Before the Penguins returned to the ice for practice on Sunday coming out of their bye week/All-Star break that began on Jan. 29, general manager Ron Hextall spoke to the media about the state of the team.
Here's what he had to say about the Penguins, who are currently in the second Wild Card spot - three points behind Washington with four games in hand, and one point ahead of Buffalo, who has one game in hand on Pittsburgh.
Hexy Says: "We Would Like To Get Better"
The Penguins general manager spoke to the media about the state of the team coming out of the break
On the status of Tristan Jarry, who missed the last three games leading into the bye week: "He's still day to day, made improvements over the break. I think the break probably did him some good. I know he did some rehab on his own. He's skating today. We're going to monitor his progress day by day from here, but we certainly don't expect him to be out very long."
On how he would assess his top two goaltenders, Jarry and Casey DeSmith: "Great question. I think our team has been very inconsistent this year. I think we've had moments where we've been very good. I think we've had moments where we haven't been very good. When you tie the goalies into it, I think it's probably fair to say that for the most part, Jars has been pretty good. Little bit of inconsistency. I think Casey's been good at times. I think the Washington game was a great example where he was very good. Other times, he hasn't been as good as we need him to be. But again, I think that's reflective of a lot of players on our team. We're looking for more consistency from here through the end of the year from individuals, but also from the group."
On if the mandate from ownership is still to win now, and the plan going into the trade deadline: "We would like to get better. Sometimes getting better is making a move that maybe is a better fit than what we have. When I look at our team on paper, I like our team. When I look at some of the games and the results, I don't like it as much. Sometimes you get better when you make a move with a certain player that fits better, whether it's internal or external. So, we'll continue to look here at upgrades. We got to be creative with our cap situation. But I think 22 teams are either within $2 million of the cap, or on LTIR (long-term injured reserve), so there's a lot of teams that are in a tight situation here, and certainly, we're one of them. We're going to have to be creative, but we'd certainly like to find something that upgrades our group, and maybe it's a better fit."
On if they could become sellers at the deadline with a playoff spot not guaranteed: "I certainly hope not. If we play the way we're capable of playing, I see us certainly making the playoffs. With injuries and with our inconsistencies this year, I guess it's a fair question. But as I said, I think when you look at our top players, for the most part, they've performed well. I think some of our role players need to need to be better at times, and we certainly expect that."
On the cost of moving salary being a first-round pick, and if the Penguins are willing to do that: "I would say that's not on the table. I haven't been asked for that. Conversations, I think, are starting to pick up with a lot of guys. But there's not a lot of teams that are looking to see what's out there, kind of grabbing the group saying 'okay, we'd be interested in this or this.' That's on both sides, whether you're a buyer or a seller. Obviously, we saw the big (trade) the other day with the Islanders, but there's not a lot of teams right now that are looking to jump and kind of get down to the fine strokes here. But certainly, the talk is picking up. But in terms of first-round picks for getting salary out, I don't see that as being an option for us."
On how he would evaluate the job Mike Sullivan has done, and if there's any concern that his message doesn't resonate the same way it did earlier in his tenure: "I think when you look at our organization, we've been consistent. It starts with me. I put the players on the ice. Sully coaches the players, the players play. So I think when I look at the whole group here, we all have to be more consistent. We've got to be better on a nightly basis… We play our great games, and we play our bad games. We got to bring those games up, whether it's back to backs, three in four, I think we got 33 in 66. Now, it's a tough schedule, we all know, but every team is in the same boat. So in terms of Sully, I think Sully is a terrific coach. I would put him up against any coach in the league. And if there's any players that that are not responding to him, I would more look to move those players. Sully's a great coach."
On if an area to upgrade is the bottom-six forward group: "I think it's fair to say. The chemistry there hasn't been like we hoped it would be. There's times we've had some chemistry down there, but I think over the course of the year, the chemistry hasn't been that great. Chemistry is a tough thing to define when you're talking about a line or a hockey team or the defense or a forward group. But you can kind of feel it and see it when it's there, and I think that's somewhere where we can look to hopefully improve."
On adding more grit and energy there: "When (Josh Archibald) goes out of the lineup, that hurt us. Archie's a gritty guy, he's a high-energy guy. He's played with different combinations this year, but just say Poehls (Ryan Poehling), Teddy (Blueger), and Archie. They go out there and they create a lot of energy for us. They might not score, but they have O-zone time, they create energy for us. Sid's line follows up and the building's rocking, and all of a sudden, we score a goal. People don't look back and go well, the fourth line went out there and created some energy. So, I think that's fair to say. We're hoping Archie's back soon here. But I think grit and energy, that's fair to say. Whether it's from within or outside, we would look in that direction."
On if he feels like he has to make a deal, or if this group as currently constructed could find a spark: "It's really dangerous to feel like you have to make a deal. Because quite frankly, you look at the history, and all of a sudden you make a bad deal. We're not going to make a deal and make a bad deal; we're going to make a deal because we feel like it makes our team better. In terms of just the chemistry part that I'm talking about, we can bring a piece in and we think it'll fit better with our group here, and maybe connect the line. That's what we'll look to do. But I've never felt pressured to make a deal for the sake of making a deal. I'd like to make a deal to make our team better."
On maybe adopting a philosophy that revolves around leaving more cap space in the future versus spending to the cap:"Well, I had an unwritten rule a few years ago to keep $2 million in cap space, just to allow call-ups and possible deadline. With the flat cap, quite frankly, it's become much more difficult. Do you want to go into the into the season with a team that you think is a little lesser and go those first two or three months with maybe one lesser player or a player that's not as good as that one player? It's a tough question to answer. But I think last summer, we wanted to sign (Evgeni Malkin), we wanted to sign (Kris Letang) and we knew it was going to cost us. So, we obviously stretched them out, as we've talked about. But if you're asking me if I'd rather have one less of our top players and have a couple million dollars, I would say the answer's no."
On the play of Evgeni Malkin, who's nearing 1,200 points:"He's been really good. I think after the injury (last year), getting so much time under his belt, I think he's skating a lot better this year. He's a very hungry player. He's been great. I mean, there's times where it's like, holy cow, how do you stop this guy? So yeah, Geno has been good. Certainly, no complaints. I think he brings a lot to our room."
On how to continue to sort of build for the future while addressing the current needs that this team has: "My job is to look at this team today, tomorrow, a year from now, 2-3 years from now. Right now, our focus is on having the best team possible this year without doing silly things for the future. But if we can do something to make us better this year, we're going to look to do it. Sully's got to win Tuesday. That's the coach's job. The manager's job is more looking at yes, Tuesday; the deadline; but also, years beyond. But right now, with the team we have, we want to make the playoffs and be as good as we can be going into mid-April. So that is the focus, and the focus will be continue to be there."
