Should the Penguins Complete the Deconstruct Initiated by Ron Hextall?

The thought’s been buzzing around in the back of my mind for a while now and I figured I’d finally commit it to paper (or e-type).

As unthinkable (perhaps distasteful is a better word) as it would be, should the Penguins bite the bullet and complete the roster deconstruction (or destruction) unintentionally initiated by Ron Hextall?

Tragically for the fans and team alike, not to mention our former GM, most of Hextall’s moves wound up backfiring, including his deals last summer to upgrade our defense and the epicly disastrous Jared McCann-for-Filip Hållander swap. A trade that looks even worse now that the latter has returned to his native Sweden. Leaving our prospective lineup with more holes than a hunk of Swiss cheese.

Going forward, it’s going to require an extraordinary amount of work by our yet-to-be named hockey ops folks to plug the gaps so we can even make the playoffs, let alone legitimately compete for the Stanley Cup.

Nor is our venerated core, which exceeded all expectations last season, getting any younger. Even with a better supporting cast, the chances of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin being injury free and duplicating their exceptional production (a combined 60 goals and 176 points) are probably minimal.

Maybe it’s just me. But I feel like any attempt to prop this team up is just delaying the inevitable.

The talent pool available for the upcoming draft is a deep one. Is it time to leverage our assets and swap them for draft picks and/or prospects? And I’m not just talking about dealing a Jake Guentzel, Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust, but Sid, Geno and Kris Letang, too.

Tear it down to the floorboards and start all over.

That’s what the Blackhawks elected to do. After trying unsuccessfully to retool around their core of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith for several seasons, they gave up the ghost and went all-in for a tear down and rebuild.

The downside? It’s liable to take years before the ‘Hawks are good again.

The ramifications for our Pens would be just as enormous…and onerous. Sell off our big three and our fortunes, on-ice and otherwise, would plummet faster than stock prices during the infamous Black Thursday crash of 1929. Indeed, trading away the guts of our team could potentially alienate the fan base and surely result in a catastrophic collapse, the likes of which haven’t been seen since before Mario Lemieux arrived to save the franchise nearly 40 years ago.

It’s beyond painful to imagine Crosby, Malkin and Letang finishing their careers in any other colors but black and gold. Something that happened to their Windy City compatriots. On a financial note, FSG certainly didn’t fork over $900 million for a cellar-dwelling team. 

Of course, there is another option. Retool on the fly. The Kings, another multi-Cup champion from the 2010s, have reconstructed a competitive young team around veteran cornerstones Anže Kopitar and Drew Doughty while enduring only three down seasons. A relatively quick turnaround.

However, lest you feel a faint flicker of hope, there’s a significant difference between us and our left-coast counterparts. LA had a passel of home-grown youngsters waiting to emerge, including Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Vilarde, Mikey Anderson and Sean Durzi.

Virtually bereft of young talent, the Pens have no such luxury. Even if by some miracle a black-and-gold rebuild can be executed in a few seasons, Sid’s contract will be up by the time we’re competitive again and Geno and Tanger will be on their last legs.

It’s like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle where none of the pieces fit. Talk about being caught between the proverbial rock and hard place.

I’ll finish by referencing another former Cup champion. After winning a Cup in ’08, the Red Wings tried for eight seasons to patch together a team around stalwarts Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, in the process delaying a much-needed rebuild. Although the Wings are finally on the upswing under GM and Motor City icon Steve Yzerman, they haven’t made the playoffs for seven long years. Haven’t even been close.

Unfortunately, I peer into my crystal ball see a similar bleak future stretching out before our Pens.

Penguins Sign Nylander

In the wake of Hållander’s defection, the Pens signed Alex Nylander to a one-year, one-way deal for $775,000.

Since arriving from Chicago on January 5, 2022, in a trade for Sam Lafferty, the 25-year-old forward’s been the creme of our farm system, tallying 39 goals and 80 points in 99 games for the Baby Pens.

During a nine-game trial with the Pens, he opened some eyes with his surprisingly strong all-around play while flashing the instincts and skills that made him the eighth overall pick in the 2016 Entry Draft.

Nylander didn’t look the least bit out of place skating on a line with Malkin and Jason Zucker. A role I personally hope he gets to reprise next season. At least until he proves he can’t handle it.

Singin’ the Blue(ger)s

No fewer than 22 former Pens have suited up for other clubs in the playoffs. Virtually a team’s worth.

One player who hasn’t? Teddy Blueger. He was a healthy scratch for each game during the Golden Knights’ first-round triumph over the Jets.

To say it’s been a rough year for Teddy is an understatement. Following a solid first few seasons, the wheels fell off the wagon for a hard-working player who was once projected to be the Pens’ third-line center for years to come. Leading to his trade to the Golden Knights for a third-round pick.

Let’s hope things turn around for Teddy.

Playoff Sam

History has shown that I don’t get things right too often. So when I do, I feel the need to toot my own horn.

On numerous occasions I pleaded for then-GM Jim Rutherford to acquire power forward Sam Bennett from Calgary. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, the former fourth overall pick had languished, then regressed with the Flames. Yet despite his regular-season woes, he sparkled in the playoffs, earning him the nickname “Playoff” Sam.

Finally, Panthers GM Bill Zito had the good sense to acquire Bennett in 2021 for a second-round pick. Since arriving in South Florida, his career’s been rejuvenated to the tune of 50 goals in 144 regular-season games.

For the record, Bennett has great speed and plays an aggressive, net-crashing, north-south game. He’ll drop the gloves, too. Precisely the type of player we desperately need but never seem to get.