Analysis: A stunning lack of support for veteran stars torpedoed Penguins' season

Ron Hextall was almost indignant over the question.

On July 13, less than a day after he had re-signed superstar center Evgeni Malkin — to say nothing of his successful efforts in re-signing franchise defenseman Kris Letang seven days earlier — Hextall was asked what gave him faith that retaining the core of the Pittsburgh Penguins was a sound maneuver, considering the franchise had not won a playoff series the previous five postseasons.

The general manager’s response was resolute.

“These guys are special players,” Hextall said. “These are generational players. These aren’t ‘really good hockey players.’ These are generational players. We still feel like we’re in the mix of the top teams in the league.”

During the 2022-23 campaign, half of that missive proved to be true.

The core — Malkin, Letang and forward Sidney Crosby — all came through in a more than adequate fashion this past season.

Crosby led the team with 93 points (33 goals, 60 assists) in 82 games.

Malkin’s 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists) in 82 games were his best offensive figures in five seasons.

As for Letang, personal strife — a stroke and the death of his father, Claude Fouquet — largely pockmarked his season, but when he was in the lineup, he produced 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 65 games.

Once again, the tried-and-true core largely met the lofty expectations that have been foisted upon it for the better part of 17 years.

And even the key supplement pieces — specifically the top-six wingers — carried their share of the freight for most of the season. Jake Guentzel (36), Rickard Rakell (28), Jason Zucker (27) and Bryan Rust (20) all reached the 20-goal mark.

Those components seemed like a sound foundation to be among the NHL’s “top teams.”

But most of what surrounded the core was rotten.

The bottom six forwards were a mishmash of underwhelming entities who rarely provided sustained contributions while accounting for ample salary cap space.

The since-departed likes of Teddy Blueger, Kasperi Kapanen and Brock McGinn never found chemistry or the net (at least frequently enough).

Meanwhile, the still-present Jeff Carter declined badly after finding something of a renaissance his previous two seasons upon joining the Penguins via a 2021 trade. And Danton Heinen tumbled after a career year in 2021-22.

Ryan Poehling and Drew O’Conner took incremental steps forward, but they provided little impact. And the rambunctious Josh Archibald’s return was more inert than instrumental.

Hextall pinned the hopes of invigorating the bottom two lines primarily on Mikael Granlund, acquired near the trade deadline March 1.

While the bottom-six group was likely a larger problem well beyond repairing with just one player, Granlund never found a fit with any of the mismatched players he was teamed with.

Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Ron Hextall was hired as the Penguins’ general manager on Feb. 9, 2021.

Alleged to be a “coveted” player by other teams according to Hextall, Granlund produced a mere five points (one goal, four assists) in 21 games with the Penguins.

Nick Bonino was brought back via trade to fortify the bottom-six forwards and the penalty kill, but a lacerated kidney ended his encore with the Penguins before it truly began.

If help was available within the system, it rarely got an opportunity to provide it. Beyond O’Connor, the likes of Alex Nylander, Filip Hallander, Jonathan Gruden and Sam Poulin were given infrequent looks at the NHL level.

The blue line may have been an even bigger quagmire.

In mid-July, Hextall tried to retool his group of defensemen by dealing away fleet skaters such as John Marino and Mike Matheson to add stiffer and more defensively conscious rearguards such as Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta.

Injuries largely disrupted Petry’s and Rutta’s debuts in Pittsburgh, but they just seemed like ill-fitting pieces for a team that still tries to outskate the competition.

Along with Letang, Marcus Pettersson was a rare bright spot for the Penguins on the blue line as he seemed to take a true step forward he long has pursued. Were it not for a late-season undisclosed injury, he might have established career highs in points. As it was, in 68 games, he posted 24 points (one goal, 23 assists).

Pettersson’s sound play should make it easy for the Penguins to move on from respected veteran left-hander Brian Dumoulin.

One of the greatest defensive defensemen in franchise history, Dumoulin’s play slipped in 2022-23, a trend that began midway through the 2019-20 campaign when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury.

Despite multiple missteps, Dumoulin actually set a career high with 25 points (one goal, 24 assists) in all 82 games. Regardless, his presumed departure won’t come on a high note.

The team’s lone rookie to last the entire season, left-hander P.O Joseph, finally carved out a place in the lineup to open the season. He showed some intrigue early in the season but began to display signs of fatigue as the campaign wore on.

Another promising left-hander, Ty Smith, would have been on the NHL roster were it not for salary cap concerns created by management. A skilled puck mover, he largely toiled at the AHL level but teased his acumen during a call-up around the holidays.

Spare parts Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Friedman filled in when they were called upon, probably far too routinely for everyone’s liking. And trade-deadline acquisition Dmitry Kulikov never got a chance to offer anything substantial because of a suspected left foot injury.

The Penguins’ net was probably the most complete aspect of the team.

That’s to say neither Tristan Jarry nor Casey DeSmith offered nearly enough for this flawed roster.

Even with the presumed motivation of playing for a new contract, Jarry rarely strung together consistent success. A series of murky injuries beginning in January largely derailed whatever hopes he had in leading this team and will potentially be the leading factor in possibly jettisoning him as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

As for DeSmith — whom Hextall signed to a two-year contract extension a few days before Letang re-signed — he set a career high in games (38), and as a result, his flaws were exposed as he tried to bail water out of the Penguins’ boat with Jarry on the mend so often.

Hextall did well in keeping the Penguins’ core in place as Crosby, Malkin and Letang approach their late 30s.

But his poor performance in surrounding them with a suitable supporting cast is why his days as the team’s 11th general came to an end on Friday.