In his tenure as the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager, Ron Hextall had his fair share of ups and downs. While there were some bright spots, there were also many blemishes that left a mark on his legacy. Hextall took the reins on February 9th, 2021, with the goal of turning around a struggling Penguins team after the sudden departure of Jim Rutherford. However, his time at the helm was marred by controversial moves that drew criticism from fans and analysts alike.
Kyle Dubas, the current Penguins general manager, has had to clean up the mess left behind by Hextall’s regime. Dubas has been tasked with undoing some of the questionable decisions made by his predecessor in an effort to steer the team back in the right direction. Let’s take a closer look at the five worst moves made by Ron Hextall during his time as Penguins general manager.
One of Hextall’s missteps was the signing of Jeff Carter to a hefty contract. Carter’s performance quickly declined after signing the deal, with his point production dwindling to a fraction of what it once was. This led to Carter becoming a healthy scratch candidate, limiting the team’s ability to make other roster moves. Despite being the subject of trade rumors, Carter remained on the Penguins roster due to a lack of interest from other teams.
Another questionable move was the acquisition of Mikael Granlund from the Nashville Predators. Hextall paid a premium for Granlund in a last-ditch effort to bolster the team’s lineup as they faced the possibility of missing the playoffs for the first time in years. However, Granlund failed to live up to expectations, struggling to produce offensively and becoming a burden on the team’s salary cap. He was eventually traded by Dubas as part of a larger deal to shake up the roster.
It was evident that Hextall’s tenure was filled with decisions that backfired, leaving the Penguins in a precarious position. While there were moments of promise, such as Carter’s initial impact on the team’s depth, these were overshadowed by the negative repercussions of some of Hextall’s moves. As the Penguins look to regroup and move forward under Dubas’ leadership, it will be crucial to learn from the mistakes of the past in order to avoid similar missteps in the future.