The Pittsburgh Penguins introduced their official roster for the beginning of the season on Oct. 7, and maybe probably the most stunning identify on the record was Rutger McGroarty. He was traded to Pittsburgh in August by the Winnipeg Jets in change for Brayden Yager. He was among the many NHL’s prime prospects, and the Penguins have been hopeful he would make the roster out of camp. That’s precisely what occurred, nonetheless, did he do sufficient in the course of the preseason to show he’s NHL-ready?

Is McGroarty Prepared?

There isn’t a query that McGroarty has loads of potential. He scored his first aim in a Penguins’ jersey in the course of the staff’s closing preseason sport in opposition to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 4. He performed in six of the seven preseason video games and appeared to get slightly higher with every sport. His forechecking talents are very robust, however his skating wants some work. He’s good at studying the play and making issues occur, however can he sustain with an NHL tempo?

Pittsburgh misplaced their first sport of the season 6-0 to the New York Rangers on Oct. 9. McGroarty’s efficiency in opposition to the Rangers was first rate and one which he can construct on. He performed subsequent to Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi on the third line, which is the place he had been skating in the direction of the top of coaching camp. This was simply the Penguins’ greatest line of the evening at five-on-five. 

The third line was on the ice for a complete of 8:10 at even power. Throughout that point, Pittsburgh outshot New York 8-4. McGroarty completed the evening with 12:19 of ice time and recorded one shot on one try. Due to accidents to gamers like Bryan Rust and Blake Lizotte, he could get much more of a possibility to show he’s NHL-ready. 

McGroarty has good instincts and he’s a wise participant, however are the Penguins speeding his growth? The expertise is there, nonetheless, there is no such thing as a denying that his skating just isn’t the best and his defensive sport may undoubtedly use some work. These are issues he can work on in Wilkes-Barre the place he would undoubtedly see top-six minutes. He has the potential to play on each the facility play and the penalty kill and spending a while within the American Hockey League (AHL) would assist him construct confidence. 

What Will McGroarty’s Season Look Like?

On Oct. 10, the Penguins obtained their first win of the season over the Detroit Pink Wings and McGroarty as soon as once more appeared like he belonged. He didn’t rating or do something overly flashy, however he did his job and he did it properly. 

There’s a robust probability that when Rust returns to the lineup McGroarty will get despatched all the way down to Wilkes-Barre to proceed to work on his sport. If Pittsburgh does ship him all the way down to the AHL, he most likely received’t keep there lengthy as he undoubtedly has the potential to be a robust depth participant.

Associated: Pittsburgh Penguins Preseason Takeaways

McGroarty is profiting from his NHL enjoying time. He’s a tough employee with an exceptional hockey IQ. He does properly enjoying in entrance of the online and isn’t afraid to play a particularly bodily sport. He additionally has nice chemistry together with his linemates. Pittsburgh won’t be glad with something lower than a return to the postseason. Determining the most effective group of forwards to get them there is no such thing as a small job, and basic supervisor Kyle Dubas and head coach Mike Sullivan undoubtedly have their work minimize out for them. The Penguins return to the ice on Oct. 12 to tackle the Toronto Maple Leafs.