ANAHEIM, Calif. -- On the exact second anniversary of his hiring by the Penguins, Ron Hextall watched his team practice Thursday from the second tier of Honda Center and, in doing so, could casually observe both of the players he's acquired at his first two NHL trade deadlines.
Both for second-round picks.
If he's to turn that practice into a hat trick, though, it'll almost certainly require a first-rounder, based on both of the New York teams acquiring top-tier talents within the past week -- Vladimir Tarasenko from the Blues to the Rangers, Bo Horvat from the Canucks to the Islanders -- and, based on everything I'm hearing ... that'll be a tough sell in Pittsburgh but hardly unthinkable:
• Neither Hextall nor Brian Burke has ruled out trading a first-rounder. When Hextall was asked at his press conference five days ago in Cranberry if he'd give up a first-rounder, it was in the context of whether he'd do so to gain cap relief. He shot it down. The exchange was clear, but it also would get distorted out in public as a generic rejection. It wasn't. And it won't be. They'd hold their noses, but they'd do it for the right offer.
• I'm told by a source within the team a few days ago -- not Hextall or Burke, by the way -- that they're "cooking up something." I have no clue what that meant, there was no elaboration, and I don't care to speculate. Just sharing.
• This part isn't speculation: Their primary goal is to bolster the bottom-six forwards. Presumably because their eyes remain fully functional.
• Hextall has told me on multiple occasions that his calling in Pittsburgh, for as long as Sidney Crosby's under contract -- that's this season, plus two more -- is to aim for the Stanley Cup. He's also made clear to me that, while he'd prefer not to clean out the organizational cupboard or draft board, the Cup's the thing.
• There's zero interest in moving out anyone from the top-six forwards to make a trade happen, even if that'd be the easiest way to break through the salary cap blockage. And I mean zero. But then, they also don't see it as necessary. Most teams that'd be sellers at this stage of the hockey calendar want draft picks.
Barring some supernatural resurrection of Jeff Carter's career in the interim, something will get done by the March 3 deadline. I believe that now more than ever.
MORE PENGUINS
• There'll be no pursuit of a goaltender, barring a significant injury. Which, given Tristan Jarry's history, can't be ruled out. But don't expect it otherwise.
• The disappointment with Casey DeSmith over the bye and All-Star break was real, but never to any extreme. Still, all involved would love nothing more than to have Jarry go on some hard iron-man-level run.
• I've never seen/heard Mike Sullivan utilize more different assistant coaches to run practice drills than he does these days. In the session Thursday at Honda Center, Todd Reirden and Ty Hennes took their own turns at the dry-erase board and/or shouting instructions. This isn't an accident, and it's plenty smart. Athletes in any sport are prone to tuning out repetition, whether it's identical words or sounds, and mixing it up helps alter that. Sullivan's aware and does it intentionally.
• And no, nobody's tuning him out. Look at that photo I snapped for the top of my separate hockey column for the day. Look at their eyes. Look at Sid, in particular. Where Sid leads, they all follow.
• No one will talk about Carter. Including Carter himself, it should be noted. First one out of the locker room at every opportunity, including after this practice Thursday. If he still moved that quickly on the ice ...
• It's fair to add that Brian Dumoulin's been the polar opposite. He knows he's performing well below his career peak this season, but he's standing tall in every setting. Including where it counts in on-ice games, practices, skates, etc.
• For all the talk within this environment about how tight these players have become, I've not heard it explained better than what Danton Heinen shared with me Thursday for today's Daily Shot podcast. It's clickable down at the bottom of this file. Can't recommend it enough.
STEELERS
• On the day the season ended, I had a good talk with Zach Gentry at his Acrisure Stadium stall. And the first time I bought up something related to 2023, he sagged a little and replied, "We'll see if I'm still here." Second time I did so, he replied, "We'll see what they want to do." That's mostly because, of course, he's due to be a free agent, but also because of Connor Heyward's late surge on the tight-end depth chart. Well, we're more than a month later and ... let's just say the tone's shifted.
• More NFL Draft names I've heard linked to the Steelers: Arizona State defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera, Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White, Oklahoma edge rusher Jalen Redmond and, maddeningly enough, an LSU defensive lineman whose name I wasn't given. For fuller context, the dialogue was solely about solidifying the defensive front.
• Mitch Trubisky isn't going anywhere. He might stay at his same pay, he might get restructured, he might even get extended, but he isn't going anywhere.
• Javon Hargrave, who'll be playing for a Super Bowl ring this weekend in Phoenix, once told me he hoped to be the next Aaron Donald in the NFL. There's only one A.D., but self-confidence -- and a ton of athleticism and drive can sure go a long way.
• Yeah, the Steelers wanted to keep him. Made a serious offer. But the Eagles knew the Steelers were up against the cap and were determined to take him away. Three years, $39 million did the trick. But don't fault Kevin Colbert.
• To the contrary, I'm told Andy Weidl had much to do with it. Meaning when he was in Philadelphia before taking the Steelers' assistant GM post a year ago. Weigh the positives.
• Fun little personal one: Ryan Shazier, among his many additional endeavors, will soon be working right next door to our Downtown HQ/shop, as an ambassador for the new UFC-branded -- yes, that UFC -- gymnasium that'll be open to the public in a couple months. He's every bit as indefatigable as anyone would expect him to be.
PIRATES
• Don't press me for details I don't have, but everything, everything, everything about the dialogue behind the scenes about Bryan Reynolds has changed over the past few days. It's getting to the point where I'm expecting him to fly into Bradenton sporting a Willie Stargell pillbox while humming 'A New Pirates Generation' on his way to give Ben Cherington a big bro-hug.
• Yerry De Los Santos back to the minors? Ewwwwwwww ... but it's possible. He's still got options, even at age 25, and he finished 2022 on the shelf. But man, this is a good pitcher with exemplary intangibles. Wouldn't be down long.
• Johan Oviedo out of the rotation? Double-ewwwwwwww ... but it's likely. He's more than ready to start, as he showed with a 3.23 ERA in seven starts following his arrival from St. Louis -- where he was in the bullpen only because the Cardinals have actual depth -- but the apparently promised spot to Vince Velasquez seems set up to push Oviedo out. Which is one of countless reasons why such practices are so ill-advised.
• Between their top two catching prospects, Endy Rodriguez is viewed internally as far more likely than Henry Davis to move out into the field. That's no slight on his catching. He's just got the more slender blend, plus he's moved around more already in the minors. One warning there, though: A scout in Milwaukee told me last summer that Rodriguez's offensive breakout in 2023 really rocketed once the finally stayed put behind the plate. The reason? "The kid wants to catch."
• Oneil Cruz is a shortstop. He'll remain a shortstop. No suspense here, I'm reminded within the past week.
• Thanks for reading Insider! More fun was had by no one on this coast in the past few hours!
