Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward Rutger McGroarty left a practice session in Cranberry early Tuesday because of an apparent injury.
During a two-on-two drill, McGroarty collided with a teammate and was in immediate discomfort. As the drill continued, he retreated to a bench and was examined by an athletic trainer.
McGroarty appeared to be holding his neck or head during the evaluation. As the practice session continued on a different rink, McGroarty retreated to the dressing room and did not return.
Coach Dan Muse did not provide a status on McGroarty following practice.
A healthy scratch during a 5-4 overtime road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, McGroarty has played in 16 games this season and has posted three points (two goals, one assist) while averaging 12 minutes, 13 seconds of ice time. He has predominantly skated on the left wing of the third line.
The Penguins had limited attendance at Tuesday’s practice session. Forwards Yegor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, as well as defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, did not participate. Muse labeled their absences as “recovery.”
Zamula’s contract terminated
The Penguins terminated the contract of defenseman Egor Zamula on Tuesday afternoon after he cleared waivers. Roughly an hour afterward, it was announced he signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets for the remainder of the season. His new contract has a prorated value of $1 million.
These transactions come after Zamula was acquired by the Penguins in a trade that sent forward Philip Tomasino to the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 31. The left-handed Zamula was immediately assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League but never reported to the minor-league affiliate, leading the Penguins to suspend him Saturday.
His refusal to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton cleared the way procedurally for the pending termination.
Zamula’s departure — and Tomasino’s exit, essentially — provides the Penguins with flexibility as they have 47 active NHL contracts for the season, three short of the league’s limit of 50.
Before trading him to the Penguins, the Flyers had assigned Zamula to Lehigh Valley of the AHL on Dec. 19. Seeing no avenue back to the NHL with the Flyers or Penguins, Zamula opted to take the course of action that ultimately led to his previous contract being terminated in order to join the Blue Jackets.
Daniel Milstein, agent for Zamula, issued a statement on social media regarding his client’s intentions.
“All parties we spoke to were fully informed of the player’s position, including Pittsburgh, which traded for him,” Milstein wrote. “I would like to personally thank the management and front offices of both organizations for their professional, transparent, and highly constructive work over the past seven days.”
With regard to his terminated contract, Zamula was in the final year of a two-year deal and carried a salary cap hit of $1.7 million.
Brunicke’s future to be determined
Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke helped Canada win a bronze medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championship tournament Monday. Canada defeated Finland, 6-3, to claim bronze in St. Paul, Minn.
In seven games over the tournament, Brunicke recorded two assists.
Per a team spokesperson, Brunicke was 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 for the bulk of this season, he has been on the Penguins’ NHL roster.
He has appeared in nine NHL contests and scored one goal while averaging 15:43 of ice time.
But the last of his NHL appearances came Nov. 3. 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 skated in five games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and posted four assists while on a two-week conditioning assignment in late November and early December. Junior-eligible players can go to the AHL for conditioning purposes but are not eligible for a full-time assignment.
A second-round draft pick (No. 44 overall) in 2024, the-right-handed Brunicke is considered one of the organization’s top prospects.
