Why I'm even uttering the name "Ron Hextall" is beyond me, seeing as how he has the reverse Midas Touch - everything he touches gets ruined. He's like Charlie Brown - a disgruntled bum who can't seem to figure things out.
The difference between Hextall and Charlie Brown, though? Charlie Brown was at least lovable.
Surprisingly, Hextall did a few things right
Now while I'm a D1 Hextall hater, I won't deny that he got a miteful of things right during his tenure. One of those few things was trading for Rickard Rakell, something that continues to pay dividends for the Penguins even today.
Rakell has been an excellent scorer for Pittsburgh and has the potential to garner an incredible return if the Penguins do decide to trade him. That's one of the moves Hextall got right.
After that, well...maybe I was stretching things when I said he did a few things right.
Awful Trades, Awful Contracts
One move that really came back to bite the Penguins that had the stench of Hextall's meddling all over it was the acquisition of Jeff Petry, Ryan Poehling, and Ty Smith for Mike Matheson, John Marino, and a 4th round pick.
Matheson turned into a real offensive producer since moving on from Pittsburgh, and John Marino immediately went to New Jersey and maintained his persona as a very solid bottom six defenseman.
Meanwhile, the acquisitions among the two trades with Montreal and New jersey lacked meaningful production and had shortlived tenures in Pittsburgh anyway.
Petry was 35 when acquired, and pair that with the ancient relic that is Jeff Carter (Hextall's Philadelphia sweetheart), the Penguins became a retirement home overnight.
Speaking of Jeff Carter, his initial acquisition was fine for what it was worth. But giving a two-year extension worth over $3M to a forward approaching retirement age (for the common man)? It was an unbelievable move of incompetence that most definitely set the Penguins back several years.
Complacency Incarnate
Hextall's hands off nature created the Penguins' downfall. He let the festering Todd Reirden sabotage the power play night in and night out while the team on the ice leaked oil losing to bad teams.
Anyone with a brain could see that the Penguins needed something to change, but Hextall remained complacent to the point where literally nothing changed. The team continued to lose, and the head of descision-making was missing in action.
And then, whenever Hextall did make a move, it was the most egregious thing you've ever seen (refer to Jeff Carter contract extension again). Simple-minded people could make better moves, and the couch-coaches in Pittsburgh were right to be fed up.
Draft-wise, Hextall did not make the most of his chances to bolster the farm either. Owen Pickering is the highest esteemed prospect Hextall drafted in his two years. Pickering spend most of last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
So, what would he be doing now?
Heaven forbid Hextall still had a leash and was still making decisions for the Penguins. Love or hate Kyle Dubas, he doesn't take anything sitting down, and he's been unbelievable with asset management in his short tenure.
Today, if Hextall was still doing his Philly sabotage to all things good and holy, I could see the Penguins doing a couple things.
Firstly, Todd Reirden would still be here sabotaging the power play. Wasn't it so nice last season when the Penguins had a competent power play with future Hall of Famers? Hextall would have been his complacent self and kept him around.
Next, you can bet your bottom dollar the Penguins wouldn't have any first round picks in these upcoming drafts. Hextall didn't have many when he entered his tenure, but in the Kyle Dubas era, the Penguins have had first round picks out the wazoo.
Hextall would have shipped them off in mass for underwhelming talent. Erik Karlsson cost the Penguins a first rounder, but he was coming off a Norris Trophy season. When you look back, that trade in concept was an excellent one for Pittsburgh.
If Hextall would have traded for Karlsson, the Sharks would have been a playoff team last year with the seven first rounders Hextall would have handed them. Not to mention the Penguins would still be shouldering an uninspired Mikael Granlund, Jan Rutta, and Casey DeSmith.
I wouldn't be surprised if Casey DeSmith got a contract extension too. Goalies and contract extensions need to stay out of the same sentence for the Penguins. I'm sure Hextall would have traded for Alexander Georgiev after his debacle with Colorado last season.
Contract extension for him too. Four years, $6M a year.
The bottom line: The Penguins are infinitely better off with anybody other than Ron Hextall. Again, perhaps Kyle Dubas isn't your favorite, but he has made the Penguins better despite the aftermath of Hextall's scorched earth.
Dubas isn't perfect. He's made some bad moves, but the hand he was dealt from Hextall was awful. Maple Leafs fans stalking this, to you I say: Keep being jealous. All that success you guys have enjoyed, winning two playoff series in two decades? Keep it up. You're the Steelers of the NHL.
Stay patient Penguins fans. Things will start to turn around for the good pretty soon. Perhaps sooner than you think.