Penguins Update: In Ron We Trust?

We used to have a saying in these parts.

In Ray we trust.

That was nearly a decade and two general managers ago. I don’t know if the same could be said of present Penguins GM Ron Hextall. Indeed, he’s come under increasing heat for the team’s wobbly performance this season.

I don’t envy him. Haven’t from the day he was hired to replace Jim Rutherford at the Pens’ helm nearly two years ago to the day. It was roughly akin to being named emperor of Rome just as the empire was set to crumble, or captain of the RMS Titanic just after the luxury liner sideswiped the iceberg.

From the start, Hextall was tasked with an almost impossible two-pronged mandate. Keep the aging Pens on a short list of Stanley Cup contenders and stop hemorrhaging draft picks…a favored practice of his predecessor. All the while adding players to the mix that finicky coach Mike Sullivan would use. Kind of like trying to shove an elephant through the eye of a needle.

Indeed, Hextall needed to be letter perfect with his moves.

Upon review, some were a rousing success. Others…not so much.

On the plus side, his trade deadline acquisitions of Jeff Carter and Rickard Rakell worked out remarkably well. GMRH displayed a lot of patience, skill and nerve in signing franchise icons Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to comparatively low-cost extensions, along with securing the services of Rakell and Bryan Rust for less than the going market rate.

But as they say, the devil is in the details. In fleshing out the supporting cast, Hextall’s fallen well short of the mark. In the process accelerating the team’s decline from contender to also-ran.

I’ll give him an “A” for effort for trying to improve the team’s defense (and cap situation) with his ambitious summertime Jeff Petry-for-Mike Matheson and John Marino-for-Ty Smith swaps. Although Petry’s been mostly solid, the deals haven’t quite panned out as intended. Especially with Smith languishing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, at least partly on merit according to reports.

Upon further review, Hextall’s parted ways with a host of players he should’ve retained (Jared McCann, Brandon Tanev, Frederick Gaudreau, Evan Rodrigues) and kept players he should’ve cut loose (Kasperi Kapanen and Danton Heinen). Nor have his prominent free-agent signings (Brock McGinn and Jan Rutta) been anything to write home about.

Perhaps none of Hextall’s moves sum up the mixed-bag nature of his tenure to date better than l’afaire Carter. A goal-scoring revelation upon his arrival at the 2021 deadline, the big center initially flourished with 21 goals, 37 points and a plus-8 in his first 50 regular-season games. Right up to the time Hextall rewarded him with a two-year extension last January 26.

Since then? Jeff has 15 goals, 39 points with a minus-16 in 93 games and is fading fast.

The head-scratching two-year extension of pending RFA Kapanen at an AAV of $3.2 million following a down year? Equally egregious.

That’s a lot of baggage for a team to haul around. Indeed, rather than buoying us up, most of Hextall’s moves seem to be weighing us down like an anchor.

In his defense, no GM gets it right all the time. It’s the ability to work through mistakes that makes an effective executive.

Up till now, Hextall’s played a waiting game. Perhaps he wants to see how the team will perform with all hands on deck before making a move. Since Kris Letang’s return on January 20, the Pens have gone a mediocre 5-5-2 (0-3-1 against Metro Division rivals).

The wild card, of course, is goaltender Tristan Jarry, who returned to the black-and-gold net Tuesday night following a lengthy absence. If Jarry can regain the form that helped him post a 16-5-5 record before the injury bug bit, the Pens may have a shot at a turnaround.

With the trade deadline looming in nine days, it doesn’t leave much time for evaluation.

If the Pens don’t show a pulse? Given his somewhat checkered track record, not to mention cap constraints at least partly of his doing, will Hextall be able to make moves to right the Pens’ listing ship?

A huge question mark at this stage.

Which begs another question. Should he try?

Even if by some miracle Hextall’s able to pull a rabbit or two out of his hat at the deadline, will it move the needle enough to make us a playoff team? And even if the Pens make the playoffs…no lock even with help…would we be able to slay an Eastern Conference Goliath like Boston or Carolina, our likely choice of first-round foe?

Does it make more sense for Hextall to be a (selective) seller rather than a buyer?

Some food for thought. Since our seven-game winning streak in December, we’ve gone 9-12-5 for a points percentage of .442. Only six teams in the league have a worse points percentage on the season.

When you think about it, that’s roughly where we sit in the grand scheme of things. Even during a comparative hot streak prior to the All-Star break, we lost to the likes of Ottawa and San Jose and struggled to beat bottom-feeder Anaheim. We’ve been much worse against playoff-caliber foes.

This year’s draft is a deep one. While landing generational talent Connor Bedard might be too much to hope for, if Hextall sells off a significant piece or two (pending UFAs Jason Zucker and Jarry?) perhaps we finish low enough on the NHL totem pole to snag an impact player in the draft. One who could potentially jump start a rebuild on the fly.

A bold move to say the least. But perhaps worth considering.