Penguins fire Hextall, Burke after missing playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired general manager Ron Hextall, assistant general manager Chris Pryor, and president of hockey operations Brian Burke, the team announced Friday.

Pittsburgh failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2005-06, Sidney Crosby’s rookie season.

“We are grateful to Brian, Ron, and Chris for their contributions to the organization over the past two seasons, but we feel that the team will benefit from new hockey operations leadership,” owners John Henry and Tom Werner said in a statement. “While this season has been disappointing, we believe in our core group of players and the goal of contending for the Stanley Cup has not changed.”

The Penguins will begin searching for replacements immediately. Members of Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate and Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will make hockey operations decisions in the interim.

Pittsburgh hired Hextall and Burke in February 2021 after the surprise resignation of Jim Rutherford, who guided the Penguins to Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. Pittsburgh has only won one playoff series since capturing its most recent championship.

The Penguins missed this year’s playoffs by a single point. They entered the season with high expectations after Hextall signed longtime stars Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to new contracts in the offseason, but depth proved to be a significant problem over the course of the campaign.

Penguins scored just 49 goals (and gave up 70) in nearly 1600 5v5 minutes without Crosby or Malkin on the ice this season. Got absolutely nothing from the bottom 6

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) April 13, 2023

Hextall drew plenty of criticism for an underwhelming trade deadline that saw the team add a declining Mikael Granlund along with veterans Nick Bonino and Dmitry Kulikov. Pryor pushed to acquire Granlund, according to The Athletic’s Josh Yohe. The Finnish winger amassed five points in 21 games with the Penguins and is under contract through 2025.

Pittsburgh enters the offseason with nearly $21 million in cap space and 14 players committed to the 2023-24 roster. Goaltender Tristan Jarry and blue-liner Brian Dumoulin are the club’s most notable pending free agents.

Burke: Penguins need to ‘stop the trend’ of unloading assets at trade deadline

Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke knows his club can contend for the Stanley Cup this season but hinted the team likely won’t be massive buyers leading up to the trade deadline.

“What assets are we going to give up to add? The answer is not many,” Burke told NHL Network Radio on Sunday, according to NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “It’s time for this team to stop the steady, and this will come out as a negative and I don’t want it to because I love Jim (Rutherford), but stop the trend where we are going to give away a lot for a 20% chance at winning. You get close, you add, and Jim did what he was supposed to do. But we have to stop that trend at some point.”

The Penguins have notoriously been big spenders for much of the past decade and notably under ex-general manager Rutherford. The team currently owns all three of their first-round picks for the next three drafts.

In 2020, the club unloaded a first-round pick, Calen Addison, and Alex Galchenyuk to acquire Jason Zucker. In 2019, the club sent three draft picks alongside Riley Sheahan and Derick Brassard to bring in Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad.

After recently winning 10 straight games, the Penguins have shown they still have what it takes to be a legitimate contender in the NHL. However, Burke hinted the club will likely have to work with what they have and reinforcements won’t be guaranteed.

“Do we believe we are a contender? Yes, we do, and we (GM Ron Hextall) have since we got here,” Burke said. “Can we add with our cap situation if we decide to? We are pretty limited with the salary cap restrictions that we are under, so making a big deal probably would be difficult to do. But we would look, certainly.”

The Penguins have a 20-9-5 record and currently sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Burke: Penguins looking to add ahead of trade deadline

Brian Burke is approaching his first trade deadline as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ front office, and he’s ready to make some moves.

“We have an agreement with ownership,” Burke told The Athletic’s Josh Yohe. “And part of that agreement is to see how much we can help this group win right now.”

Burke was hired as Pittsburgh’s president of hockey operations in February. He was brought in with general manager Ron Hextall – who was appointed in the aftermath of Jim Rutherford’s surprise resignation – and many wondered what approach the duo would take for an aging Penguins core struggling to string together wins in 2021.

“We are looking to do something, very much. Hexy is working the phones hard right now,” Burke said.

He continued, “We like our group. We’d like to make it better. Here’s the thing: We don’t have any picks left. We aren’t putting our top kids in play. So, we don’t necessarily have certain things to offer that other teams do. The things we can offer are a little different than other teams, maybe. But if we can add, we’re going to add.”

Pittsburgh has one of the league’s emptiest prospect pipelines and only owns one pick in the first four rounds of the 2021 draft. The club is also right against the $81.5-million salary cap, making a move of significance before the April 12 deadline difficult.

The Penguins boast the league’s third-best record since their front-office shakeup at 15-6-1. They currently sit third in the East Division with 42 points but have played five more games than the fourth-place Bruins.

Penguins hire Hextall as GM, Burke named president of hockey ops

The Pittsburgh Penguins hired Ron Hextall as the team’s general manager and also named Brian Burke the team’s president of hockey operations, the club announced Tuesday.

Hextall was among a number of candidates vying for the position and was reportedly deemed a front-runner for the role on Tuesday morning.

An NHL veteran of 13 seasons as a goaltender, Hextall has been in various management roles over the past 20 years. He was general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2014-18 and has been an advisor to the Los Angeles Kings’ hockey operations department since September 2019.

Burke’s name wasn’t involved throughout the searching process, but he has vast experience as an NHL executive. He’s had stints as general manager with the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Hartford Whalers/Vancouver Canucks, and was most recently president of hockey operations with the Calgary Flames from 2013-18.

After spending the last couple of years as an analyst with Sportsnet, Burke believed the opportunity to join a franchise like the Penguins was too good to pass up.

“To me, Pittsburgh is a take-your-breath-away destination for any GM or president of hockey ops,” Burke said. “I’m so excited for the opportunity. The Penguins are a storied franchise with outstanding ownership in Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, and Pittsburgh is just a great hockey city. Ron Hextall and I are very fortunate. We can’t wait to get started.”

While serving as Maple Leafs GM in 2012, Burke took aim at those crediting the Penguins for building a perennially competitive team with high draft picks.

“What’s the Pittsburgh model? They got a lottery. They won a goddamn lottery and they got the best player in the game (Sidney Crosby),” Burke said at the time. “Is that available to me? Should we do that? Should we ask the league to have a lottery this year, and maybe we pick first? Pittsburgh model, my ass.”

On Tuesday, Burke again harkened back to the 2005 draft, in which his Ducks chose Bobby Ryan with the second overall pick right after the Penguins took Crosby.

Brian Burke: "You remember back to the lottery, I just missed on Sidney Crosby. Well now I've got Sidney Crosby. Good to be here."

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) February 9, 2021

Patrik Allvin, who became interim general manager after Jim Rutherford resigned last month, will resume his role as assistant general manager. In their new roles, Hextall will oversee the Penguins’ day-to-day hockey operations, reporting to Burke as his primary advisor. Burke will report to Morehouse.

Brian Burke tears into Dylan Larkin for All-Star Game comments

Sportsnet’s Brian Burke isn’t a fan of Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin‘s recent comments regarding the All-Star Game.

“Please don’t vote, I like the days off more,” Larkin said to reporters earlier this week when asked about being a candidate for the “Last Man In” fan vote, per USA Today’s Helene St. James. “I’m sure there’s guys more deserving to go so I’m fine with that.”

Burke, a former hockey executive and general manager, did not take Larkin’s comments kindly.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the All-Star weekend … You should get a speeding ticket on your way to the airport to fly to this game Dylan Larkin, and you shouldn’t scoff at it like that,” Burke said during Sportsnet’s “To The Point” segment on Saturday.

“A player acquires the right to turn this down like Alex Ovechkin, but that’s after he played in about 12 or 15 of these,” he continued. “International hockey, all the other stuff he’s done, all the playoffs. Once you’ve done that, you can say no to this game.”

Larkin, 23, appeared in the All-Star Game during his rookie season in 2016. He has 10 goals and 26 points in 42 games this campaign.

Burke went on to say that if he were Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, he would have “ripped his face off” for the comments, adding “If you’re going to be that stupid, do it off-camera.”

Matthews disappointed by talk he’ll leave Leafs once contract expires

Auston Matthews isn’t impressed with recent talk that he’ll leave the Toronto Maple Leafs for an American market once his current deal expires.

Last week, former NHL executive Brian Burke joined Sportsnet 590 The FAN and expressed his confidence that Matthews will head south after his contract runs out, citing the tax differences between Canada and the Untied States.

“We haven’t even started my first year (on the new contract) and then this?” Matthews said on Friday, according to NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. “I think it’s just August, there was nothing going on, why not just spark up a controversy. How better to do that than to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Matthews signed a five-year, $56.17-million pact with the Maple Leafs in February. He would have been a restricted free agent this offseason

The San Ramon, California native grew up in the Phoenix area, and in an interview with The Athletic’s Craig Morgan, Matthews said he wants the Arizona Coyotes to be successful, prompting pundits and fans to ponder his long-term intentions.

“It’s a little bit disappointing because it’s so far away and there is other stuff that could be talked about rather than that,” Matthews said. “Obviously you can talk about what you want to talk about. Obviously it creates controversy and will get you a lot of clicks. But it’s not really something that bothers me or that I look at because I’m just looking at today and this season and doing the best I can.”

Since Toronto drafted him first overall in 2016, Matthews has thrived while leading the Maple Leafs in goals (111) and points per game (0.97).

“I love playing in Toronto,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s the best city to play in in the NHL. Our fans are amazing. The history of the organization is incredible. The spotlight and all of that is something that kind of comes with it and it’s something I’ve learned to embrace and kind of gone with.”

The Maple Leafs host the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 2 to kick off their 2019-20 campaign.

Bettman supports Hurricanes’ postgame celebrations

Unlike Don Cherry and Brian Burke, Gary Bettman doesn’t have a problem with the Carolina Hurricanes‘ post-win “storm surge” performances.

“I happened to talk to some of the players this morning about it, and we had a fun conversation,” the NHL commissioner said Tuesday prior to the Hurricanes’ win over the Los Angeles Kings, according to the club’s senior web producer, Michael Smith.

“The players enjoy doing it,” Bettman continued. “That’s important. The fans enjoy seeing it. To me, that’s the most important element as to what goes on after a game when there’s a win.”

The commissioner then specifically mentioned Cherry, the “Hockey Night in Canada” pundit who called the players “a bunch of jerks” earlier this month.

“I consider Don Cherry a friend, and I respect him, but we can agree to disagree on certain things,” Bettman said. “The fact is, how fanbases connect with our game evolves over time. What might work in an Original Six city might not work in a city or market that’s newer to the game.

“Think back to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on opening night and (mascot) Wild Wing propelling from the rafters. People said, ‘Oh, my. How could you do that?’ Think about Nashville with the chants and rituals they have and involving country music. That’s different. Think about what goes on now in Las Vegas. What each team does to connect with its fans is going to be tailored for their fans and their market. As long as the people involved are feeling good about (it), then who’s to complain?”

The Hurricanes have performed many unique victory celebrations this season, including a mimed walk-off home run, a limbo contest, bowling, and a game of duck, duck, goose. They projected “bunch of jerks” onto the ice following Tuesday night’s win over the Kings.

Burke rips Canes’ post-win celebration again: ‘It’s bush league and I hate it’

Brian Burke reiterated his disdain for the Carolina Hurricanes‘ post-victory behavior when asked Saturday night about the team’s latest celebratory moves.

The former NHL executive-turned broadcaster once again expressed his displeasure with the Hurricanes while watching a replay of what they did after beating the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.

“I don’t like these postgame celebrations, but the more choreographed and the planning that goes into these … the mascot’s in this! The mascot’s playing ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ with the players,” Burke said on Sportsnet. “So, I don’t get it. I think it’s bush league. If they want to keep doing it in Carolina, fine. I think it’s bush league (and) I hate it.”

When asked what he’d want to see them do, Burke’s answer was brief but direct.

“I want to see them skate, salute the fans, the Icelandic clap is fine, and then get off the ice!”

Burke first complained about the subject back in November, when he called the storm surge part of the celebration “peewee garbage.”

Brian Burke: Leafs ‘gave away the farm’ with Nylander deal

A former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs believes the current front office made a misstep in re-signing William Nylander.

Minutes before Saturday’s deadline, Nylander and the Maple Leafs agreed to a six-year, $45-million extension, ending a months-long stalemate and avoiding the possibility of the Swedish forward sitting out the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign.

But the deal is apparently too rich for Brian Burke, who served as Maple Leafs GM from 2008 to 2013.

“My objection to the Nylander deal is two-fold. One, he’s the sixth-best player on the team,” Burke said Saturday on Sportsnet’s To The Point. “He’s the sixth-best, arguably the seventh-best, on the Toronto Maple Leafs and they paid him all this money.

“I also think that if they were going to throw this much money at him, they should have done it in August and not had him miss training camp. If you’re going to give away the farm like this, do it early and get him in camp.”

Nylander is the first member of the Maple Leafs’ Big Three to reach restricted free agency, with fellow forwards Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews due for new deals next summer. Those contracts, plus the signing of John Tavares last offseason, could force other players to move elsewhere.

“I do believe (Nylander won the negotiation),” Burke added. “The notion that you’ll put more money on the table late, that’s a lesson that the agents for these other players are going to learn that with Toronto all you have to do is hold out and they’ll up the ante. That’s dangerous ground.”

Brian Burke: Flames signed Jagr over Iginla last season

Jarome Iginla officially announced his retirement Monday after 20 seasons, but former Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke stole some of the spotlight with a surprising revelation.

While joining the broadcast panel covering Iginla’s retirement, Burke indicated to Sportsnet’s Faizal Khamisa that a reunion between Iginla and the Flames was nearly in the works last season with the then free agent before Calgary ultimately landed on Jaromir Jagr.

The Flames signed Jagr in October, but a nagging groin injury limited the Czech superstar to just 22 appearances, in which he was held to one goal and six assists.

Iginla didn’t suit up last season after splitting the 2016-17 campaign between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings.

While a homecoming wasn’t in the cards for Iginla, he hangs up his skates as the Flames’ all-time leader in games played (1,219), goals (525), and points (1,095).