The Pittsburgh Penguins took to the ice for practice on Wednesday with a familiar face returning to the ice.
Just one week after being placed on injured reserve with a concussion, it looks like forward Rutger McGroarty might soon be back in the fold for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Jan. 7, McGroarty left the ice during practice after colliding with a teammate and did not return. He was diagnosed with a concussion and an indefinite return timetable - as is the case with concussions - so being on the ice is surely a good sign.
And an even better sign is that he was able to stick around for team practice wearing a white non-contact jersey. Even though it's a positive step in his recovery process, Penguins' head coach Dan Muse emphasized that they're still just taking things day by day.
"It's just another step," Muse said. "Non-contact there today, great to have him on the ice. Obviously, with a concussion, too, we always want to take our time. But, that is the next step, and so it was good to have him out there. No change in status."
McGroarty, 21, was injured through all of training camp and in the first month and a half of regular season action. After a successful five-game AHL stint, he was recalled to the NHL level, where he has notched two goals and three points in 16 games.
At the AHL level this season, he recorded four goals and seven points in those five games. Upon his return, the Penguins will have a decision to make in terms of whether or not they want to keep him on the NHL roster or send him back to the AHL, where he is likely to get more consistent playing time.
- On that note, the Penguins made a small roster move on Wednesday, sending forward Tristan Broz back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) and clearing up a roster spot.
It's worth noting that defenseman Caleb Jones - who has been on injured reserve since late October - is currently on an AHL conditioning stint. With McGroarty skating as well, it's possible that the Penguins may just want to keep a roster spot open in anticipation of the return of one of those guys.
They next play Thursday, when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena. It will be interesting to see if they decide to make another move before then.
- Muse mentioned that the decision to recall defenseman Ryan Graves, a left-shot blueliner, was purely based on performance, even though injured top defenseman Erik Karlsson plays on the right side.
Jones is also a left defenseman, which would make that side a bit crowded if he returns soon.
"Just based on how Gravy's been playing down there, based on his experience, based on what he's done in the past, all those things," Muse said. "We've had it where guys have their off-side before. I think if we want to have that as an option, it's something that we can explore again. [Brett] Kulak has a lot of experience playing over there on the right. There's other options there as well."
- Even with their third consecutive loss on Tuesday, the Penguins decided to stick with the same lineup in practice Wednesday:
Forwards
Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Evgeni Malkin - Tommy Novak - Egor Chinakhov
Anthony Mantha - Ben Kindel - Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Defensemen
Brett Kulak - Kris Letang
Parker Wotherspoon - Jack St. Ivany
Ryan Shea - Connor Clifton
Goaltenders
Stuart Skinner, Arturs Silovs
It stands to reason that Skinner will likely get the call against the Flyers. In his NHL career against Philadelphia, Skinner is 4-1-1 with a .923 save percentage in six appearances.
