Penguins fire Ron Hextall, Brian Burke, Chris Pryor: What went wrong, what comes next

The Penguins have fired general manager Ron Hextall, president of hockey operations Brian Burke and assistant general manager Chris Pryor, the team announced Friday. Here’s what you need to know:

Hextall and Burke were hired on Feb. 9, 2021 — less than two weeks after the surprise resignation of former GM Jim Rutherford. Burke was the franchise’s first president of hockey operations.

The Penguins’ NHL-best streak of 16 consecutive playoff appearances ended this season.

Hextall is the first Penguins GM since Tony Esposito (April 14, 1988, to Dec. 5, 1989) to not win the Stanley Cup.

Neither Hextall nor Burke seemed a stylistic fit upon their hirings, but the Penguins were desperate for in-season hires to replace Rutherford early during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. Hextall’s patient/prospect-focused approach and Burke’s bluster contrasted with Rutherford’s aggressive/all-in philosophy and congenial mannerisms.

The Penguins don’t have a CEO, so it’s unclear who will be overseeing the search for a general manager. Also unclear is if they’ll look to hire another hockey operations president or return to having the next GM oversee the hockey department. Burke’s role was never explicitly defined, and he seemed to serve more as a consultant to Hextall.