Mark Madden's Hot Take: Penguins GM Ron Hextall faces tough decisions with personnel moves

Since becoming GM, Ron Hextall has paid what is likely mere lip service to the concept of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ window being open: One more Stanley Cup being attainable with the core three. That’s the part hopeful fans latch onto.

But Hextall also has spoken about restocking the system and making tough decisions.

That’s the part everybody should listen to.

Hextall, president of hockey operations Brian Burke, team ownership and management surely see these Penguins aren’t championship caliber.

The Penguins aren’t skilled or fast enough to play the speed-based style to which they stubbornly cling. The NHL has gone heavy, but the Penguins have little physicality and size. That’s especially evident in front of their net. The core three aren’t what they were, to varying degrees. The goaltending is OK, but not special. Their fourth-line players don’t belong in the NHL. Many of the mistakes made are startling.

The Penguins were legit Cup contenders from 2008-18, winning thrice. That’s impressive.

But now they’re disintegrating organically, just like multiple Cup-winners before them in Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. Aging out. Nobody should be blamed. Nobody should be mad.

There’s no trade to be made that can fix the Penguins. No more of the future can be mortgaged, anyway. It would be throwing good after bad.

The Penguins refuse to change how they play. To wit, the power play is exactly the same no matter who coaches it. But adjusting their method wouldn’t help enough.

The Penguins are just an average team now. They are determined. That’s why they’re 12-9-1 despite all their flaws. But they’re not very good.

With all due respect to Jim Rutherford and what he accomplished, Hextall is a better GM for this job.

Hextall plays the long game. He did that at his last GM job, Philadelphia, and the Flyers are reaping the benefits — with him gone. That’s why a lot of GMs and coaches don’t play the long game. Hextall’s Flyers made the playoffs in two of his four seasons, so perhaps he can engineer rebuilding even as the Penguins stay decent (but don’t contend). That’s not an easy task.

Let’s look at what Hextall said that most ignored.

Hextall said tough decisions will have to be made. Only two tough decisions exist: whether to trade Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. (Sidney Crosby isn’t going anywhere.) Talked-about franchise resistance to trading stars may not apply if they’re not stars anymore.

Hextall said the Penguins must restock their system.

That first will manifest itself when Hextall trades from his surplus of left-sided defensemen. Here’s betting the return is prospects and/or draft picks, not help for now. That kind of deal won’t be made anymore. Don’t be surprised if the defenseman traded is whoever brings the most return, not whoever it’s perceived they least can afford to deal. Brian Dumoulin could go.

The Penguins under Hextall will get bigger and more physical. Not because Hextall is revisiting the traditional thug life of his old employer, but because it’s necessary. That’s the NHL’s direction.

That could put coach Mike Sullivan in jeopardy. Sullivan had no use for Ryan Reaves. He’s a believer in speed, not physicality. Sullivan won’t coach any different if he isn’t yet. He isn’t Hextall’s guy in the first place.

No moves made by Hextall will constitute betrayal. He has no allegiance to whoever departs, and it’s time for changes to be made that help the franchise.

Moving forward, listen to what’s said instead of just hearing what you want to. People who won Stanley Cups will be sacrificed. That’s the nature of the beast.

Tom Barrasso, Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Ulf Samuelsson and Kevin Stevens played prominent roles in winning two Stanley Cup championships for the Penguins in 1991 and ’92. None played the rest of his career with the Penguins.