A move-by-move look at Ron Hextall's tenure as Penguins general manager

Here is a look at the significant deals made by Ron Hextall in his two-plus years as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins:

April 11, 2021

Penguins acquire: Forward Jeff Carter

Los Angeles Kings acquire: 2022 third-round pick (conditional), a 2023 fourth-round pick

Carter was good at first, filling in for an injured Evgeni Malkin and playing well in a first-round playoff loss to the Islanders. He fizzled from there.

July 17, 2021

Penguins: Forward Filip Hallander, 2023 seventh-round pick

Toronto Maple Leafs: Jared McCann

Looking to alleviate a cap crunch and get his expansion draft protection list in order, Hextall made a significant misstep. McCann scored 40 goals for Seattle this season.

July 21, 2021

Penguins: Lost forward Brandon Tanev to the Seattle Kraken in expansion draft

After protecting Jeff Carter (and Kasperi Kapanen) in the expansion draft, the Penguins lost Tanev, a forechecking fantatic who, in hindsight, was missed in the team’s bottom six.

July 28, 2021

Penguins: Signed forward Brock McGinn to four-year, $11 million deal

Along with the signing of Danton Heinen, part of an effort to reshape the team’s bottom six forwards. While it’s hard to pin blame individually on McGinn, the bottom six was not good.

Jan. 5, 2022

Penguins: Forward Alex Nylander

Chicago Blackhawks: Forward Sam Lafferty

Nylander showed a little bit of promise late this season. Lafferty scored 10 goals in 51 games with Chicago before being dealt to Toronto. Another player whose absence was unexpectedly felt in the bottom six.

Jan. 26, 2022

Penguins: Signed forward Jeff Carter to two-year, $6.25 million deal

One of the worst decisions of Hextall’s tenure. When Carter was on the ice at even strength this season, the Penguins were outscored 46-30, and he was paid well for those results.

March 21, 2022

Penguins: Forward Rickard Rakell

Anaheim Ducks: Forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon, goaltender Calle Clang, 2022 second-round pick

One of Hextall’s finest moments. While Aston-Reese and Simon might have helped out the bottom six, Rakell emerged as an integral part of the top six.

May 21, 2022

Penguins: Signed forward Bryan Rust to six-year, $30.75 million deal

A reasonable deal for a versatile forward, but a down year for Rust took a little of the luster off.

July 5, 2022

Penguins: Signed goalie Casey DeSmith to a two-year, $3.6 million deal

In hindsight, given Jarry’s health, the Penguins needed a more accomplished backup goaltender.

July 7, 2022

Penguins: Signed defenseman Kris Letang to a six-year, $36.6 million deal

Hextall’s greatest lasting achievement might be getting Letang and Evgeni Malkin under contract at bargain cap numbers. Despite suffering another stroke, Letang had another strong season.

July 11, 2022

Penguins: Signed forward Rickard Rakell to six-year, $30 million deal

Looks like a bargain after a 28-goal, 60-point season.

July 12, 2022

Penguins: Signed forward Evgeni Malkin to four-year, $24.4 million deal

Negotiations weren’t pretty, necessarily, but this was a win for Hextall. Malkin had an outstanding season, posting 82 points and playing in all 82 games.

July 16, 2022

Penguins: Defenseman Jeff Petry, forward Ryan Poehling

Montreal Canadiens: Defenseman Mike Matheson, 2023 fourth-round draft pick

Petry suffered through an injury plagued season, and in general, the Penguins’ defense corps was worse this season than the year before. Poehling was a decent bottom-six addition. Matheson’s skating was missed.

July 16, 2022

Penguins: Defenseman Ty Smith, 2023 third-round pick in 2023 NHL Draft.

New Jersey Devils: Defenseman John Marino

Marino played a key role for the resurgent Devils and Smith was stuck in Wilkes-Barre most of the year due to a roster logjam and salary cap constraints.

July 21, 2022

Penguins: Signed forward Kasperi Kapanen to two-year, $6.4 million deal

Hextall paid pretty much the going rate for a 25-year-old forward with goal-scoring pedigree, but his tenure with the Penguins proved dismal until he was claimed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues.

March 1, 2023

Penguins: Forward Mikael Granlund

Nashville Predators: A 2023 second-round pick

Granlund isn’t a bad player, per se, but his $5 million cap hit for two more seasons could be brutal handcuff for the new GM.

March 3, 2023

Penguins: Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov

Anaheim Ducks: Forward Brock McGinn, a 2024 third-round pick

Kulikov was a nonfactor for the Penguins, playing six games. The biggest addition was the $2.75 million in cap space McGinn would have consumed for the next two seasons.

March 1, 2023

Penguins: Defenseman Peter DiLiberatore, 2024 third-round pick

Vegas Golden Knights: Forward Teddy Blueger

Blueger having a bad year was a big reason the bottom six faltered this season, but his presence on the penalty kill was missed.

March 3, 2023

Penguins: Forward Nick Bonino

San Jose Sharks: Rights to defenseman Arvid Henriksson from Montreal, 2023 fifth-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick from Penguins

Montreal Canadiens: Defenseman Tony Sund, 2024 fifth-round pick from San Jose

A heart-and-soul player from the 2016-17 Cup teams, Bonino suffered a lacerated kidney and only played three games with the Penguins. Can’t blame Hextall for that one.