The NHL's trade deadline is just 10 days away.
Ron Hextall said in Friday's meeting with reporters at PPG Paints Arena that he's anticipating an "interesting" deadline across the league.
It's been a quiet few weeks around the league as far as trades go, so it's created a situation where it's difficult to tell where the market is at.
"In the East, it's not typically like this where there's such a gap between the playoff teams and non playoff teams," Hextall said. "At this point is typically closer. So I think it's made a few more sellers, but I think there's also a lot of teams that are up against the cap. So it makes it difficult to really find a fit."
The Penguins are one of those teams up against the cap.
The current roster is over the cap of $81.5 million by about $1.8 million, with the team taking advantage of its new, temporary upper limit made possible by Jason Zucker going on long-term injured reserve. But once the Penguins are healthy, moves like re-assignments have to be made to just get cap compliant again.
Given the current situation, it's hard to imagine how active the Penguins could possibly be at the deadline without unloading significant cap hits in trades.
Hextall doesn't feel that the Penguins necessarily need to be major players in the deadline, though.
"I think in a cap world, we all have areas that we'd like to fill in a little bit," he said. "But I feel pretty good about the depth of our team."
Hextall specifically named players like P.O Joseph and Juuso Riikola on defense, and Drew O'Connor, Radim Zohorna, Valtteri Puustinen, Filip Hallander, and Kasper Bjorkqvist as forward depth options.
"Would we like to add a little bit up front? Yeah, that would be a fair statement," Hextall said. "But I think every team would like to add a little bit up front, or maybe on the on the back end. So I feel good. I don't feel like I have to do anything. But if we can get better, we're certainly going to try."
It's no secret that depth scoring had become a problem as of late. Evan Rodrigues has a goal and four assists in his last 25 games. Kasperi Kapanen has just two assists in his last 17 games. Brock McGinn has a goal and an assist in his last 16 games. Domink Simon has one goal in his last 19 games. Jeff Carter has two goals and four assists in his last 19 games. Zach Aston-Reese hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 24.
Hextall doesn't feel like he has to add secondary scoring in a trade, though.
"I think when you look at our first maybe 35 games, the depth scoring was there," he said. "Recently, I mean, we can look at the numbers and just show who it's dried up for. So they're certainly capable of it. ... You certainly don't want to overreact to a lack of scoring in your middle six or your bottom nine however you want to state it. We know those guys have scored, we know they're going to pick it up."
Size isn't a major concerns, either.
"Sometimes when you have a team that's not the biggest team in the league, you ask yourself the question, 'Can we play through?' and our team does play through," Hextall said. "I don't feel a real need for (adding size). You'd love all your players to be 6-2 and 220 pounds and skilled and fast and everything else. But that's just not the way it works. ... Would we like a big power forward that can run you over, go to the net and score goals? Of course, everybody wants one. But there's not a whole lot of them out there."
Reflecting on last postseason's first-round exit against the Islanders, Hextall said that he liked the way his team played against the "big, heavy, hard team" of the Islanders, and said that the Penguins "probably" deserved to win that series.
"I personally like hard players, players that go to the net. Not necessarily fight, that's more 80s and 90s to me," he said. "It's more fighting through. Playing through traffic, playing through sticks, getting to the net. You watch the playoffs and that's what it's all about. As you get further in the playoffs, goals are harder to come by. You've got to check. You've got to be relentless."
He thinks the Penguins have the ability to do that now and find success.
"I like the way we play," he said. "I like honest players. I like hard players. I like two-way players. The way that we play to me, history tells you it's been successful here in Pittsburgh. I would envision things being the same."
MORE FROM THE AVAILABILITY
• Hextall called re-signing Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang "two of our top priorities."
"It's got to work for both sides," he said. 'And hopefully at some point we can we can make something happen that works for both sides, along with (Bryan Rust). So we'll continue those talks. Whether we shut them down at the trade deadline or not, I'm not sure yet. Typically, when the trade deadline comes, guys focus on hockey. But we will work, and if we've got to pick them up after this season, we'll do that."
• Hextall said that the Penguins don't necessarily want to trade their prospects or picks, but didn't rule it out, either.
"If the right thing comes up that will help us short term but also a little bit longer term, we would certainly look at it," he said.
• The Penguins have already added three undrafted free agent prospects this season in goaltender Taylor Gauthier and forwards Jordan Frasca and Cory Andonovski. Hextall said that there are "hopefully" more coming.
"I think when you have the number of draft picks that we've had without first round picks the last few years, you look into that market a little bit more," he said. "Sometimes you have a better chance because your prospect pool isn't stacked."
He spoke highly of the three they did add, calling Gauthier a "big guy, playing extremely well" for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. Frasca out of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs has "good size, pretty good skills, a nice toolbox." He said that Andonovski, who signed Thursday out of Princeton, had "a lot of teams after him."
• Hextall believes Mike Sullivan should be in consideration for coach of the year.
"He's done a terrific job," he said. "When you look at our first 35 games, Geno was out, Sid was out, Jake (Guentzel) was out, Rust was out. We've had a lot of players out, a lot of top players. It's a credit to our guys for stepping up, but also for Sullivan and his staff. Sullivan's done as good a job as any coach in the league this year, and certainly should be in the conversation for coach of the year. Without a doubt."
