NHL trade deadline: Penguins face painful questions about their future

Just start with the basics, and things were already bad for the Pittsburgh Penguins this week.

They didn’t just lose to the Edmonton Oilers, they were shellacked by a score of 7-2. This slump isn’t just a four-game losing streak, it’s a skid where the Penguins haven’t even reached overtime, meaning they collected zero of a possible eight standings points.

Add some context and things get even worse. Fans were mad enough to call for GM Ron Hextall’s head. Even Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin drew some grumbles.

As the 2023 NHL trade deadline approaches, the Penguins face painful questions about their future, both in the short and long term. Considering the team’s haunting weaknesses and the daunting challenges of facing a team like the Boston Bruins or Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, it’s tough to imagine a long playoff run. Of course, there’s no guarantee the Penguins make the playoffs at all.

So, what should they do? Let’s explore the ways the Penguins might unpack this puzzle.

Path 1: Hextall tries to save his job with a desperate trade deadline

For all of Hextall’s stumbles as a GM (now with the Penguins, before with the Flyers), he deserves credit for how he handled questions about those chants.

“It doesn't impact me at all,” Hextall said. “I understand the fans' frustration. We have high expectations as well, and we haven't met them. So, I totally get it.”

Crucially, Hextall claimed it wouldn’t affect his decisions, and he also noted that the Penguins are “not looking to spend big assets on rentals.” He also noted the Penguins are “jammed up” when it comes to the salary cap, although he did get some unexpected relief on Saturday when the St. Louis Blues claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen and his $3.2 million cap hit for this season and next.

These are all important considerations because the Penguins aren’t a rental away from joining the East’s elite. Hextall himself noted well-founded criticisms of the team’s bottom-six forwards, while goaltending is an issue. That might imply the Penguins are just a few tweaks from joining the East’s contenders. Instead, they’re a team that creates plenty of offense but also gives up a lot of chances. Evolving Hockey’s Team RAPM chart is one way to see that all in a single image. Or you could also just lean on something like their minus-3 goal differential and compare that to the mighty Bruins (plus-93) and Hurricanes (plus-48).

To be clear: the Penguins aren’t a terrible team. Instead, they’re flawed, and stand little chance against a top team.

Normally, those thoughts would actually square nicely with a common criticism of Hextall: that he’s often patient to the point of seemingly doing nothing. Doing nothing would be better than a reckless grasp at relevance. Yet, with Hextall’s job possibly not being safe, there’s the risk of chasing quick fixes.

Ideally, the Penguins would take the playoffs out of their grand plans and focus instead on the short and long-term future. That could mean waiting until the offseason entirely, but the Penguins could also get creative at the trade deadline.