Penguins Update: Is Rutger McGroarty a Good Fit for Mike Sullivan (and Vice Versa)?
Before I begin, I need to be clear. What I’m about to write is just me thinking out loud. In effect, giving voice to my deepest, darkest fears. It has absolutely no basis whatsoever in any published reports or insider scoop.
And Lord knows, I’ve been wrong about things a time or two (or three).
With that proviso, I have this terrible foreboding that we’re, or more specifically—coach Mike Sullivan—is going to botch the development of recently acquired blue-chip prospect Rutger McGroarty.
Perhaps I’m guilty of reading tea leaves that aren’t there. But for lack of a better way to express it, at first blush the former University of Michigan standout doesn’t appear to be a “Sully guy.”
What do I mean by that? Sullivan and his system crave speed. Check that…they demand it. McGroarty is many things…smart, skilled, physically mature. Although hardly a plow horse, fast isn’t one of them.
In a roundabout way, he reminds me of fellow power forward and eternal prospect Sam Poulin. Although not in the same class as McGroarty, Poulin, too, possesses lots of positive attributes, including the ability to excel in traffic.