Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rutger McGroarty IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect You’ve been clamoring for it. Now that there are a couple of injuries/illnesses, the Pittsburgh Penguins have dipped into the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pipeline for prospects.
Forward Rutger McGroarty and defenseman Chase Pietila are joining the team. That is because forwards Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust went on injured reserve on Thursday.
Rust got hurt Monday in a loss at Utah. Kindel had a vasovagal episode on the team plane Tuesday.
McGroarty has four goals, nine points in six games with WBS. The first-round draft pick by Winnipeg in 2022 played in 24 games at the NHL level last season, netting three goals, six points.
Pietila, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick by the Penguins, will be looking to make his NHL debut. He had two assists in five games with WBS this season.
Before the Penguins morning skate at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, injured defenseman Sam Girard and injured forward Justin Brazeau worked out on the ice. McGroarty and Pietila did not participate in line rushes at the skate ahead of Thursday’s home game against the Florida Panthers.
The lines and pairs: Tommy Novak-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell Ville Koivunen-Hendrix Lapierre-Evgeni Malkin Andrei Kuzmenko-Blake Lizotte-Egor Chinakhov Elmer Soderblom-Connor Dewar-Nick Robertson Spencer Stastney-Erik Karlsson Declan Carlile-Kaeden Korczak Ilya Solovyov-Kris Letang This story will be updated after the Penguins morning skate.
