The Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie season is off to an eventful start, with a series of player movements and injuries. One of the most notable incidents involved forward Rutger McGroarty, who left a practice session with an apparent injury. During a two-on-two drill, McGroarty collided with a teammate and was immediately in discomfort. He retreated to a bench and was examined by an athletic trainer, appearing to hold his neck or head during the evaluation. The practice session continued on a different rink, but McGroarty did not return to the ice. Coach Dan Muse did not provide an update on McGroarty's status following the practice. McGroarty has played in 16 games this season, posting three points while averaging 12:13 of ice time per contest. He has predominantly skated on the left wing of the third line. The Penguins had limited attendance at Tuesday's practice session, with several key players absent, including forwards Yegor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust, as well as defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang. The team labeled their absences as "recovery."
In other news, the Penguins acquired defenseman Egor Zamula in a trade with the Flyers on Wednesday, but terminated his contract on Tuesday afternoon after he cleared waivers. Zamula signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets for the remainder of the season. These transactions come after Zamula was acquired by the Penguins in a trade that sent forward Philip Tomasino to the Philadelphia Flyers. Zamula's refusal to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton cleared the way procedurally for the pending termination. His departure provides the Penguins with flexibility, as they now have 47 active NHL contracts for the season, three short of the league's limit of 50.
Additionally, defenseman Harrison Brunicke, who last played in an NHL contest on November 3, helped Canada win a bronze medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Championship tournament on Monday. Brunicke recorded two assists in seven games over the tournament. He is scheduled to rejoin the Penguins on Tuesday, and a decision on his future for the remainder of this season will be made by management 'shortly'. Brunicke, 19, is still eligible to play for his full-time junior team, the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, but has been on the Penguins' NHL roster for the bulk of this season. He has appeared in nine NHL contests, scoring one goal while averaging 15:43 of ice time per contest. However, his last NHL appearance was on November 3, and per league rules, junior-eligible Brunicke can play in up to nine NHL games before the first year of his entry-level contract is formally tolled. Since his most recent NHL game, Brunicke has skated in five games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and posted four assists while on a two-week conditioning assignment.
