Penguins fire president Burke, GM Hextall after missing playoffs

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins fired team president Brian Burke, general manager Ron Hextall and assistant GM Chris Pryor on Friday.

The future of coach Mike Sullivan is not as clear cut.
Though Sullivan will stay in Pittsburgh to assist in the sharing of the managerial duties until replacements for Burke, Hextall and Pryor are hired, Dave Beeston, co-head of Fenway Sports Management and Penguins alternate governor, would not confirm if Sullivan would remain coach next season.
"I think the answer to that is we think Mike Sullivan is one of the best coaches in the NHL," Beeston said. "He was extended last season. Once we bring in a new hockey operations leader, he or she will be responsible for evaluating the coaching staff. But we think Mike is terrific and his whole coaching staff is terrific."
Sullivan, who was hired as coach on Dec. 12, 2015, and led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, agreed on Aug. 30 to a three-year contract that would begin at the end of the 2023-24 season and run through 2026-27.
Burke and Hextall were in their second full seasons with Pittsburgh and this was Pryor's first season as assistant GM, being promoted to that position on June 14.
The Penguins (40-31-11) missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons, which was the longest streak in the NHL.
They were eliminated when the New York Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Wednesday, a day after the Penguins lost 5-2 at home to the Chicago Blackhawks. They finished one point behind the Florida Panthers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"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," Fenway Sports Group principal owner John Henry and chairman 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 search for their replacements will begin immediately. It has not been determined if hockey operations will again include a president and general manager or a general manager alone.
"As soon as possible without rushing it," Beeston said of a timeline. "Right now, it's a clean slate. So we're going to start identifying those traits shortly. … There is nobody that has been pre-identified. It will be a full process."
During the transition, hockey operations managerial duties will be shared by director of hockey operations Alec Schall, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton general manager Erik Heasley and hockey operations analyst Andy Saucier and Sullivan.
Burke and Hextall were hired on Feb. 9, 2021, replacing former general manager Jim Rutherford.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked in this passionate sports town," Burke said in a tweet. "Thank you to FSG, Mario Lemieux, David Morehouse, management and coaches, and especially to our great group of players. Best of luck to the Penguins and their incredible fan base in the future."
Pittsburgh was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season after hiring Burke and Hextall, before failing to qualify this season. It won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017 under Rutherford, who cited personal reasons for resigning on Jan. 27, 2021.
With Burke and Hextall, the Penguins re-signed center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang to long-term contracts last offseason. Malkin agreed to a four-year, $24.4 million contract on July 12 after Letang signed a six-year, $36.6 million contract on July 7.
Malkin, 36, was second on the Penguins with 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists) in 82 games this season, behind fellow center Sidney Crosby (93 points; 33 goals, 60 assists). Letang, 35, led the defensemen with 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 64 games despite having the second stroke of his NHL career on Nov. 28.
"I think the commitment that was made last summer, re-signing our key players that were free agents, that were part of this core for forever, 'Geno' and Kris, sort of spoke to the commitment and where our focus is," Beeston said. "We think this is a team that is completely capable of competing for Stanley Cups moving forward."
Before the Malkin and Letang signings, forward Jeff Carter agreed to a two-year contract with a $3.125 million average annual value on Jan. 26, 2022. The 38-year-old had 48 points (20 goals, 29 assists) in 119 games since, including 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 79 games this season.
Forward Kasperi Kapanen was signed to a two-year contract with a $3.2 million AAV on July 21 after having 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 66 games last season. He was placed on waivers and claimed by the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 25.
Kapanen had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 43 games as part of a struggling bottom-six forward group in Pittsburgh and 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 23 games with St. Louis.
Forward Rickard Rakell was acquired in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks on March 21, 2022. He has 73 points (32 goals, 41 assists) in 101 games since, including 60 points (28 goals, 32 assists) in 82 games mostly played at right wing on one of the top two lines this season.
Production similar to Rakell's was missing from other acquisitions.
Mikael Granlund had five points (one goal, four assists) in 21 games after being acquired from the Nashville Predators in a trade on March 1 this season. The forward had 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) in 58 games before the trade.
Forward Nick Bonino, part of the 2016 and 2017 championships, returned in a three-team trade with the San Jose Sharks and the Canadiens on March 3. He went without a point in three games before suffering a lacerated kidney that ended his season.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was also acquired before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on March 3, coming in from the Ducks. He had one assist in six games and missed 14 games with a lower-body injury before returning for the final two.
The Penguins were 9-10-2 after the trade deadline, finishing the season with 91 points, their lowest total since having 58 points at 22-46-14 in 2005-06.
"This is a tough day for the Pittsburgh Penguins," Beeston said. "While we all agreed it was time for a change, it doesn't impact how difficult the decision actually is. It's never easy to part ways with someone. It was particularly difficult to do so given the quality of the individuals.
"It's also a frustrating day because for the first time in 16 seasons, a regular season has ended and we're not getting ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. … Our goal is to compete for the Stanley Cup every year. We believe deeply in this core and are disappointed that our season isn't continuing."