McGroarty Makes It! Penguins Release Final Roster

CRANBERRY, PA — Perhaps because of injuries and perhaps because he fully earned it, top Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Rutger McGroaty made the final 22-player roster.

Forwards Bryan Rust and Blake Lizotte, as well as goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, were placed on injured reserve. Forward Matt Nieto is out month-to-month after multiple knee surgeries and was placed on LTIR.

General Manager Kyle Dubas later clarified that Rust was placed on IR retroactively to last Sunday, but the team was being cautious.

“If you don’t chain him down, he’s going to want to play,” Dubas joked at his season-opening press conference.

The two players the Penguins waived on Sunday, forward Boko Imama and defenseman Sebastian Aho, cleared waivers and were assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins are rolling with 13 forwards and seven defensemen.

2-Rutger McGroarty
8-Michael Bunting
10-Drew O’Connor
13-Kevin Hayes
18-Jesse Puljujarvi
19-Cody Glass
20-Lars Eller
48-Valtteri Puustinen
55-Noel Acciari
67-Rickard Rakell
71-Evgeni Malkin
72-Anthony Beavillier
87-Sidney Crosby

Defense

3-Jack St. Ivany
5-Ryan Shea
24-Matt Grzelcyk
27-Ryan Graves
28-Marcus Pettersson
58-Kris Letang
65-Erik Karlsson

Goalies

30-Joel Blomqvist
35-Tristan Jarry