Penguins Wrap: In Depth with Jarry; Kids are OK; Rebuild Watch

The Pittsburgh Penguins might be playing out the string — they went into the weekend with the possibility of being officially eliminated from contention for a playoff spot — but there were still interesting developments over the past week.

Chief among them were the call-ups of rookie forwards Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, who did not disappoint in their first couple games.

It has been a season to either remember or forget for Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry. There was no guarantee he would even play for the Penguins again after he was dispatched to the AHL. Now he’s back and making things interesting. PHN got an exclusive interview, and it’s something you will want to read if you missed it.

One player who had begun to endear himself to fans, rugged forward Boko Imama, was suddenly out for the season, but a much bigger name, center Evgeni Malkin, seemed on the brink of returning from injury.

In the longer view, PHN offered a look at what to expect as the rebuild continues, and even took a fun look at what next season’s lineup might look like.

Catch up on it all. Click the links:

Saturday: Things were bleak at the end of last week, begging the question of how to find motivation. Then a page got at least partially turned. The first real visible sign of a rebuild arrived when the Penguins promoted two key prospects.

Boko Imama, the forward with the big smile, the big hits and the willingness to fight, was lost for the season. The team announced that he had biceps surgery.

So much for the notion that Penguins coach Mike Sullivan doesn’t like or trust young players enough to play them much. Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen went through practice in prominent roles.

Sidney Crosby had a hard time talking about breaking Wayne Gretzky’s point-per-game record of 20 straight seasons because it was clinched in a rough loss. A couple days later, he was in a better mood and offered a couple notable comments about the achievement, which Shelly Anderson noted was a highly telling mark.

It became apparent pretty quickly that McGoarty and Koivunen weren’t recalled just to be spare parts. The Penguins planned to give them a real chance to sink or swim.

Sunday: The arrival of a couple top prospects was the beginning of a rebuild for the Penguins. The team’s prospects still have work to do. That and other things to know or think about in this look at four basics of the rebuild.

Sidney Crosby scored the winner in overtime and the two new rookies did not look out of place. But perhaps the biggest takeaway was the bounce-back game goaltender Tristan Jarry had in the Penguins’ win over Ottawa.

What a 21st birthday for Rutger McGroarty, and PHN was there to chronicle his every shift. He not only played well against the Senators, but afterward he also colorfully described his experience playing with Sidney Crosby, his skate debacle and more. He was beaming.

Monday: Tristan Jarry has had a fractured season, and his future with the Penguins is, well, unsure. Come to find out there are some off-ice personal things that have also vied for his attention, including trying to spend time with his pregnant wife. PHN went in depth with the goalie in an exclusive interview.

The Penguins took their official team photo before practice. How many of the faces will be here next season? It was probably appropriate that fresh faces Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen were in the picture as they were settling in nicely.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has given the Penguins what they might have expected and more, and he feels confident in his decision to sign with them. It has been a great fit.

Tuesday: Sidney Crosby was named the team MVP. Forward Emil Bemstrom was put on waivers. Catch up on a roundup of some news items.

It’s bold. It’s interesting as heck. What might the Penguins’ roster, line combinations, defensive pairings and goaltending tandem look like next season? PHN stuck its neck out and took an early look at the lineup.

Wednesday: In an interesting move, the Penguins recalled another potential piece of the feature, Joona Koppanen.

Injured center Evgeni Malkin was set to join the Penguins for their three-game road trip. Coach Mike Sullivan explained the emergency recall of Koppanen (sort of). Read the updates and notes from practice.

Ville Koivunen seemed to fit in during his NHL debut. Sullivan praised the forward’s hockey IQ, among other things. See where Koivunen might fit in.

Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas, appearing on a podcast, had some interesting things to say about the goaltending next season, predicting an all-out battle.

Thursday: It’s not just the team record that is ugly; some of the Penguins stats are, too. And there is news about Crosby’s wrist — sort of, but not in the injury sense. That and more in a Penguins notebook.

Rutger McGroarty scored a tying goal in the waning seconds, assisted by Ville Koivunen, but the Penguins undid a strong start with too many mistakes and lost in overtime against St. Louis.

A closer look at the rookies after a big night for them. But also a look at the team’s lingering biggest problem (hint: it starts with a D). It’s in the Penguins grades.

Friday: It has seemed inevitable for some time. The Penguins are going to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. You like math? Check out how, by the end of the weekend, they could be officially eliminated.

It looked as if Evgeni Malkin had reached the brink of returning from injury. Plus, Ville Koivunen got a promotion related to the power play. That and more in the Penguins practice update.

He did it. With Wayne Gretzky in the house, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin nearly brought the house down. He scored twice to reach 894 career goals and tie Gretzky for the incredible NHL record.