Pittsburgh Penguins make big changes, fire Brian Burke, Ron Hextall and Chris Pryor

Today, the Fenway Sports Group announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins relieved president of hockey operations Brian Burke, general manager Ron Hextall, and assistant general manager Chris Pryor of their responsibilities.

John Henry and Tom Werner issued the following statement:

"We are grateful to Brian, Ron, and Chris for their contributions to the organization over the past two seasons, but we feel that the team will benefit from new hockey operations leadership. While this season has been disappointing, we believe in our core group of players and the goal of contending for the Stanley Cup has not changed."

A new head of hockey operations will be found as soon as possible.

Alec Schall, the current director of hockey operations, Erik Heasley, the general manager/manager of hockey operations of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Andy Saucier, the hockey operations analyst, will all share management responsibilities throughout this transition. During the changeover, head coach Mike Sullivan will also offer assistance.

Fans have mostly complained about GM Ron Hextall's planning style since he hasn't prioritized developing a potent roster. Fans find it incomprehensible that a club with a star player like Sidney Crosby could miss the playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins miss the playoffs for the first time after 17 years

Pittsburgh Penguins

The longest ongoing postseason streak among clubs in North American professional sports was broken by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. They lost to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 to lose their place to the New York Islanders

They ended their season with a defeat against Columbus 3-2 to end the season in inglorious fashion.

The streak featured five visits to the Eastern Conference Final, four Stanley Cup Final appearances, and three Stanley Cup Championships (2009, 2016, and 2017). Since Sidney Crosby's first season in the NHL in 2005–06, the Penguins have only missed the postseason twice.

Reasons for Pittsburgh getting eliminated

Pittsburgh Penguins

Crosby himself scored 91 points and did his job, along with the top six but the bottom six's production left much to be desired.

In order to play with Crosby, who has three years left at a $8.7 million budget hit, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed center Evgeni Malkin (four years, $24.6 million) and defenceman Kris Letang (six years, $36.6 million) in the summer. This allowed them to maintain the Big 3 lineup. They also acquired defender Jeff Petry (cap hit of $6.25 million) through trade.

The Penguins had salary cap woes due to these moves. Some moves like keeping Jeff Carter (a two-year, $6.25 million contract) did not work at all. Jan Rutta and Jeff Petry's injuries also led to the team breaking down.