The Penguins have placed forward Rutger McGroarty on injured reserve, per a team announcement. McGroarty sustained a concussion after colliding with teammate Connor Clifton during Tuesday’s practice. As such, there is no timeline for his return, the team noted. Additionally, the Pens announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Harrison Brunicke to the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers after he suited up for Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors.
McGroarty entered the season as Pittsburgh’s top prospect but has had a rocky few months. After churning out 39 points in 60 AHL games as a rookie last season and making his NHL debut, he was expected to break camp with the Pens – potentially even in a top-six role – but sustained an upper-body injury that knocked him out of training camp. He was activated in November and spent his first couple of weeks in the minors on what was essentially a conditioning stint before getting added back to Pittsburgh’s roster on Dec. 1.
He’s been a staple in the lineup since returning, at least until his healthy scratch on Sunday against the Blue Jackets, but those designs of a top-six role have gone unfulfilled. McGroarty has instead spent most of his time on an all-rookie third line with Ville Koivunen and Benjamin Kindel, but the production hasn’t popped.
In 16 games, the 21-year-old has been limited to two goals and one assist with a -5 rating. Including last year’s late-season call-up, he’s only produced six points in 24 career outings. That line with Koivunen and Kindel has had great possession impacts, recording a team-high 59.8 xGF% at 5-on-5, but that hasn’t yet translated into results.
Any chance of those advanced numbers spiking a turnaround in McGroarty’s scoring will have to be put on hold. Recent trade pickup Yegor Chinakhov has slotted into McGroarty’s spot and, considering he’s got a goal and an assist in three games since his acquisition from Columbus, appears set to remain in a top-nine role for the foreseeable future.
Brunicke returning to juniors isn’t a surprise, especially with the more experienced Jack St. Ivany locking down a job as Pittsburgh’s third-pairing righty behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang since recovering from an early-season injury. Many still view the 19-year-old as the organization’s top defense prospect, but his initial NHL showing wasn’t much to write home about.
The 6’3″, 201-lb righty was in and out of the lineup for weeks before being loaned to the Canadian national junior team last month, only making nine appearances with one assist and a -4 rating. He averaged 15:43 of ice time per game and posted a -6 rating in his final three outings.
Since Brunicke didn’t hit the 10-game mark before being returned to Kamloops, his entry-level contract will not go into effect this season. He will still receive the $87.5K signing bonus he’s owed, though, further reducing his cap hit from its original $875K down to $816.7K when he is no longer slide eligible next year.