Penguins A to Z: Jonathan Gruden finally reached the NHL. Now what?
Share this post:
With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022-23 season coming to an end without any postseason action, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 49 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Corey Andonovski to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
This series will publish every weekday leading into the NHL Draft on June 28 and 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Jonathan Gruden
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 23
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 190 pounds
2022-23 NHL statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)
2022-23 AHL statistics: 54 games, 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists)
Contract: In the final year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $788,333. Pending restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
(Note: Gruden does not require waivers for any transaction involving a minor league affiliate.)
Acquired: Trade, Oct. 7, 2020
Last season: The Penguins don’t exactly suffer from a surplus of NHL-caliber prospects.
For more than a decade, they’ve traded away high-end future assets in the immediate pursuit of winning the Stanley Cup, an accomplishment they’ve realized three times since 2009.
That method has bore fruit but it has left the prospect pool barren.
So, when Gruden was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Jan. 15, it represented a minor triumph for an organization that has largely struggled to develop prospects.
To be clear, Gruden’s three games of NHL action in 2022-23 weren’t a seismic shift for the Penguins. But it did represent something that has occurred far too infrequently.
Gruden did everything within his limited skillset to earn his promotion with his best season as a professional.
After suffering an undisclosed injury during training camp, Gruden missed the first two games of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season but settled into the lineup as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s third-line center.
That changed by mid-December after Drew O’Connor was recalled to the NHL and Sam Poulin went on a leave of absence to address a personal matter. All of a sudden, Gruden was thrust into being the team’s second-line center and he responded with a productive stretch to open January.
Between Jan. 4 and 14, Gruden posted seven points (five goals, two assists) in five games.
That outburst earned him his first true recall to the NHL roster and first career NHL games — primarily as a fourth-liner — after an undisclosed injury sidelined incumbent forward Ryan Poehling.
By Jan. 29, Gruden was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and finished out the season in Northeast Pennsylvania as the AHL Penguins’ second-line center primarily.
After an undisclosed injury sidelined Gruden for nine games in late February and mid-March, he played in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s final 15 games of the campaign, recording 13 points (four goals, nine assists) over that span.
The future: Whoever the Penguins’ next general manager is will have to make decisions on several restricted free agents. Extending, at the minimum, a qualifying offer to Gruden would appear to be an easy choice.
While he is limited in what he can offer on offense, Gruden appears to have several traits this organization’s NHL roster is in need of.
Namely, a fourth-liner with a pulse.
An energetic player, Gruden has played on both special teams units (including as a net-front presence with the power play), takes faceoffs, isn’t afraid of contact (he had 54 penalty minutes in the AHL last season) and even has a modicum of scoring touch. And as the son of Boston Bruins assistant coach John Gruden, Jonathan Gruden offers all of the stereotypical attributes as the son of a coach. In other words, he thinks the game well.
Gruden finally reached the NHL after three seasons in the organization. Now, he needs to find a way to stay there.