Pittsburgh Penguins Make Surprising Roster Cut

This past off-season was a wild ride for Rutger McGroarty, as the former Michigan star was finally traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins following a dispute with the Winnipeg Jets, before shocking the NHL world and making the Penguins roster right out of training camp.

Now, the team have made the surprise call to demote McGroarty to the AHL, sending him to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins just days after making his NHL debut in a move that nobody saw coming after Pittsburgh's 2-2-0 start to the season.

In three games with Pittsburgh, McGroarty showed plenty of flashes, but ultimately went scoreless despite impressing the coaching staff and the fans, with many believing he was deserving of that spot, reacting accordingly on social media after the news officially broke.

However, the organization has made the decision to send him back to the AHL for further development, with the opportunity to play top line minutes and adjust to the professional game, and at just 20-years of age, the future remains very bright for the young prospect.

It's unclear when he'll be back in the NHL, with his performance in the NHL likely a major indicator of that, but given the amount of injuries that happen at the NHL level or potential struggles in the lineup, it's more likely than not that we see him back with Pittsburgh at some point this season to inject some youth and speed into an ageing lineup.