Yesterday, Ron Hextall was made available to the media. He had a short session and directly commented on some of the things people are interested in including the Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang contract situations.
Here are some of the comments from his session
GM Ron Hextall on the Penguins' performance in the playoffs: "We certainly felt like we were in that series… We felt like we had a good enough team that we could have gotten it done. Our plan is to continue to try to win a Stanley Cup. FSG is on board."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 23, 2022
The takeaway here is this is Ron Hextall’s understated way of saying the Fenway Sports Group is on board with his plan. The team is going to keep trying to be competitive. I think it is the better path at the moment. They will likely never win another Cup in this era, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be entertaining and competitive. If Sidney Crosby is still playing at a high level it seems counter-intuitive to lean into a rebuild.
To stay competitive you need to have difference makers throughout the lineup. With Bryan Rust locked up we have two difference makers without a contract who in my opinion need one. Do the Penguins intend on making it happen?
Ron Hextall on Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang's contract situations: "We have had discussions very recently, and will continue those. We would like to sign both players. We’d like to keep Geno as a Pittsburgh Penguin for the rest of his career; Tanger is the same."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 23, 2022
Ron Hextall is saying the right things here. However, words do not mean much to me on this front. I think it is pretty dumb these two haven’t already been extended. There’s enough cap space and enough potential roster flexibility to make it happen.
When asked specifically about where the sides are on term, Ron Hextall said, "What I can tell you is they're both great athletes who have been here a long time and are performing at a high level right now. We'd certainly like to have them in the mix in September."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 23, 2022
If you can give Bryan Rust term you can give these two term. Malkin and Letang are older. They are also better and are coming off of strong seasons. It is impressive for Malkin considering his knee injury. People have glossed over the fact he is 35 coming off of a major injury and still put up a point per game and was on pace for 40 goals. I don’t even think Malkin and/or Letang are looking for six years like Rust. Speaking of Rust
Ron Hextall said that Bryan Rust had a minor procedure done on his knee a few days ago. "It was just a cleanup." He'll be fine and ready to go for training camp.
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 23, 2022
Rust looked a little off in the playoffs and I am not surprised he needed a surgery. It was unfortunate he wasn’t at 100%, but this is the reality of every team in the playoffs
When @MikeDeFabo asked Ron Hextall if, looking back, there was anything missing or something he wishes he had more of in terms of the identity of the team, he quipped: "A little more cap space would be great."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 23, 2022
Thanks for reading!