitting that the same day Kapanen was set to shoulder a demotion that could land him in the press box as a healthy scratch, Hextall was addressing the needs — an apt juxtaposition to explainthe current dilemma.
“I think there’s some guys that need to play a little bit better,” Hextall said. “But I think scoring is usually a little bit of a feel [thing] and I think even sometimes top scores, it comesand goes.”
In terms of what Hextall is willing to give up, the Penguins are set to pick in the first round this summer for the first time since 2019 and they’re beginning to restock a prospect pool that has often been labeled as one of the thinnest in the NHL. Hextall, who earned a reputation as a patient builder, said the Penguins aren’t necessarily thrilled about the idea of moving a future asset.
But he also pointed out that “Wayne Gretzky got traded, right?” So for the right return, almost anythingwould be at least considered.
Hextall mentioned he’s looking for something that will “help us short term but also a little bit longer term,” hinting that he’s searching for something more than just a rental. Will they find one to add a scoringpunch to the middle six?
“We’ve talked to some teams and I have no idea whether it’s going to flush out here,” Hextall said. “We want to be as good as we can be going into playoffs ... Obviously we have a cap situation that we’d have to maneuver around. But if everything aligns and we can add something of that helps us for the push here, we’ll definitely do it.”