Checking In With Ron Hextall

Penguins general manager Ron Hextall met with the media on Thursday to discuss Jeff Carter's contract extension, among other topics. Here's what he had to say…

TWO MORE YEARS
Hextall said he initially reached out to Carter's agent Rick Curran a couple of months ago about gauging the veteran forward's interest in continuing his career in Pittsburgh after being acquired from Los Angeles at last year's trade deadline.
"I said, just talk to Jeff and see what his thoughts are," Hextall said. "We'd like to keep him in Pitt. He came back to me, this was probably a month ago, and said, yeah, Jeff would like to stay in Pitt, wants to play. Then probably the last week or so, it got serious, and actually came together pretty quickly."
Head coach Mike Sullivan called it a win-win for everyone. From an individual perspective, Carter recently said that he felt coming to Pittsburgh was such a good fit and gave him such a boost that it may have prolonged his career. From a team perspective, the 37-year-old - who won two Stanley Cups with LA in 2012 and '14 - provides veteran leadership, bringing such a presence to the locker room.
He also provides versatility. As Hextall pointed out, Carter can play down the middle or on the wing; he can slot in on the power play and penalty kill; and take faceoffs anywhere on the ice.
"I think that's a real positive step that Hexy and Carts have taken to try to solidify this group moving forward, that we believe is a special group and has a chance to win," Sullivan said. "So I'm thrilled for Jeff, I'm really excited for our team, and I just think the stability moving forward can only help us."
OTHER CONTRACT TALKS
While Hextall doesn't negotiate publicly, he did say that contract talks with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang - who are both in the final years of their respective deals - have been fine and will continue on.
"We've had discussions with both guys, and certainly they're a top priority for us," Hextall said. "Geno and Tanger have been here for I think 16 years. I know they've done a lot for the city, and the city has been good to them. So certainly a match that we'd like to continue on with, but obviously the players have choices too. So we'll see where (talks) go."
ON THE GOALTENDING
Tristan Jarry has pointed to the private talks he had over the summer with Hextall, an elite NHL goaltender in his playing days, as a source of both relief and motivation.
Publicly, Hextall had repeatedly voiced his support for Jarry, using the example of Patrick Roy - one of the greatest netminders of all time - being pulled from Game 7 of the 2002 Stanley Cup Final against Detroit.
"You look at every goaltender, they're gonna go through times where things don't go their way, and it can be a little bit of a lonely feeling, certainly," Hextall said. "Been there, done that. But it's all how you bounce back from it. Tristan's got a lot of ability, and he's bounced back extremely well. I think that's a testament to his mental strength."

Jarry's 23 wins are tied for first in the NHL, his numbers are among the league's best, and overall, the 26-year-old just playing with so much poise and confidence.
"He's come back with his chest out and obviously done a real good job for us," Hextall said. "So we couldn't be happier."
On the other hand, No. 2 netminder Casey DeSmith has been dealing with his fair share of struggles this season. Sullivan said yesterday that it's their job to help him get his confidence back and recapture his best game, as they feel like he's a capable guy with a good body of work in Pittsburgh, and Hextall echoed that when asked if goaltending depth is an area that needs to be addressed.
"We monitor all positions and every player pretty much on a daily basis. I think Casey's very capable," Hextall said. "He played terrific for us last year. He had a couple games before Christmas there where he played very well. We believe in Casey."
OVERALL TEAM ASSESSMENT
I think Hextall speaks for all Penguins fans when he said he was really looking forward to seeing the team healthy about a week ago - and then just like that, forwards Teddy Blueger (fractured jaw) and Jason Zucker (core muscle repair) both underwent surgeries. But even with those guys out, Hextall said he still really likes their depth up front, along with the next-man-up mentality this team has embodied all year.
"I really like the job our group has done filling in, playing higher in the lineup. We seem to have a really good chemistry this year," Hextall said. "I think when guys play higher in your lineup, and then all of a sudden guys come back and they dip lower in your lineup, there tends to be a little bit of pushback, and there hasn't been. So I think the group has had a real good attitude. I think it's hats off to our leadership and the coaching staff."
Hextall said he's comfortable with how the Penguins - who have won 17 of their past 19 - look right now.
"I like our group; I think our record speaks for itself," he said. "But certainly as we get towards the (March 21) trade deadline, you refine things and see which way things go with injuries and whatnot and make decisions as we have more information. But I'm happy with our club right now."
He reiterated that they would like to sign some of their impending UFAs, a group that includes Rodrigues, Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese, Brian Boyle, Dominik Simon and Chad Ruhwedel in addition to Malkin and Letang.
"We have a hard salary cap, so they're going to have to obviously work with us," Hextall said. "Certain players, if they want the most money, they're probably going to go elsewhere. But I think you could say that about every team. So we're hoping that our guys are comfortable here, which I believe they are, and hopefully we can we can find a deal that satisfies that satisfies both sides."
NEW AGM
After they conclude their pro scouting meetings taking place this week, Hextall said they will start to chip away at a replacement for Patrik Allvin, who was named general manager of the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday after 16 seasons in the Penguins organization.
Allvin had most recently served as assistant general manager, and before that, was Director of Amateur Scouting from 2017-20, head European scout from 2012-17, and a European scout from 2006-12. Hextall said he has a ton of respect for Allvin, who is ready for the job he's about to take on.
"Congrats to Patrik, first of all," Hextall said. "You don't want to lose people, and we certainly didn't want to lose him. On the other hand, you want your people to do well. So happy to see Patrik get an opportunity. He did a lot of things around here. He was my right-hand man, bottom line, so we'll miss him."