Analysts Set Bold Expectations for Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen This Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to build for the future, and while they struggled with a veteran heavy team in 2024/25, they did see the emergence of two young rookies.

Those rookies were former Jets top prospect Rutger McGroarty and former Hurricane Ville Koivunen, both of whom took a major step forward in their rookie years, putting up 3 points and 7 points in 8 games respectively.

Now, they're both expected to win full-time roles heading into the new season, with many expecting McGroarty to play alongside Sidney Crosby and Koivunen to take up a role on the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin.

In their latest piece, The Hockey News have taken a shot at predicting the output for both players, and while neither are likely to be among the two or three highest scoring players on the team, hopes are high for both.

According to Hunter Hodies, we can hope for 15 goals and 35 points from McGroarty, while the expectations for Koivunen are rather similar, with a 10 goal, 20-25 assist season likely to be a success for the talented young winger.

Both are expected to grow into talented, full-time wingers at the NHL level this season, and if that is the case, it would be a major win for the Penguins as they look to dive deep into a rebuild, and if both can become consistent, they'll be great leaders and players for the future of the Penguins organization.