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Ron Hextall’s Five Worst Moves as Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager

Ron Hextall Penguins general manager

Ron Hextall‘s time as Penguins general manager was filled with some bright spots, but many blemishes. This article looks at his five worst moves as GM. Ron Hextall took over as Pittsburgh Penguins general manager on February 9th, 2021. He took over with the goal of revitalizing a faltering Penguins team following the dismissal of Jim Rutherford. His run as Penguins general manager was marked with many controversial moves. Hextall’s tenure as general manager is often seen as a largely negative one. Current Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has spent the early part of his tenure cleaning up some of the errors of Hextall’s regime. This article covers the five worst moves made by Ron Hextall as Penguins general manager.

Ron Hextall’s Five Worst Moves as Penguins General Manager

#5. Jeff Carter Signing

Acquiring centre Jeff Carter was one of Ron Hextall’s first significant moves as Penguins general manager. He acquired Carter for a conditional third and fourth-round picks. While Carter played well for the Penguins down the stretch that season, the decision to re-sign him to a two-year, $6.25 million deal was highly criticized. While Carter initially provided a boost to the Penguins’ depth, his performance declined sharply during his new contract.

Impact

Carter’s decline in play was quickly evident. In his first full season, Carter scored 19 goals and 45 points in 76 games while playing as a third-line centre. He had a significant impact on the depth of the team and played a two-way role well.  Over his next seasons under the new contract, Carter scored just 29 and 15 points respectively, while playing in a sheltered fourth-line centre role.

Signing Analysis

Re-signing Carter for the relatively high AAV quickly hurt the Penguins. Carter’s contract as a healthy scratch candidate hindered the Penguins flexibility to make other moves. He quickly became a staple of trade rumours for the Penguins and was ultimately not traded due to an unwillingness from other teams to acquire him without a sweetener.

#4. Mikael Granlund Acquisition

Mikael Granlund was acquired from the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick near the 2023 trade deadline. Acquiring Mikael Granlund was seen as a questionable one, made almost out of desperation. The Penguins were facing missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. As Hextall had failed to acquire other big fish, he paid a premium for a centre that had already been having a substandard season.

Impact

Granlund’s addition was expected to provide the Penguins with a versatile forward capable of producing offensively and defensively. Jeff Carter had degraded into a sheltered fourth-line centre. The belief was that Granlund would take his place and anchor the bottom six and occasionally play in the top six. Instead, Granlund’s production faltered. In his previous 58 games with the Predators, Granlund scored 36 points with a .62 points per game. In the following 21 games with the Penguins, Granlund only scored five points with a measly .24 points per game rate.

Trade Analysis

The trade for Granlund was widely viewed as a misstep. The Penguins gave up an asset in desperation for a player with no fit on the team. Granlund quickly faltered as a Penguin. His significant cap hit of five million dollars for another 2 years became a big problem for a re-tooling Penguins team. At the time new Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas quickly moved Granlund’s contract as part of the Erik Karlsson trade in the 2023 off-season.

#3. Trading Away Mike Matheson 

On July 12th, 2022, The Penguins traded Mike Matheson to the Montreal Canadiens for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. As Petry had spent the past few seasons as a productive right-handed defenceman with the Canadiens, the trade was met with warm reception. Acquiring a young fourth-line centre in Ryan Poehling was seen as a great sweetener. However, this move quickly backfired.

Impact

Jeff Petry was expected to play an important role on the Penguins defence. Playing behind Kris Letang, he was expected to anchor the second pairing and provide depth as another offensive option from the blue line. Petry, however, struggled with injuries and inconsistent play. Petry succeeded in pitching in offensively, with 31 points in 61 games. However, his defensive play was severely lacking. Additionally, Poehling struggled in his depth role on the team. His offensive production was lacking. Comparatively, Matheson has flourished on the Canadiens. The defenceman has spent time leading the young team on the blue line, scoring 96 points in 130 games from the blue line.

Trade Analysis

The Matheson trade was a significant miscalculation. The move aimed to add a veteran presence to the defence but ended up weakening the team overall. Petry’s expensive $6.25 million AAV for three years was quickly identified as a burden on the team. Similarly to Granlund, Petry was dumped in the Erik Karlsson trade, with the Penguins having to retain a quarter of his salary to achieve this. Ryan Poehling was not brought back after his first season as a Penguin. Meanwhile, Mike Matheson continues to play an important role in the rebuild of the Montreal Canadiens as a veteran figure.

#2. Trading Away John Marino

Trading John Marino to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick was a move that significantly weakened the Penguins defence. On the same day as the Jeff Petry trade, Ron Hextall made another misstep. The general manager traded defenceman John Marino to the New Jersey Devils. The move was made largely as a cap dump for the Penguins, as Marino was signed for $4.4 million per season for the next five at the time of the move. There was hope that former first-round pick Ty Smith could pan out into a bottom-four defenceman as well, but instead the trade turned out to be another error during Hextall’s time as general manager.

Impact

Marino quickly established himself as a reliable and skilled defenceman for the Devils, providing solid defensive play and contributing offensively. Marino played a second-pairing role on the Devils, providing steady and reliable support for the young team. Meanwhile, Smith struggled to find a regular spot in the Penguins lineup. He only ever factored into nine NHL games. Trading Marino and not finding a regular use for Smith negatively impacted the depth of the team. Moving Marino made acquiring Petry essential, hurting the team in multiple different ways long-term.

Trade Analysis

The Marino trade was a major misstep. Marino’s development and impact with the Devils highlighted the Penguins mistake in letting him go. Marino was moved to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for two second-round picks. This move was made to facilitate the signing of Brett Pesce while allowing the Devils to recoup assets on Marino. Meanwhile, this trade weakened the Penguins blue line, with the return not having much of an impact for the team. Smith was eventually traded to Carolina as part of the Jake Guentzel trade.

#1. Trading Away Jared McCann and Losing Brandon Tanev to Expansion for Jeff Carter

On July 17th, 2021, Ron Hextall made a massively damaging trade to the Penguins depth. The decision was made to trade Jared McCann to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Filip Hallander and a 2023 seventh-round pick. This was combined with the intentional loss of Brandon Tanev, all to protect Jeff Carter. This trade has ended up having many long-term negative ramifications for the organization.

Impact

Jared McCann was traded from the Leafs to the Seattle Kraken and became a key offensive contributor. He has scored 182 points in 233 games for the team as a fixture in their top-six. Meanwhile, Brandon Tanev, also on the Kraken, has continued his excellence as a fourth-line forward. The fan favourite has scored a respectable 66 points in 178 games. Meanwhile, Carter had one 46-point season and failed to score over 30 points in his subsequent two seasons with the team. Filip Hallander has played three NHL games for the Penguins, scoring zero points in this time.

Trade Analysis

The McCann trade and the decision to protect Carter over Tanev were widely criticized. McCann is signed to a team-friendly $5 million contract until 2027. While Tanev’s AAV of $3.5 million is high, it is justifiable through his play. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter’s second contract with the Penguins was a blight on the team’s cap situation and ranked number five on this list.

Concluding Ron Hextall’s Five Worst Moves as Penguins General Manager

Ron Hextall’s tenure as the Penguins general manager from February 9, 2021, to March 3, 2023, was filled with a mix of gambles and missteps. Taking over from Jim Rutherford, Hextall aimed to revitalize a faltering roster and failed miserably. However, his tenure was often marred by controversial decisions that have had lasting negative impacts on the Penguins. From the questionable re-signing of Jeff Carter to the poorly executed trades involving Mikael Granlund, Mike Matheson, John Marino, and Jared McCann, Hextall’s decisions frequently hurt the Penguins. Current general manager Kyle Dubas has spent much of his early tenure addressing and rectifying mistakes made by Hextall’s regime.

Main Photo Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Rohit Bhamra

Rohit Bhamra

Rohit is a Business Communications graduate from Brock University. He's been watching and following the NHL since 2012. Although he is from Toronto, his favourite team has always been the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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