NEWARK, N.J. -- The Penguins have been a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup almost every year since their current streak of playoff appearances began in 2007.
There have been a lot of reasons for that -- having world-class talents such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on their payroll is pretty high on the list -- but the way Ron Hextall's predecessors as general manager, Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford, never were shy about aggressively trying to upgrade their roster for a postseason push shouldn't be overlooked.
Some of the personnel moves Shero and Rutherford made helped to make the banners from 2009, 2016 and 2017 that are hanging in PPG Paints Arena possible.
They also led to the Penguins being little more than interested observers during Round 1 of the NHL draft for most of the past decade.
The Penguins have had just two first-round picks in the past eight drafts -- they claimed Kasperi Kapanen in 2014 (and traded him to Toronto a year later) and Samuel Poulin in 2019 -- and that streak figures to become 2-in-9 in 2021, since they've already sent their first-rounder to Minnesota as part of the Jason Zucker deal.
Hextall acknowledged recently he would like to acquire a No. 1 pick in this year's draft, but that he doesn't like the chances of it actually happening.
"That would be great," he said. "Whether it's realistic or not, I'm not sure. At this point, I would probably say no, but you just never know. You always get asked hypotheticals about trades, trade deadlines, summer trades and you don't know what is going to come along.
"Sometimes, some things come along that shock you. I think every team would love to have a first, or multiple firsts, but they're not that easy to come by."
Hextall built his reputation as a capable GM, in large part, by replenishing the prospects pools in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
His immediate mandate with the Penguins is to make their viable contenders for another championship this year, but he also will be counted on to restock the organization with good young players.
Doing that will necessitate holding on to first-round picks -- to say nothing of using them wisely -- which is why Hextall said he believes it is imperative to retain his future No. 1s. Still, he won't entirely rule out trading one if he believes the situation demands it.
"(Keeping No. 1s) is a priority," he said. "We need to get some young players in the organization, so that it is a priority and will be a priority. That's not to say that if the right deal comes along ... never say, 'Never.' But our prospect list isn't long, and we need to start working at that, for sure."
MORE PENGUINS
• The Penguins' current series against New Jersey, which is coached by Lindy Ruff, brings to mind one of the great off-the-ice putdowns from the distant past. Ruff, a defenseman who spent most of his pro career in Buffalo, picked up a reputation among Penguins players of his era as a guy whose playing style was decidedly different if the Sabres were playing an away game, as opposed to one at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo. He was, according to the prevailing sentiment in the locker room at the time, "Ruff at home, and Lindy on the road." -- Molinari
• Patrik Allvin, who filled in as GM after Rutherford's surprise resignation, returned to his position as assistant general manager after Hextall was hired. And while Hextall subsequently brought in his Flyers sidekick, Chris Pryor, as director of player personnel, he said Pryor's arrival does not portend a reduction in Allvin's role, let alone his departure. "We were a man short on that part of our staff (before adding Pryor)," Hextall said. "They're both very good personnel guys and we'll keep them into the personnel part When you have good personnel guys, you want to keep them. I don't want to make Patrik an office guy, so he's going to be out and about. His duties will evolve a little bit, but not necessarily change dramatically. They're both going to be top personnel guys." Allvin and Pryor might well have some input on whether Hextall ultimately decides to make changes to the Penguins' pro or amateur scouting staffs. "Quite frankly, it's tough this year, because the first thing I would have liked to do was to bring both staffs in and let's sit down and meet and talk and figure out how everything works here," he said. "It's tough with the world we're in right now, but we are evaluating and we'll make those decisions as we move along." -- Molinari
STEELERS
• Readers of this site weren't surprised -- or at least shouldn't have been surprised -- when Vince Williams was released earlier this week. He was set to count more than $7 million against the Steelers' salary cap and the team saved $4 million by releasing him. But I'm told the Steelers did ask Williams to take a pay cut first. He declined, deciding to see what was available on the open market. -- Dale Lolley on the South Side
• One thing I'm hearing is that while the first four or five rounds in this year's draft are well stocked, it falls off quickly after that. The reason is because the NCAA permitted seniors to return next season because of the pandemic. A lot of seniors took the NCAA up on that offer, figuring they could get another year of college eligibility -- and thus an extra year of free learning -- while perhaps improving their draft lot next year. That will push a lot of players who might have been seventh-round picks or later up this year. And next year's draft will be flooded with prospects. -- Lolley
• While fans were lamenting the early Steelers free agent defections of Bud Dupree, Matt Feiler, Mike Hilton and Tyson Alualu, they won't be thinking about them too much in the 2022 draft. While teams can only get a maximum of four compensatory picks in a given year, Dupree's deal is expected to net the Steelers a third-round pick next year. Feiler's deal with the Chargers currently would net the Steelers a fifth-round comp pick, while those of Hilton and Alualu would get sixth-round picks. Those can obviously change as more deals are signed, but it's doubtful any new deals will change the compensation for Dupree. And even if, for example, Alualu's deal gets surpassed by other players -- JuJu Smith-Schuster still hasn't signed a new deal -- the pick will only be better. -- Lolley
• It's beginning to look like Smith-Schuster -- and some of the other receivers -- aren't going to get what they've been looking for in free agency. But he should still get a nice-sized package eventually. It seems teams have finally figured out that there is such a glut of good, young receivers coming into the league that paying big money in free agency for that position is folly. Then again, free agency is only four days -- not weeks -- old. While the Steelers haven't closed the door on a return by Smith-Schuster -- they rarely do, staying in contact with the agents for their free agents throughout the process -- it would make a lot more sense for the team to spend any additional cap savings they clear through restructures and extensions on a center. B.J. Finney was a nice addition for depth, but unless the Steelers are intent on taking a center in the draft, a depth chart that has Finney and J.C. Hassenauer as the top two centers still isn't strong. And, as has become obvious by the lackluster wide receiver free agent market, teams are willing to roll the dice in the hope they can add at that position in a very deep wide receiver draft. -- Lolley
PIRATES
• It would be fairly surprising if Miguel Yajure makes the opening day rotation at this point, but he has made a very good impression in his first Pirates camp. The front office obviously was high on him, making him the centerpiece of the Jameson Taillon trade, but now that they have gotten their hands on him, Derek Shelton and those in camp are impressed. “He’s still refining, but man, he’s got some good stuff,” Jacob Stallings told me. Yajure already has broken into the majors, pitching seven innings over three games for the Yankees last year, but the Pirates have starting options and do not want to rush him. The 22-year-old will get reps before the season is through. -- Alex Stumpf in Bradenton, Fla.
• It seems very likely that the Pirates will open the season with 14 pitchers and carry them most of the way. Some of it is a matter of contracts. Trevor Cahill, Chris Stratton, Michael Feliz, Chasen Shreve and Rule 5 pick Luis Oviedo all need to be in the majors or let go. Richard Rodriguez and Kyle Crick aren’t going anywhere before opening day. Five pitchers for a rotation, mix in Sam Howard and Geoff Hartlieb -- two of the team’s best relievers from last year -- and that’s 14 pitchers, assuming everyone stays healthy. With 26-man rosters, that still leaves a four-man bench, which is how the Pirates operated for most of 2019, the last year without expanded rosters. The expectation is next year the league will reimplement the rule that teams can’t carry more than 13 pitchers, but the Pirates took an approach of stockpiling pitchers this offseason to make sure they get through the season. There might be stretches where the Pirates carry just 13, or perhaps even 12, pitchers, but 14 should be the norm. -- Stumpf in Bradenton, Fla.
• When asked about the younger players in camp, Ke’Bryan Hayes focused on one: Shortstop Liover Peguero. The two worked together extensively at the alternate site in Altoona, Pa. last year, and that’s where Hayes learned he’s “well ahead of the curve for a kid his age. I was pretty shocked,” Hayes said. “He was only 19 at the time, and he was hitting against guys who were in AA, AAA. He’s a really confident kid. I’m really excited to keep watching him develop.” Since Peguero needs to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, it’s possible that he and Hayes could be the Pirates’ left side of the infield as soon as mid-2022. It’s worth noting that his double-play partner in Altoona, Nick Gonzales, is on a track to get called up to the majors about then, too. -- Stumpf in Bradenton, Fla.