Pens Morning Brew: McGroarty drama, Crosby to the Capitals, and wait, what?

Good morning, Penguins fans, and welcome to your August 24th, 2024 edition of Pens Morning Brew.

It's definitely August, but it's not like Pittsburgh Penguins fans don't have plenty to talk about, unlike most teams in the NHL.

There's the Rutger McGroarty trade and drama, Cody Glass's potential, Sidney Crosby's contract extension watch, and, of course, how Kyle Dubas has been cooking this offseason.

So, what do I see on Facebook this morning? A fantasy post about Crosby joining the Washington Capitals?

Crosby joining the Capitals to help Ovechkin break Gretzky's record?

What level of boredom does it take to suggest trading Sidney Crosby to the Washington Capitals?

And to be twisted enough to photoshop Crosby in a Capitals jersey—just to add a dash of what the heck is wrong with you—by suggesting his sole mission would be to "help Ovi get the record" (Wayne Gretzky's NHL all-time goal record)?

That idea is about as realistic as Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik forming their own nWo. It is like suggesting Batman should help the Joker bust out of Arkham Asylum—sir, is there nothing better for us to ponder in August?

The best part? This wild idea came from a Pittsburgh Penguins fan group... That is all there is to say about this one.

Daily Poll: Who will be the Penguins MVP for the 2024-25 season?

For those looking for an offseason topic that doesn’t involve blasphemous trade ideas, consider our latest poll on X asking who the Penguins MVP will be for the 2024-25 season.

In hindsight, it might have been more interesting to exclude Crosby from the options, given that he’s the obvious choice. Still, it's a fun topic to ponder over the weekend, especially since there are plans to dive deeper into it next week.

But here’s a thought: Should McGroarty be part of this discussion? Sure, he has a lot of work to do before the season starts, and it’s not even certain he’ll crack the lineup.

However, there’s reason to believe he could be involved with the Penguins' top six by October.

McGroarty could end up being the player who has the most impact on the roster—excluding Crosby, of course. Be sure to vote on X and let us know your thoughts.

And if you think McGroarty could be the MVP, leave us a comment.

The Rutger McGroarty and Winnipeg Jets drama

Yesterday, Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff shared some insights into what went wrong with Rutger McGroarty and why he no longer wanted to remain with the team.

This, of course, stirred up some drama—rip to the mentions at this point. Any praise for McGroarty is now likely to be met with backlash from disgruntled Jets fans.

But that's par for the course in sports circles.

The core issue here is that McGroarty wasn’t pleased with how the Jets handled their prospects and felt he was ready to play in the NHL.

While teams don’t usually want players dictating roster decisions, when a player shows they’re ready, an opportunity has to be given—or they may look elsewhere, as McGroarty did.

In the end, both teams got what they needed.

The Penguins acquired a young, NHL-ready McGroarty, who will likely be included in this year's lineup, while the Jets received Brayden Yager, who is projected to be NHL-ready in a few years, if not sooner.

The drama is unnecessary.