PITTSBURGH — A trade that could bolster the Penguins’ push for a postseason spot might not happen because of general manager Ron Hextall’s unwillingness to part with future draft picks.
Coach Mike Sullivan wants Hextall to trade for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, but Hextall has balked at a potential deal because the Coyotes have asked the Penguins to include 2025 and 2026 first-round draft choices as part of any package, according to two team sources briefed on Hextall’s thinking.
The sources were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on potential trades.
Hextall has told Penguins personnel that his preference is to not surrender any future first-round picks in potential moves before or at the trade deadline, the sources said.
Teams have until 3 p.m. ET on March 3 to complete trades for players to be eligible to participate in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.
Chychrun is widely viewed as one of the most attractive assets available on the trade market. A 24-year-old, left-shot defenseman, he is rated fourth on The Athletic’s trade board, and the Coyotes have recently held him out of games for “trade-related reasons.”
Reportedly prized by multiple teams, Chychrun could fill a short- and long-term need for the Penguins. Signed through the 2024-25 season at a $4.6 million salary-cap hit, he would presumably slot as a top-pairing defense partner for Kris Letang in Pittsburgh.
That role has been filled by several players this season, though it’s long been held down by Brian Dumoulin. An impending unrestricted free agent, Dumoulin is likely playing his final season with the Penguins.
Drafted No. 16 in 2016, Chychrun has blossomed into a steady two-way presence with the Coyotes. He has scored seven goals and 28 points to go along with 43 hits and 56 blocked shots in 36 games this season.
For his career, Chychrun has scored 60 goals and 170 points in 373 regular-season games. He has never played in the postseason.
Chychrun’s father, Jeff, played eight NHL seasons as a defenseman and won the Cup with the Penguins in 1992. This month, Jeff Chychrun told “The Athletic Hockey Show” that he would “really love to see (his son) have the opportunity to play on a playoff contender.”
The Penguins are one of six teams in the mix for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card slots, though they have multiple games in hand on most of their competition. They have played to a sub-.500 points percentage hockey since late December, and Sullivan has often had to publicly note his team’s difficulty defending after losses.
Under Sullivan, the Penguins have never missed the postseason. The franchise qualified for the playoffs in all 16 seasons that centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have played together.
Adding Jakob Chychrun would require Hextall to maneuver around a salary-cap crunch that is already causing problems. CapFriendly projects the Penguins to have just over $18,000 in available cap space, meaning Hextall would likely need to either get the Coyotes to take on a portion of Chychrun’s contract and/or take back a player from the Penguins’ current roster in any trade.
Their cap situation is already negatively influencing roster decisions. Previously injured defenseman Jan Rutta has not been able to rejoin the lineup because the Penguins cannot fit him under the cap threshold without trading a current player.
Rutta, also a right-shot defenseman, was signed last summer to a three-year contract that counts $2.75 million against the cap. When healthy, he has played mostly on a third pairing with the Penguins.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Facoff reported Thursday that Hextall sent an email to other GMs to remind them that Kasperi Kapanen is available in a trade. The Athletic reported earlier this season the Penguins were shopping Kapanen, whom Hextall signed last summer for two years at a $3.2 million cap hit.
Hextall made multiple moves to the Penguins’ defense last summer. In addition to signing Rutta, he traded John Marino to the New Jersey Devils for Ty Smith, though the Penguins’ cap tightness has mostly prevented Smith from playing in the NHL. Also, the Penguins acquired Jeff Petry from the Canadiens.
In adding Petry, signing Rutta and re-signing Letang, Hextall committed to $15.1 million annually to his right side on defense. Those moves were intended to make the Penguins’ back end a strength. But each of Letang, Petry and Rutta have missed stretches due to injuries — or, in Letang’s case, because of a second stroke and the death of his father. The Penguins also have Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Friedman as right-side defense options.
Hextall is in a tough spot, as he was hired in February 2021 with a mandate to maintain a Cup-caliber roster while also not sacrificing the future — something former ownership felt previous GM Jim Rutherford did to the extreme toward the end of his tenure. The Penguins’ prospect system is not highly-regarded within hockey circles, with 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering immediately becoming the organization’s top prospect upon his selection.
However, Pickering is at least multiple seasons from potentially challenging for a roster spot. And the view of Sullivan, who was signed to a multi-season extension last summer, is that prospects and future picks would be better served if used to acquire players ready to help the Penguins in the immediate future.
Malkin is 36, and Crosby and Letang are each 35. All continue to perform at a high level, but their window to add a fourth title to their collective total in Pittsburgh inches closer to shutting with each passing season.
Hextall has said his job is to think about the current roster while also considering what’s best for the Penguins’ future. It’s not known if current owners Fenway Sports Group favor Hextall being a buyer, seller or standing pat before the upcoming trade deadline.
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