The Pittsburgh Penguins announced their official roster for the start of the season on Oct. 7, and perhaps the most surprising name on the list was Rutger McGroarty. He was traded to Pittsburgh in August by the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Brayden Yager. He was among the NHL’s top prospects, and the Penguins were hopeful he would make the roster out of camp. That is exactly what happened, however, did he do enough during the preseason to prove he is NHL-ready?
Is McGroarty Ready?
There is no question that McGroarty has a lot of potential. He scored his first goal in a Penguins’ jersey during the team’s final preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 4. He played in six of the seven preseason games and seemed to get a little better with each game. His forechecking abilities are very strong, but his skating needs some work. He is good at reading the play and making things happen, but can he keep up with an NHL pace?
Pittsburgh lost their first game of the season 6-0 to the New York Rangers on Oct. 9. McGroarty’s performance against the Rangers was decent and one that he can build on. He played next to Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi on the third line, which is where he had been skating towards the end of training camp. This was easily the Penguins’ best line of the night at five-on-five.
The third line was on the ice for a total of 8:10 at even strength. During that time, Pittsburgh outshot New York 8-4. McGroarty finished the night with 12:19 of ice time and recorded one shot on one attempt. Because of injuries to players like Bryan Rust and Blake Lizotte, he may get even more of an opportunity to prove he is NHL-ready.
McGroarty has good instincts and he’s a smart player, but are the Penguins rushing his development? The talent is there, however, there is no denying that his skating is not the greatest and his defensive game could definitely use some work. These are things he can work on in Wilkes-Barre where he would undoubtedly see top-six minutes. He has the potential to play on both the power play and the penalty kill and spending some time in the American Hockey League (AHL) would help him build confidence.
What Will McGroarty’s Season Look Like?
On Oct. 10, the Penguins got their first win of the season over the Detroit Red Wings and McGroarty once again looked like he belonged. He didn’t score or do anything overly flashy, but he did his job and he did it well.
There is a strong chance that when Rust returns to the lineup McGroarty will get sent down to Wilkes-Barre to continue to work on his game. If Pittsburgh does send him down to the AHL, he probably won’t stay there long as he definitely has the potential to be a strong depth player.
Related: Pittsburgh Penguins Preseason Takeaways
McGroarty is making the most of his NHL playing time. He is a hard worker with a phenomenal hockey IQ. He does well playing in front of the net and is not afraid to play an extremely physical game. He also has great chemistry with his linemates. Pittsburgh will not be satisfied with anything less than a return to the postseason. Figuring out the best group of forwards to get them there is no small task, and general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Mike Sullivan definitely have their work cut out for them. The Penguins return to the ice on Oct. 12 to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
