CRANBERRY TWP, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Pens General Manager Ron Hextall says he doesn’t feel pressure to make a trade. Often when you make a trade just to make a trade, he feels like you make a bad decision. It doesn’t mean he’s content.
Specifically, when it comes to the bottom six forwards. The issues haven’t been the top two lines, but what is missing is from the bottom six.
“I think it’s fair to say the chemistry hasn’t been what we had hoped it would be,” Hextall said Sunday. “There are times we’ve had some chemistry down there, but I think over the course of the year it hasn’t been that great. Chemistry is tough to define when you are talking about a line or a hockey team, or a defense or forward group. You can kind of feel it or see it when it’s there and I think that’s where we hopefully improve.”
Hextall said the injury to forward Josh Archibald has hurt this team, he plays a physical, energy game that no one player has replaced. While he wouldn’t say he would make a trade just to make one or ‘shake things up’, he needs to see better play from a group that includes Jeff Carter, Teddy Blueger, Brock McGinn and, when healthy, Kasperi Kapanen.
“We would like to get better,” Hextall said. “Sometimes getting better is making move that 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 & some of 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 that’s internally or externally. We will continue to look to upgrade. We have to be creative with our cap situation.”
According to Cap Friendly the Pens have $18,000 of cap space, obviously not enough to do anything. Hextall says he would not make a trade to clear cap where he would have to give up a first-round pick as well. There has been speculation with 22 teams within $2 million of the cap, that would be a deal starter. That’s off the table.
The second-year Pens GM didn’t want to consider the thought of the team coming on hard times and being a seller at the deadline. He said if they play the way they are capable of playing they will make the postseason. Simply put, to do that, they don’t need their stars to step up, they need the role players to emerge from their season-long peaks and valleys and show more.
“It’s really dangerous to feel like you have to make a deal because, quite frankly you look at the history, all of a sudden you make a bad deal,” Hextall said. “We are going to make a deal to make our team better. When you can bring a piece in that we think can fit better with our group here, maybe connect a line. That’s what we will look to do. I never felt pressure to make a deal for the sake of making a deal. I would like to make a deal to make our team better.”
He may not say they have to make a trade, but sitting at the final playoff spot with a couple of months to play, they have to make a trade.