2 weeks Ago
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — There was a moment in the Penguins’ locker room following Saturday’s practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex that was too precious to ignore, and also may have subsequently told the story of the day. Rutger McGroarty, who immediately became the best Penguins’ prospect when he was acquired in August, finds his stall beside Sidney Crosby’s in the locker room.
Even better, McGroarty looks to be playing on Crosby’s left wing when the Penguins host the Senators on Sunday, which happens to be McGroarty’s 21st birthday. Advertisement McGroarty’s personality is larger than life. He’s smart.
He’s funny. He’s personable. He’s got loads of charisma.
He’s so cool, the kids would say he’s got rizz . If he can play at all — and I think he can — he’s going to be a very popular young man in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later. There’s only one recent problem: McGroarty fought once in the AHL, and it didn’t go so well.
FIGHT. Rutger McGroarty vs Michael Buchinger! McGroarty made contact with Thunderbirds goaltender Colten Ellis at the side of the net, drawing the ire of Buchinger. McGroarty eventually obliged the request, but didn't fare well against Buchinger in the fight.
@InsideAHLHockey pic.twitter.com/PbpKbjtTrV — Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) February 23, 2025 McGroarty had already met with the media, who had walked about two feet to the left for the usual gathering with Crosby.
Before Crosby could start, however, McGroarty was still chatting away. “Anyone see my fight?” I’m not sure who he was talking to, maybe all of us. We nodded.
“It was so bad,” he said with a laugh. “I ran their goalie, and then we fought. And .
..” McGroarty explained that he couldn’t get himself maneuvered properly to throw a punch.
“And he just hammered away,” McGroarty said with a laugh. “It was awful.” Crosby, who was patiently waiting for the questions from the media while we were all enjoying McGroarty’s undeniable enthusiasm, finally chimed in.
The Penguins’ captain looked at McGroarty and asked, “Was he bigger than you at least?” Michael Buchinger, who pummeled McGroarty, is listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds. McGroarty is listed at 6-1, 203. “Yeah, it’s always worse when the other guy isn’t bigger,” Crosby said with a grin.
The interaction between the two was endearing, and it’s also necessary. What parts of Sidney Crosby's game does Rutger McGroarty want to try and emulate? “I mean, seriously, everything. Like, actually, everything.
" Potentially playing on a line with the captain in an NHL game on his 21st birthday is one heck of a gift. Hear from the rookie ⬇️ pic.twitter.
com/kGl9IPyPOl — Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 29, 2025 This is an organization that is desperate for an infusion of youth. And not just young players, but talented young players. And young players who feel like they belong.
McGroarty feels like he belongs. He doesn’t come off as the least bit arrogant or entitled. There’s just a confidence about him that you don’t typically see in prospects, especially when sitting within five feet of a living legend.
Advertisement To McGroarty’s left sat Ville Koivunen, who will make his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. He’ll be playing on the second line with Rickard Rakell serving as his center. Only eight games are remaining in what is a lost season for the Penguins, but it’s very much noteworthy that the organization has decided to let McGroarty and Koivunen play out the season in Pittsburgh before returning them to Wilkes-Barre for the AHL postseason.
Consider it symbolism. Or a change in philosophy. Or, maybe the Penguins have good prospects on their hands, something that hasn’t been the case since Jake Guentzel exploded onto the scene in 2016.
• Typically, the Penguins wouldn’t recall arguably their two most talented forward prospects with only eight games remaining in the season. • Typically, they wouldn’t immediately insert said two players onto the top two lines immediately upon their arrival. • Typically, the Penguins’ veterans wouldn’t show this much eagerness about pushing for these two kids to receive heavy playing time.
Consider the conversation I had with Rakell, who is playing out of position to accommodate these two youngsters. It would be understandable if Rakell were annoyed by all of this, since he’s having a career year while playing on Crosby’s line. Now, he has to play an unfamiliar position on Sunday because of Evgeni Malkin’s lingering injury.
If Rakell has a problem with it, he has a funny way of showing it. “Let me tell you something,” Rakell said. “These two kids, they should be playing in the top six right now.
I’m glad they are. You know why they should be? Because they’re going to be top-six guys. They just are.
You can see the talent. So why not play them there now? I’m glad.” Rakell played with Koivunen enough in training camp to know what he needed to see.
Advertisement “He’s really fast and really good with the puck,” Rakell said. “He just needs to play. He’s really good.
” Bryan Rust offered similar sentiments about Koivunen and McGroarty being thrown into the fire. “I think when you’ve got guys you plan on potentially down the road playing that role ..
. when they get an opportunity, those are the players they probably play the best with,” he said. The energy that McGroarty and Koivunen brought to the locker room was very clear after Saturday’s practice.
“You always pay attention,” Rust said when speaking of the new guys. “Obviously, prospects of pedigree are a little more interesting.” Koivunen was unable to remove the smile from his face while talking about his pending debut.
His parents and girlfriend were en route to Pittsburgh on Saturday. McGroarty couldn’t stop commenting on how welcome he felt. “I’ve got Sid making small talk with me and Ville,” he said.
“Crazy stuff.” Crosby has been waiting for this day. The Penguins didn’t want to rush these two to the NHL, so they’ve let them strut their stuff in Wilkes-Barre.
But make no mistake, Crosby and the veterans on this team who truly matter realize an infusion of youth is mandatory if the Penguins are to make their rebuilding process a brief one. Crosby and the Penguins were in a funk during the 2015-16 season. Then along came Rust, Matt Murray, Conor Sheary, Tom Kühnhackl and Scott Wilson.
A few months later, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, and while that team was a lot better than this one, one thing can’t be denied: The youth movement altered the dynamic of the locker room and Crosby, then 28, loved being the old man while showing the kids the ropes. Now, Crosby is 37. The grin on his face while McGroarty was talking was mindful of the time when Rust and the others came along.
Advertisement “Once upon a time,” Rust said, “I wasn’t one of those guys.” Rust was explaining that he hadn’t received the hype that McGroarty and Koivunen are receiving. “Sid treated me just the same,” Rust said.
“That goes a long way.” Rust gets it. So does Rakell.
And no one gets it more than Crosby. Those three fully intend on being in Pittsburgh when the Penguins return to glory. So does coach Mike Sullivan.
It’s noteworthy, then, that Sullivan is throwing the two kids right to the top six. Rust is in favor of it. Rakell, too.
And Crosby couldn’t take the smile off his face all morning, even staying on the ice with the kids long after practice ended to work with them. The Penguins aren’t making the playoffs this season. There’s a long way to go.
The rebuilding is just beginning. And yet, when you consider the surprising decision to bring these two to the NHL, and you see how welcome they are, and how eager the Penguins’ best players are to welcome them, and with Sullivan throwing them into the fire as opposed to bringing them along slowly, you wonder if maybe this isn’t a lost season after all. (Photo of Rutger McGroarty: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images.
