These are busy days for Ron Hextall.
There is an expansion draft protected list to finalize.
An NHL draft for which to prepare.
And the start of free agency shortly after that.
But while Hextall has a lot on his to-do list -- all under the heading of constructing a Stanley Cup contender while also building for the future -- he doesn't anticipate a dramatic makeover of the Penguins' roster before next season.
Oh, there will be changes, for sure, beginning with whoever they lose to Seattle in the expansion draft next Wednesday, but Hextall said Thursday that he isn't expecting seismic personnel turnover this summer.
"Tweaks," he said. "Tweaks. A major overhaul, with where we are (salary) cap-wise ... that would be tough to do, even if we wanted," he said. "But we like our team. We won the division last year and we feel like we can be very competitive again."
The master plan apparently includes sticking with Tristan Jarry, who struggled terribly at times during their first-round loss to the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the Penguins' No. 1 goaltender.
Hextall hung a minor asterisk on his endorsement of Jarry, noting that it behooves any GM to always be looking to improve his team at every position, but sounded as if he has no qualms about sticking with him.
"(Jarry) had a really good year," he said. "(Jarry) is still a young player who's learning. First time through, certainly, as a go-to guy in the playoffs, and it is different than the regular season. We expect (Jarry) to learn from last year and be better moving forward. We're comfortable with Tristan Jarry."
Hextall said he and his staff will meet one more time to finalize the Penguins' protected list, which figures to include seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie. He added that "we have a real good idea" of who will make it onto the list, although "we've got some tough decisions" to make on both forwards and defensemen.
Teddy Blueger signing a two-year contract Wednesday will not have an impact on whether the Penguins include him on their protected list, he said.
Although unrestricted free-agents-to-be Cody Ceci, Frederick Gaudreau and Evan Rodrigues almost certainly will not get onto the list, Hextall said the Penguins are interested in keeping all three -- if the numbers work.
"They certainly still in the mix here, depending on a couple of things that happen with expansion, and a couple of things that happen with our club," he said. "Once we approach them, it's going to be (about the) numbers and can we fit them in our cap."
That might be particularly challenging with Ceci, who resurrected his career with a strong performance during the past season and could attract some lucrative offers on the open market.
Per CapFriendly.com, the Penguins currently have just over $1 million in cap space for 2021-22.
Something else that will be factored into Hextall's moves this summer is whether the front office determines that any prospects are ready for steady work with the parent club. Having a few guys on entry-level deals can ease some of the financial stresses on a franchise and, in the process, give the decision-makers a little more flexibility.
"We are cap-strapped and we're aware of that, but if we can move a certain piece for another certain piece," he said. "The hard part that we deal with every year is, 'Do we have any kids who are ready to break through (into the NHL) and do you want to leave spots open?' "
Hextall all but assured that center Mark Jankowski, who will be a restricted free agent, will not be retained and thus will be free to sign elsewhere.
He also said the team has "done some research" to prepare for contract talks with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, both of whom are entering the final season of their deals, but that negotiations won't happen until the Penguins get through the upcoming drafts and the start of free agency.
