"Everybody knows we've got a lot of bodies out," he told Penguins broadcaster Josh Getzoff in
Wednesday's GM Show presented by S&T Bank
. "We had almost $23 million out of our lineup before we got Jason Zucker back. At an $81.5 million cap, that's a big portion of your team and obviously your cap space.
"So to have that many guys out that are significant to our team and just kind of stepping up every night, the resiliency has absolutely been terrific."
The Penguins concluded March with a 12-3-1 record in 16 contests, tying their second-highest win total in a single calendar month in franchise history. Their excellent play helped the team move up drastically in the standings despite missing several key forwards in Evgeni Malkin, Kasperi Kapanen, Brandon Tanev, Teddy Blueger and Zucker, who returned last game.
Hextall listed Jared McCann, Zach Aston-Reese, Evan Rodrigues, Colton Sceviour and Mark Jankowski as players who have done an excellent job of shouldering bigger loads, along with Freddy Gaudreau as someone who has stepped in and given them solid minutes.
So as Hextall evaluates his group heading into the NHL's trade deadline on Monday, April 12 at 3 p.m., the question is whether the Penguins still need to add something to get them through the next month or so until they get some of those injured players back.
"Certainly, we'd like to add a forward if we could," Hextall said. "The price has got to be right. We have cap issues. We don't want to give up a ton of futures. So we would try to do that. The big, physical forward would be nice to add if we can find the right guy."
That being said, it does help that Hextall has been able to get a better read on what players are capable of. He really likes what he's seen from those guys who have moved up and taken more responsibility through the influx of injuries.
"Our group is a lot deeper now than I think it was in my own mind a month ago," he said. "So that might prevent us from having to add a player. But if we can make our team better, and give us a better chance of going on a long run here, we'll certainly do it."
After playing their last five games at home, the Penguins will spend the first half of April in opposing team's buildings as their next six contests are on the road, and Hextall said it will be critical for them to continue the run they are on right now.
"It's obviously harder to win on the road," Hextall said. "It's hard to get points on the road. The road trips are a little bit elongated. So it was a critical month for us. We came through it well, but the last thing we can do right now is let up."
