An embarrassing statement is really haunting Ron Hextall regarding the Petry vs Matheson trade

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Elias Adaime
April 5, 2023 (10:36 PM)

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Several were skeptical last summer when Kent Hughes traded Jeff Petry for defenseman Mike Matheson's services. However, the latter has proven this season that he is an excellent player and has impressed many with his skating ability.

Conversely, Penguins fans, who were very happy to see their defense solidify with the addition of Petry, came out more than disappointed. The defenseman is no longer the shadow of himself when he brilliantly took over for Shea Weber during his absences.

One of those who were very confident in the former Habs is Penguins GM Ron Hextall. The latter had strongly praised his new player following the transaction. A statement that has aged poorly and is now haunting him.

« When you trade for a good player, you have to give a good player. Matheson is a good player, we just think that Petry fits our mold more. He can play in all situations and can take a lot of minutes. » - Ron Hextall

Wow! That really hasn't aged well, especially since Matheson has clearly just proven that he can play in all situations and can take a lot of minutes. He has been incredibly superior to Petry in all aspects.

Nothing to calm the situation, Pens fans are furious with the GM for another reason. Indeed, it was recently revealed by the excellent Frank Seravalli that Hextall had tried to trade one of the Penguins' star players this season at the trade deadline, namely Jason Zucker. This has strongly frustrated and disappointed the club's fans

However, this potential trade confirms what rumors were saying before the trade deadline, that Hextall was not willing to give up a first-round pick.

Fans are also wondering why Hextall was not willing to give up a first-round pick to acquire star defenseman Jacob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes. He was eventually traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2023, a conditional second-round pick in 2024, and a 2026 second-round pick.

Fans' frustration with their GM goes even further back in time. They also haven't forgotten the 2021 offseason, when forward Jared McCann was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 7th round pick in 2023 (yes, you read that right) and Filip Hallander, a former Penguins prospect. Fans speculated that Hextall likely traded McCann so he could protect 36-year-old Jeff Carter in the expansion draft instead of 25-year-old McCann.

As a result, the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to protect McCann during the Seattle expansion draft, which led Seattle's GM and former Penguin, Ron Francis, to claim him. McCann currently has 37 goals and 26 assists in 74 games this season. A tough blow for the Penguins...

The current uproar in Pittsburgh greatly resembles that of the Habs' fans during Marc Bergevin's last days at the helm of the club. It will be interesting to see if the Penguins' new owners will take a new direction this summer with the hockey operations staff of the club.

In addition to Hextall, let's remember that Brian Burke also serves as President of Hockey Operations for the organization. Could both of them be out the door soon? It wouldn't be surprising, especially if the Penguins miss the playoffs this season, as they are currently 1 point away from the last spot for the spring tournament...