After the sudden announcement of Jim Rutherford announcing his resignation on January 27th, the Penguins have been on the hunt for a new GM to fill the Hall of Famer’s shoes. However, it seems like the Penguins may be closing down on a new GM, and it is one who, years ago, no one would’ve expected.
Ron Hextall, the famous hot-headed goalie who spent 11 of 13 NHL seasons backstopping the Flyers, and then was the GM of the Flyers from Early 2014 to late 2018, is heading toward the direction of becoming the next Pittsburgh Penguins GM.
One of Hextall’s best traits, is rebuilding a team for a cup run. He managed to play a pivotal role in rebuilding the Flyers and getting them to where they are today. That’s exactly what a team who traded away so many prospects and has only few good ones needs.
The odds are, if this move comes about, I think it could be beneficial to the Penguins. The Penguins don’t look strong this season, and Ron Hextall, who has managed to turn Tye McGinn into goalie prospect Felix Sandstrom, and Kimmo Timonen and Brayden Coburn into Radko Gudas and Travis Konecny, knows how to make solid trades.
As if this happens, I would hope so. The Penguins are starting to get old. Someone like Ron Hextall would be a perfect fit. It would also add some more fire to the Pens-Flyers rivalry. Who doesn’t want to see that, right?
