No one is off to a rougher start to the Pittsburgh Penguins season than Rutger McGroarty. He didn't last long in the NHL after barely squeaking onto the big-league club due to injuries surrounding the team. As soon as the roster needed space open for a returning player, they sent McGroarty back down to the AHL. That should be seen as troublesome for one of their highest ranked prospects.
This should be considered a monumental campaign for the young skater and his future with the team.
He won't turn 23 years old until March, which overall is still fairly young for a player of his stature. Even though McGroarty is on the younger side, that doesn't mean he's absolved from his NHL struggles. For one reason or another, he hasn't been able to stick on the Penguins lineup for a long period of time.
When it comes down to it, if Rutger McGroarty isn't considered a necessity to insert into big league action at every opportunity, then that should speak volumes of the organization distrust in him. It's sad to see the once promising winger sitting in the doghouse. His quick demotion back to the AHL should be alarming, as this season could expose that he isn't the player the Penguins had hoped for.
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty is off to a rough start to the season
This will be McGroarty's third season as a pro in the sport of hockey. This is the time for him to absolutely dominate the AHL and show signs of promise as an NHL regular when he gets into the lineup. The Penguins appear to have ten forwards in front of him when it comes to roster spots.
Some of those players are guys without the same high standing as McGroarty which include Elmer Soderblom, Filip Hallander, Hendrix Lapierre, Ville Koivenun and others.
At the end of the day, all the blame going around falls on the feet of the Penguins developmental staff and Rutger McGroarty. He needs to produce a massive season in the AHL to force the big club to bring him into their lineup. Any sort of failure of doing that will only provide more questions marks about his future. It's time for one of their top prospects to finally come out of his shell.
Through his 90 AHL games, McGroarty has produced 73 points. Those aren't bad numbers by any stretch, but those sink significantly when you review his NHL numbers. Thus far, the young winger has seen 32 games of action in the big leagues and only produced nine points.
That is a really low number, and the hope is that he can turn things around this season before people start to worry.
We will see if McGroarty survives with Pittsburgh this season, but the fact he's already back in the AHL makes him a massive loser. Yes, they want him to play games, and the minor leagues is his best bet for now, but there might not be many opportunities for him in the NHL this year with how the roster is set up. He needs to finally start to show his potential, or he could be a massive bust.
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