Ron Hextall has seen a lot of his team during his first month as general manager of the Penguins.
Enough to conclude that he's generally pleased with his personnel.
Enough that he doesn't feel a need to make major moves before the April 12 trade deadline.
Enough that he believes the Penguins are in a cluster of teams capable of winning the Stanley Cup this year.
The obvious caveat is that circumstances can change instantly -- an injury or slump can necessitate moves that wouldn't have been considered otherwise -- but for now, Hextall seems happy with what he's been watching.
Hextall joked Friday that "it seems like we play every night," and while that's a bit of an exaggeration, what matters is that he feels "I've seen enough" to make some determinations about the Penguins.
"I like our team," he said. "Credit, certainly, to Jimmy (Rutherford, his predecessor). I think our guys have played well. I think the consistency part is something we could improve on, but with the density of the schedule, I think a lot of teams are saying similar things. We're demanding a lot of our players right now, and quite frankly, I like what I'm seeing."
And he wasn't reluctant to detail the reasons.
"We've had some tough injuries, with (Jason) Zucker and (Jared) McCann, and even (John) Marino last night," he said. "I like the way (Chad) Ruhwedel stepped in last night and did a real good job and (Evan) Rodrigues has stepped in alongside (Evgeni Malkin) there for Zucker and McCann after that.
"We've gotten contributions from the (Teddy) Blueger line and, the last couple of games, I've liked the way the (Mark) Jankowski line has played, as well. So, certainly there are encouraging things for us right now. I think (Kasperi) Kapanen has really stepped his game up -- he seems to have real good chemistry with (Malkin) -- so I like the way we're playing right now. Our goaltending has been very consistent. I like the way we're going right now."
The Penguins have won four games in a row and nine of their past 12. Their ability to accumulate points at that pace is at least part of the reason Hextall said there is "not necessarily" a part of his depth chart that he feels compelled to upgrade before the deadline.
"Our defense, I think, since everybody's pretty much healthy -- obviously, John yesterday (was out) -- I like our defense. With (Brian Dumoulin) back in, it just sort of puts everybody back down (in their usual role) and spreads the ice time out the way it should be spread out, rather than asking too much of one or two guys. Up front, I think we've got pretty good depth, and I think we're showing it with Zucker and McCann currently out."
Although he certainly did not rule out doing something before the deadline -- if only because an injury could force him to do so -- Hextall sounded as if he is satisfied with his roster as currently constituted.
"We'd like to do everything we can to put the best team on the ice, but I like what I'm seeing right now from our team," he said. "Sometimes, when you bring someone in, it actually affects your chemistry (adversely) We will evaluate things as we go along here and make those decisions when the time is right and it's appropriate."
Hextall said there is "a possibility" the Penguins have enough depth somewhere on their depth chart that they could part with a player accomplished enough that he could bring a good return in a trade, but pointed out the potential perils inherent in such a move.
"You think there is, and then all of a sudden, Zucker gets hurt and then McCann gets hurt and John gets hurt yesterday or the day before, so it's sort of like, yeah, you think you have lots of depth, but then all of a sudden, things change in a hurry," he said. "When the deadline comes, once we get closer to that time we'll see what we have and how healthy we are, if anything makes sense."
At least part of Hextall's mandate from ownership is the same one Rutherford had: To give this team the best possible chance to contend for another Stanley Cup while the likes of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Malkin still are impact players.
That, he suggested, appears to be a perfectly realistic objective.
"This is a good team," Hextall said. "They've obviously won. It has been a couple of years, but they've won and they've got a lot of those pieces still in place. And the way the playoffs go now, there are many that have a chance to win, and I do believe that we are one of those teams.
"We're certainly not going to sell at the deadline or do anything drastic, I don't anticipate. I guess things could change, but yes, based on the way we're playing right now, yes, I believe we're one of numerous teams that feel like they have a chance."
