There is some bad news on the injury front for the Pittsburgh Penguins and one of their top prospects.
Forward Rutger McGroarty is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, it was announced Thursday morning by Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.
Dubas also clarified the statuses of four other players, as veteran forward Noel Acciari is week-to-week with a core muscle injury, 2025 first-round pick Bill Zonnon will miss 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury, 2025 second-round pick Peyton Kettles is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and forward prospect Tanner Howe continues his rehab from ACL surgery in April.
McGroarty, 21, was acquired last summer from the Winnipeg Jets, and he appeared in eight NHL games with the Penguins last season. He broke camp in 2024 and spent three games with the Penguins before his AHL re-assignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS). He shined in his second stint - along with fellow forward prospect Ville Koivunen - registering a goal and three points in five games before a lower-body injury ended his season prematurely.
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Dubas stressed that the team wants to approach McGroarty's injury situation with caution due to his age and his potential to make an impact on the team moving forward.
"It's going to be a little bit more of an indefinite timeline," Dubas said. "It's just something that, because of the player, his age, and the potential that he has, we just have to be very patient with Rutger on that one. So, we'll continue to update that as we go."
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