Penguins fans have been rejoicing every since the organization removed Ron Hextall from the general manager position and replaced him with the savvy Kyle Dubas.

Hextall was maligned by fans and media for the large majority of his tenure in Pittsburgh. Questionable signings, bad trades, and a fumbling of talent in regards to the Seattle Expansion Draft helped contribute to his unpopularity.

That all culminated with fans vocally expressing their opinion at Penguins games, when crowds chanted “Fire Hextall” as toward the end of the season.

Conspiracy theories of Hextall being a Philadelphia Flyers secret agent went from “crazy” to “maybe” as the Penguins tumbled out of the playoffs for the first time in 16 years.

There were plenty of head-scratching moves Hextall made as general manager, including the John Marino to New Jersey trade, bringing in Milael Granlund from Nashville, and trading away Jared McCann just to lose Brandon Tanev at the expansion draft.

But one move sticks out in a very particular way. Amongst the sea of horrible moves, there’s one shining win in Hextall’s Penguins career.

So let’s revisit the Richard Rakell trade.

As the trade deadline approached in 2022, the Penguins were set to bolster their roster as they geared up for another playoff run.

Jostling for position in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins sought to add some forward help to their lineup, and Hextall, for once, had the right idea in mind.

On March 21st, 2022, he put together a package to bring in winger Rickard Rakell from the Anaheim Ducks.

Before we examine what Hextall gave up, let’s look at Rakell’s Pittsburgh success.

Rakell, who had played 51 games for Anaheim up to that point, scored 16 goals and added 12 assists for 28 points. He was a top six winger who projected to fit in rather nicely in the Penguins system.

After the trade, Rakell had only 4 goals, but added 9 assists to total 13 points in 19 regular season Pens games.

Unfortunately, his postseason was cut incredibly short. Rakell was concussed in Pittsburgh’s opening game of the series vs the New York Rangers.

He did return for Game 7, as the Penguins had tried to rally after blowing a 3-1 series lead, but ultimately lost the game, even after the returns of Rakell, as well as Sidney Crosby and Tristan Jarry.

In his first full season with Pittsburgh, Rakell improved upon his early numbers. He played a full 82 games (a luxury for any Penguin), putting up 28 goals and 32 assists for 60 points.

He was an amazing addition to the top six and even though the Penguins missed the postseason last year, it was of no fault of Rakell’s efforts.

A trade that nets you back a top six forward with years of production left in him (Rakell is only 30) is good enough as it is, but the deal looks even better when you look at what the Penguins traded away.

As part of the package sent to the Anaheim Ducks, the Penguins sent roster forwards Zach Aston-Reese and noted Mike Sullivan favorite Dominik Simon, as well as goaltending prospect Calle Clang and a second round pick in 2022.

Aston-Reese and Simon didn’t stick with the Ducks beyond the 2021-22 season.

Aston-Reese put up 11 points on 53 games with the Penguins, and had only 4 points in 17 Ducks games after the trade.

Similarly with Simon, who had 9 points in 55 Pens games, he only had 4 points in 17 Anaheim games.

Those games were actually his last NHL games at this stage. Simon has since left to pursue a career in Europe, currently playing in the Czech league.

As for the others, Calle Clang was actually the goaltender drafted with the pick Pittsburgh had received in the Matt Murray deal.

Clang, 21, is in the second year of his entry level contract with the Ducks. He is set to embark on his first full season of North American hockey, playing for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.

Clang played in 5 games for the Gulls last year, but spent a majority of the season in the Swedish League, where he put up a modest 2.69 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. His AHL numbers were merely identical.

Lastly, with that second round pick, the Ducks selected defenseman Tristan Luneau.

The 19 year old Quebec native has been playing in the QMJHL so far. He’s put up great numbers in junior hockey, but it’s yet to see how much of that game he can bring to the next level.

Although the futures of Clang and Luneau are still up in the air, the trade certainly looks like a win for the Penguins.

Rakell has provided the Penguins consistently solid performances, and unlike both Simon and Aston-Reese, signed an extension and now is set to be with Pittsburgh through the 2027-28 season.

Rakell has been one of the team’s best acquisitions in years, which makes this trade all the more peculiar considering the man who made it.

Hextall was consistently such an awful decision maker for the Penguins, but on this trade, he absolutely knocked it out of the park.

(Featured image from NHLI via Getty Images)