As the Pens played Thursday night in their regular season finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets, many of their fans felt that changes were needed as the team was out of the playoffs for the first time in sixteen seasons. Those changes started yesterday with the announcement that Fenway Sports Management relieved General Manager Ron Hextall, Assistant GM Chris Pryor and President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke of their duties.
Burke and Hextall were hired in February of 2021 after previous GM Jim Rutherford stepped down for personal reasons. Yesterday, Penguins President of Business Operations Kevin Acklin and Co-head of Fenway Sports Management Dave Beeston spoke with the media. Acklin called yesterday a tough day for the Pens and a difficult decision to cut ties with Hextall, Pryor and Burke, but also said the entire organization was responsible for the team not making the playoffs.
Acklin said that he is taking a more active role with the Pens, and Beeston said that they will start with finding a new leadership group immediately.
For now, managerial duties will be shared among head coach Mike Sullivan, Director of Hockey Operations Alec Schall, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton General Manager Erik Heasley, and Hockey Operations Analyst Andy Saucier. Both Acklin and Beeston said that they believe in the core group of players and that the goal of winning Stanley Cups has not changed.
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