Ron Hextall has missed on quite a few player acquisitions and transactions since taking over as general manager of the Penguins. Those misses have piled up so much that it's gotten to the point where it's fair to wonder if he has a future with the organization beyond the end of this season.
That said, not everything he's done has been a miss. In fact, acquiring -- and eventually re-signing -- Rickard Rakell turned out to be a grand slam. Both moves combined into one stand as the best thing he's done in an attempt to improve the Penguins.
After scoring twice in the Penguins' 4-2 win over the Flyers here at PPG Paints Arena Sunday, Rakell sits at 27 goals on the season. It's not a given, but he has the chance to reach the 30-goal mark for the first time since 2017-18, when he potted 34 in 77 games.
It was imperative for the Penguins to take care of business against the Flyers in order to remain in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild card race. It took several rotations through each line before they really found their footing, but once they did, they took control of the game in the first period. Rakell had a big hand in that, as he not only scored twice, but accounted for five of the Penguins' 15 shots on goal through 20 minutes.
His first goal to open the scoring was significantly aided by a fortuitous bounce off the glass, then off Flyers goalie Sam Ersson and into the net, but what he did to put himself in position for the shot was a great example of how he's such a positive influence:
This sequence was a set play after a faceoff victory. As soon as the draw was won back to Brian Dumoulin, Rakell dashed through the ice to an open area in the high slot. Once he neared his spot, Dumoulin fed him a pass just as he turned and opened up to the puck prior to blasting away.
"I was bummed that I shot it like three feet over the net," Rakell said following the game before he was abruptly cut off by Jason Zucker from a couple locker stalls to his right.
"Three?!" Zucker interrupted, jokingly insinuating he missed by much more than that.
"Three!" Rakell confidently barked back, which pulled a playful and sarcastic laugh out of his linemate.
"And then I was just as surprised to see it go in," Rakell continued. "I’ll take it."
Just over three minutes of game action after the goal, Rakell found the back of the net again with a skillful redirect on the power play to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead:
Excuse me for nerding out about the finer details of the game for a moment, but the way Rakell not only read off his teammates, but also the defensive coverage, was phenomenal.
At first, he was parked right near the top of the crease as Sidney Crosby looked to dish from below the goal line. The defensive coverage opted to collapse around him to take away his time and space, as well as any passing lane, but that didn't matter. As soon as the coverage collapsed around him, Rakell began to back off and slide further up into the slot where there was more space.
Once the puck was moved up top to Evgeni Malkin, the defensive coverage adjusted accordingly. That adjustment created a new window of space for Rakell, who made his own tiny adjustment to go against the grain of the two Flyers skaters racing to pressure up high. Malkin then faked a slap shot and put a pass out front for Rakell as he took an unorthodox, yet savvy, alligator-armed swipe at the puck to redirect it and find twine.
Rakell would later tell me he knew there was no chance of stopping that puck and shooting, so his main focus was to get as much of his stick blade on the puck as he could, also doing his best to make sure it went on target.
It's been over a calendar year now since Rakell was acquired from the Ducks. In 96 regular season games with the Penguins, he's scored 31 goals to go along with 38 assists.
"I’m really comfortable," Rakell said. "I’m excited to have the chance to play with all these great players. Just trying to do whatever I can to help our team win. We have some huge games coming down the stretch here, and I want to do my part of helping our team. I don’t care about the numbers, but every game I want to score."
The thing about Rakell is that his production is just the cherry on top of everything else he brings to the table.
After spending the entirety of his NHL career with the Ducks, Rakell brought some of that West Coast hockey to the Penguins. It's not perfectly accurate or even as prevalent now as it was three or four years ago, but teams in the Western Conference generally play a heftier and more physical brand of hockey.
Even though he's not the biggest guy, Rakell is adept at playing through contact with and without the puck on his stick, as well as effectively using his body to extend possession for himself and his teammates when under pressure.
There just aren't many players who possess that kind of skill who are also willing to embrace the ugliest and least appealing components of the game to help his team. It's no surprise that whatever line he's on seems to find success.
"Raks, he’s just a good teammate," Mike Sullivan said. "He’s trying to play the game hard, he’s trying to play the game the right way, and he’s gifted offensively. He has an uncanny ability to make something out of nothing. I’ve spoken about that all year long. That’s been our observation as a coaching staff in watching him since we’ve gotten him. He has great tight-area skills. His ability to create separation in traffic and coming out of traffic, having the stick skills and vision to be able to make that next play.
"And obviously the fact that he’s approaching 30 here suggests that he can finish, he can score. I think he brings both elements of his offensive game: His ability to set up his linemates and make plays, but also his ability to finish. And whatever line he’s on, that’s what he’s doing for us."
Playing on a team with Crosby, Malkin and Jake Guentzel means that Rakell is more of a complementary piece at the top of the lineup, but make no mistake: He's been one of the Penguins' very best players all season.
