Penguins Update: Oops…Not So Fast
About two weeks ago I wrote an article singing GM Ron Hextall’s praises.
I opined that he was doing a masterful job of navigating the free-agent minefield, all the while serving several different masters. And he has. Indeed, securing the services of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Casey DeSmith with only slight bump up in combined salary ($1.7 million) required a remarkable sangfroid not to mention nerves of steel.
I’m still high on Hextall’s performance…for the most part.
With the majority of his off-season course run, GMRH appears to have let up just before the finish line. While the instinct to exhale is understandable, it could have consequences heading into the coming season. I’m talking about the work that was done was to flesh out the bottom six. More specifically, the recent Kasperi Kapanen signing.
First, let’s review our summer to date. With roughly $3.4 million in cap space available after signing Malkin, I thought Hextall might bide his time and wait for the initial wave of free agency to pass before hunting for bargains.
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