Pittsburgh Penguins Fire General Manager Ron Hextall and Top Executives After Missing Playoffs for the First Time in 17 Years
Key Highlights :
The Pittsburgh Penguins have parted ways with their general manager Ron Hextall, director of hockey operations Brian Burke, and assistant general manager Chris Pryor after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. This decision came a day after the club finished the season with a 40-31-11 record and ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference, ending the longest active postseason streak in major North American professional sports.
The Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry and company chairman Tom Werner released a joint statement saying that the team would benefit from new hockey operations leadership. They added that they still believe in the core group of players and that the goal of contending for the Stanley Cup has not changed.
Hextall and Burke were hired in February 2021, shortly after the abrupt midseason resignation of former general manager Jim Rutherford, who built a team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. The duo was tasked with keeping together a core that includes franchise pillars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
While Hextall did manage to sign Malkin and Letang to team-friendly deals last summer, the majority of the decisions to build around the club's core backfired. Pittsburgh struggled to generate much offense outside of its top two lines and received little help from its defensemen outside of Letang and Marcus Pettersson. Goaltending also became an issue, as injuries and inconsistent play at the position cost the Penguins dearly in the 2021 and 2022 playoffs.
The search for a new general manager will begin immediately, with several members of the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton taking over day-to-day operations in the interim. The team's longtime head coach Mike Sullivan will also assist during the transition, a sign that the club has no intention of moving on from Sullivan, who signed a contract extension last fall that will run through the 2026-27 season.
Hextall was hired in 2013 and led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2016, while Burke was hired in 2011 and helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009. Pryor was hired in 2015 and was in charge of player development. The Penguins have missed the playoffs in each of the past six seasons.
The Penguins' decision to fire Hextall, Burke, and Pryor highlights the organization's commitment to return to its winning ways. With Crosby, Malkin, and Letang in the twilight of their careers, the team needs a fresh perspective to build around its core and put the Penguins back on the path to success. Fans are eagerly anticipating the announcement of a new general manager and the team's plans for the future.
