CRANBERRY, Pa. -- For the first time since training camp, Ron Hextall met with the media to talk nothing but hockey-related activities prior to Penguins practice here at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Sunday. It came under a month away from the NHL's trade deadline on March 3.
He got right out in front of things by acknowledging just how up and down his team has been this season.
"I think our team has been very inconsistent this year," Hextall said. "We’ve had moments where we’ve been very good, we’ve had moments where we haven’t been very good."
With two losing streaks of six or more games sandwiched around a stretch of 15 games when the Penguins were one of the top teams in hockey, Hextall did not point to any individual for the team's inconsistencies, noting that improvement's got to come from everyone involved.
"When you look at our organization, we’ve been consistent," Hextall said. "It starts with me. I put the players on the ice, Sully coaches the players, the players play. When I look at the whole group here, we all have to be more consistent. We’ve got to be better on a nightly basis."
While Hextall waits for collective improvement and consistency, he'll continue looking for ways to improve the team, however that may come about.
"Well, we would like to get better," Hextall responded when asked about his plan for the trade deadline. "Sometimes getting better is making a move that maybe is a better fit than what we have. When I look at our team on paper, I like our team. When I look at some of the games and the results, I don’t like it as much.
"Sometimes you get better when you make a move with a certain player that fits better, whether it’s internal or external. We’ll continue to look here to upgrade. We’ve got to be creative with our cap situation. … We’d certainly like to find something that upgrades our group."
When it comes to which area of his team he'd like to improve, the bottom six up front is just as obvious a choice for Hextall as it is to those watching from home.
"I think it’s fair to say the chemistry there hasn’t been like we had hoped it would be," Hextall said of the bottom six. "There’s times where we’ve had some chemistry down there, but over the course of the year, the chemistry hasn’t been that great. Chemistry’s a tough thing to define when you’re talking about a line or a hockey team or a defense or forward group. But you can kind of feel it and see it when it’s there. That’s somewhere we can look to hopefully improve."
Just don't expect Hextall to dish out the team's first-round pick in next summer's draft to shed salary from the roster in order to improve the bottom six.
"I would say that’s not on the table," Hextall said of using a first-round pick to entice another team to take on some of the Penguins' bad money. "I haven’t been asked for that. … There’s not a lot of teams right now that are looking to jump and kind of getting down to the fine strokes here, but certainly the talk is picking up. In terms of first-round picks for getting salary out, I don’t see that being an option for us."
And even though Hextall would like to upgrade his roster, he's not going to make a trade just to say he did it. The right deal's got to come along for him to pull the trigger.
"It’s really dangerous to feel like you have to make a deal," Hextall said. "Because, quite frankly, look at the history. All of the sudden you make a bad deal. We’re not gonna make a deal and make a bad deal. We’re gonna make a deal because we feel like it makes our team better. … I’ve never felt pressure to make a deal for the sake of making a deal. I’d like to make a deal to make our team better."
MORE FROM THE AVAILABILITY
• Don't think for a second Hextall or anyone involved with the organization is even considering that the team should be sellers at the trade deadline. They aren't.
"I certainly hope not," Hextall responded when asked about the possibility. "If we play the way we’re capable of playing, I see us certainly making the playoffs. With the injuries and with our inconsistencies this year, I guess that’s a fair question, but as I said, the top players, for the most part, they’ve performed well. Some of our role players need to be better at times, and we certainly expect it."
• You can also forget any idea that's remotely tied to Hextall not thinking the world of Mike Sullivan as a coach. He offered a ringing endorsement of his bench boss, even suggesting that if players aren't responding to Sullivan, he'd be inclined to move on from those players.
"I think Sully is a terrific coach," Hextall said. "I would put him up against any coach in the league. If there’s any players that are not responding to him, I would more look to move those players. Sully’s a great coach."
• Hextall did make note of the up-and-down performances the Penguins have been getting in the crease. While Hextall's mostly been happy with Tristan Jarry's game when he's been healthy, he knows Casey DeSmith hasn't been at his best when the Penguins need it most.
"I think Jars has been, for the most part, pretty good — a little bit of inconsistencies. I think Casey’s been good at times. The Washington game was a great example, he was very good. And other times he hasn’t been as good as we need him to be. Again, I think that’s reflective of a lot of players on our team, and we’re looking for more consistency from here on through the end of the year from individuals, but also from the group."
• As Evgeni Malkin approaches 1,200 points for his career, Hextall is extremely pleased with what he's gotten out of the 36-year-old this season.
"He’s been really good," Hextall said of Malkin. "I think the injury and getting so much time under his belt, he’s skating a lot better this year. He’s a very hungry player. He’s been great. There’s been times where it’s like, ‘Holy cow, how do you stop this guy?’ Geno’s been good. Certainly no complaints. I think he brings a lot to our room. … But what he brings to the ice is hard to replace."
• Hextall was pressed about how he'll be able to continue pushing forward in win-now mode while also building for the future. The main objective is winning right now, but not at the expense of foolishness.
"My job is to look at this team today, tomorrow, a year from now, two, three years from now," Hextall said. "But right now, our focus is on having the best team possible this year without doing silly things for the future. But if we can do something to make us better this year, we’re gonna look to do it."
