The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired 20-year-old Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, and while hope has far fewer limitations than reality, the obvious expectation is he will become a scoring threat almost immediately into the 2024-25 NHL season. And McGroarty probably isn’t the last Penguins trade we’ll see in a short time frame.
It shouldn’t be.
Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas has freely acquired this summer. It’s not quite been a shopping spree, but he’s cleaned out the clearance aisle but not shed enough veterans to clear space in his cart.
The NHL has a funny way of forcing GMs to unload excess. Salary caps, roster limits, and the AHL veteran rule, which limits the number of vets who can play each night, naturally trim the fat.
With the Penguins’ acquisition of McGroarty, there are now about 19 NHL forwards, whereas only 13, maybe 14, can be on the NHL roster.
Last season, Dubas also overpacked his AHL roster and depth. Not every player was pleased with the situation, and one opted out. This season, he’s packed his NHL club.
So, unless the Penguins want to shed players via waivers without compensation but be on the hook for their salaries, more Penguins trades are needed. Sure, Dubas could put a half dozen veterans on waivers, but that would be unprecedented, and there are repercussions to that strategy, as well.
One wonders how the Fenway Sports Group ownership would feel about having several multi-million dollar contracts in the AHL. They’re an equity firm that looks for profit, not an eager sports owner looking for reflected glory at any cost.
As of Aug. 24, the team had 19 forwards, including 11 who are essentially locks for the roster and eight players fighting for two spots.
Eight men enter, and two men stay. It sounds more like the Royal Rumble than a training camp.
Penguins Roster
There are 11 players who are ticketed for the NHL lineup, though a Penguins trade could include several of them, too. Of course, the no-movement clauses and no-trade clauses that former GM Ron Hextall handed out like candy in a fireman’s parade could hinder trades, too.
Absolute Locks
Centers: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Lars Eller.
Wingers: Drew O’Connor, Bryan Rust, Michael Bunting, Rickard Rakell.
Most Likely Locks
Centers: Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte, Noel Acciari.
Wingers: Rutger McGroarty.
Borderline
Hayes and Mcgroarty could lose spots in training camp and preseason, but it is quite unlikely.
Anthony Beauvillier figures to be part of the NHL roster, too. Beauvillier’s $1.25 million salary means the Penguins stash penalty would be only $100,000 if they sent him through waivers and he was unclaimed. He’ll need to win a spot in the lineup, but he’ll get the benefit of the doubt if there is one.
Valtteri Puustinen carries only a $775,000 cap hit. If he doesn’t build on the experience gained by 50 NHL games last season, he’s in real jeopardy of being part of the castoffs.
Beauvillier’s speed should play well in the lineup. Dubas signed him early on July 1, indicating he was a desired target.
The Battle
Cody Glass, Vasily Ponomarev, Jonathan Gruden, Emil Bemstrom, Sam Poulin, and Jesse Puljujarvi. They are the six players who need to win a spot by surpassing the above, or they will make that lonely four-hour drive on I-80 to Wilkes-Barre.
Glass and Puljujarvi have ample NHL experience. Puljujarvi has 356 games of NHL experience, and Glass has played in 187. In fact, Glass might be more favored to win an NHL spot than Puustinen.
Any of the six could show well and earn an NHL spot ahead of the final couple. Gruden, Bemstrom, and even 2019 first-round pick Poulin are buried deep on the depth charts. They will need to be exceptional and give coaches no choice, but they’ll be in the conversation.
Ponomarev is waivers exempt, which could work against him in a close call because the rest must pass through waivers. However, waivers might be the best thing for Poulin–to be claimed by an interested team.
Further complicating the roster glut, the AHL limits each team to dressing six veterans, defined as players who have played more than 260 professional games at the NHL, AHL, and European elite leagues.
Dubas and the Penguins wisely sifted through the depth veterans who lined up for AHL duty. Only a couple will count as veterans: Bokondji Imama and Joona Koppanen. However, a few more possible (likely?) demotions will count, including Bemstrom, Puljujarvi, and Puustinen.
The loser of the seventh defenseman battle between Ryan Shea and Sebastian Aho would also count as a veteran in the AHL.
Everything is full, and that excess will not only clog the NHL roster, potentially blocking young players at the NHL level, but the overflow will trickle down to the AHL roster, as well.
With a veteran-laden team, prospects such as Ponomarev, Tristan Broz, and Ville Koivunen would have fewer opportunities for scoring roles and power plays.
With the extra weight at all levels and the financial cost, the Penguins are a couple or few veterans too heavy. The best solution would appear to be another trade or three.
