F Rutger McGroarty - WBS Penguins, AHL (2022, 14th, WPG; traded to PIT)

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Being the most well respected punching bag in the league is not a way to make a living…

Hey, you leave Kelly Buchberger out of this!

 

[SomeDude]

There are reasons to criticize Rutger’s game, Lord knows I’ve been pointing them out since he got traded to the Pens, but not being able to fight is by far the dumbest.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

So his points don't count either? Because they are "over"?

He was supposed to be NHL ready. He wasn't.

He was supposed to be a gritty power forward: just found out he isn't.

That's a dropping stock.

Impressive amount of wrong in one post.

His numbers are pretty decent in the AHL. 28 points in 46 games for the age of the average rookie out of the CHL is pretty solid. He’s 21st in U21 PPG in the AHL, which essentially means he’s like the most NHL ready scorer on the average AHL team (and he’s first on the Pens).

I don’t think anyone ever said he was 100% a lock and certainty to play a full season and do well in the NHL, but his NHL case was at least there and he earned his spot with a good preseason. Nothing wrong with sending him down for more seasoning.

And worth noting that his SH% is about 5% points low. If he was shooting about what you’d expect, he’d be about 13th. He’s doing pretty well. Pittsburgh has been trying to win this year. Yeah, if he played for like Anaheim you’d put up with 24 points in 57 games and learning on the job. But he’s not. He could’ve played in either league.

I also don’t know how losing a fight makes you a player who has no grit or isn’t a power forward. What a bizarre claim.

 

[Whis]

Way to go Rut!

.60 PPG working on his game in the A. Next year he may even get a shot in the big leagues playing for a bottom 5-8 team.

Who cares that he got stomped in a fight by some 6ft 20 year old offensive dmen??? He's a vibes guys that will lead the Pens through this next era with Pickering and Boz!!!!

 

[Leafshater67]

Fights literally don’t count for anything except 5 PIM. They do not matter. They do not count for anything on the scoreboard. The clock isn’t even running! Goals and points actually do matter.

I’d say that’s true for 90% of cases but there are times with dudes like Mike Komisarek where a humiliating beating hurts their confidence tremendously. I wouldn’t say Rutger is a dude who thinks he’s tough though.

I played junior with a guy who was super physical and tough. He got flattened once and was never the same too but that dude thought he was Georges Laraque basically at that point.