Penguins Top Prospect Out for Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins will finish their season without a top prospect in their lineup.

Apr 5, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rutger McGroarty (2) waits for the face-off against the Dallas Stars during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have much left to play for in the 2024-25 season as they are mathematically unable to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As their 2024-25 campaign nears an end, the Penguins have announced multiple players that will be out for the remainder of the season.

Among those put on the shelf is Penguins’ top prospect Rutger McGroarty who suffered a lower-body injury against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The following @penguins players are out for the remainder of the season per Head Coach Mike Sullivan:

•Noel Acciari
•Blake Lizotte
•Rutger McGroarty
•Matt Nieto
•Tommy Novak

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) April 10, 2025

Playing in his second NHL stint, McGroarty was expected to play the rest of the 2024-25 regular season with the Penguins before being sent back to the American Hockey League (AHL) for a playoff run with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

McGroarty had been playing well with the Penguins in his recent stint, recording a goal and a pair of assists for three points in his last five games played. Playing alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line, McGroarty seemed to be fitting in much better than his initial stint to start the season.

Despite the injury taking him out for the remainder of the NHL season, there is still a chance McGroarty can return to health to help the WBS Penguins with a deep AHL playoff run.

McGroarty has been a key in the WBS lineup with 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 60 games played.

The Penguins also announced that forwards Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte, Matt Nieto, and Tommy Novak are also out for the remainder of the season.

With that many names on the shelf, the Penguins recalled Emil Bemstrom, Vasily Ponomarev, and Valtteri Puustinen on an emergency basis.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Predicting the NHL's Masterton Finalists
• Sharks Rookie Already Earning Superstar Status
• Rangers, Islanders Hope to Keep Slim Playoff Hopes Alive
• Rangers HC Continues Adding Fuel to Hot Seat
• NCAA Frozen Four: BU, Penn State Ready for Battle