Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - What is a REALISTIC ceiling for Penguins' forward Rutger McGroarty?

Episode Date: June 9, 2026

Rutger McGroarty started the season on the injured list, but bounced back for a solid year in the AHL. Is it time for him to graduate? Patrick and Hunter continue their season-in-review series today by looking at Rutger McGroarty's play in both the AHL and the NHL. He was over a point-per-game player in the AHL and turned in a solid performance in the Calder Cup Playoffs, and showed growth at the NHL level. While he showed some flashes, it's probably time for him to become a full-time NHL player. (0:00) Then, the conversation about McGroarty continues into the second segment by taking a realistic look at what his ceiling could be as a prospect, as well as what would be a disaster. (12:24) Finally, they begin looking at some prospects for the Penguins to draft this summer at the NHL Entry Draft. Their first profile looks at WHL Vancouver Giants' defenseman Ryan Lin. A solid defenseman with a lot of upside might not be available at 22 for the Penguins, but if he is, Dubas would be wise to snag him. (24:23)  Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel.Visithttps://FANDUEL.COMto get started now. 5-Hour ENERGY Get candy-flavored chaos with Fruity Rainbow 5-hour ENERGY®️ Shots - available online at https://5hourENERGY.com or Amazon FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his second year with the organization, Rutger Magrorty continued to grow, but is it time for him to graduate to a full-time NHL role? And is he ready for that? We go over his full season and answer that question on the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Your Locked-on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in to the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast.

I am one of your hosts, Patrick Damp, right alongside my pal, the one and only Hunter Hodes. You can find me on most social media platforms at Synonym 4 Wet, and you can find Hunter on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Before we get started, today's episode is brought to you by Fandul. The biggest stage in the world in soccer is here. let there be goals on Fandul, visit Fandul.com to get started. Today, we're going to take a look at one of the most intriguing draft prospects that might be available for the Pittsburgh Penguins. And if he is one, it would be one hell of a pick. And we are also going to talk about the ceiling for Penguins prospect Rutger McGority.

But before we do that, let's start with the season in review side of, Rutger McGroherty in both the American League and the National League. In the AHL this year, 30 games played 10 goals, 24 assists for 34 points. Meanwhile, in the NHL, four goals and, I'm sorry, in the playoffs for the HAL, read my notes wrong there. In the playoffs, the Colorado Cup playoffs, four goals, five assists, nine points in 15 games. Then in the NHL, he plays 24 games, three goals. three assists for six points.

For McGrorty, you can see that the skating is starting to get better, but it's not quite where it needs to be just yet. Obviously, this upcoming off season, very crucial for him, needs to get a little bit better. And we will get into all of that, but we're here to grade his season. Here's how I'm going to break this one down, Hunter. For his time in the AHL,

I'm going to give him an A because he was really good during the regular season, had some big moments in that Calder Cup playoff run to the conference final. And then I'll give him a solid C for his time in the NHL. Did really well in the minors, but he was hurt early so that kind of put him on the back foot to start this season. So overall, I'm still okay with his trajectory, but we're getting ever so closer to getting a little bit worried. Yeah, we're getting close to that, put up a shut up time. We're already there, Pat for someone like Owen Pickering, where it's like, all right, it really is now or never for someone like that. I think we're even closer to that point

with the like Govenin, for example, you bring up your quad A player reference all the time for someone like that. So we'll get to Coivin a bit later on in the off season because we're really close to that point where it's put up at our shut up time. With McGority, he's not as close to that point as someone like Coivinen is or even at that point like Pickering. But we're starting the process, Pat, of getting close to that point because you're right. Edge all season, I'd give him an A. He was over a point per game. In the playoffs, do I think he was bad like we talked about on Monday?

No, I just wanted to see a bit more from him considering that he had a great regular season. And I just felt like he wasn't fully consistent from game to game. He had some really good moments. For example, the goal against the Marley's in that series was awesome. and the celebration was also fantastic. It's exactly what I want to see from a player like that, where he can rise up in big games in big moments. So I like that aspect.

Now, you switch over to the NHL. He had at least a few decent games this season. You go back to that game in Toronto, right before the Christmas break, when the Penguins were still really struggling. I actually felt that was the best game he played all season, even though the Penguins lost. He scored a really nice goal in that game,

and he was all over the ice. He was setting up chances. He was getting chances of his own. he played really well for the Penguins. And he does get that final goal in the final regular season game against the Blues. Yeah, it didn't mean anything, but it was still nice to see him get rewarded in that game because I also felt he played well in that game too. But you see, you know, the makings of a potentially solid middle six-sachs

slash bottom-six player in the NHL. We'll get into his ceiling, obviously, a bit later on. It's just now putting that together on a more. more consistent basis, working out some of the other issues of his game, like his skating, for example. I still think he also needs to be a little bit better in his own zone as well. But for him this offseason, it's really about just fine-tuning a couple of those things. And really, Pat, showing up to camp, fully ready to go because I want to see him really make a

push for the full-time roster. I think at this point, considering the season that he had in the H.L, when you combine everything, like it's probably at the point now where you want to graduate to the NHL full time and be a potential difference maker at least a fine enough player in your middle six to bottom six the thing I will say about his time in the NHL this year which was 24 games with the big club is we look at the way he played the season prior to this one when he got the last eight games under Mike Sullivan at the end of that year. We kind of looked at it with black and gold glasses where,

oh my God, this shiny new prospect is here. We're all excited. We were in that honeymoon phase of eight games. He could do no wrong. We were all excited to see the young guy play. So everything he did to us was brand new and we were excited to see it. Looking at him this year, I liked a lot of the growth of his game in the NHL. yeah, it's nowhere near complete, but you got to keep in mind.

He just turned 22 in March. So he's a 14th overall pick. And there were moments of growth in his game this season when he was in the NHL. Again, I mentioned the skating. It's still a little bit of a concern. But to where it was when we started this year, to where it was when he got called up near the end, you could tell that he has really worked on it. and it has improved.

I do agree with you on that, yes. For a guy, a guy his size, he's six foot, over 200 pounds, and the way he plays the game, that's going to take a little bit. That's going to take some time to get to get to where it needs to be, just because he is, for all intents and purposes, a bigger guy. And that is something that comes with more work and more time. But I looked at his decision making. I looked at the way he played defensively.

And of course, there's always going to be warts for a 21-year-old playing in the NHL at this level. But he was a little bit more comfortable when he played in the NHL this year. He was a little bit more comfortable with his decision-making. He was better in the defensive zone. He was knowing when to take risks and when to pull back and be defensive. So I liked a lot of what he showed us at the NHL level this year. So overall, again, I said it at the top. I'm not putting him in a panic category yet.

I'm not worried about him yet because I did see growth this year. And we have to remind ourselves that this is going to be part of it. Not everybody is going to be Ben Kindle. Not everybody is going to show up to camp and immediately be as close to a ready made NHL player as it can get. It's going to take time. And I saw strides for me. him this year. So I want to see that continue going into camp this coming fall.

Yeah. And it's why this offseason is just so huge for him. You know, put on a little bit more muscle, work on your skating, a little bit more show up to camp, ready to go, and then go out there and earn yourself a roster spot going into the regular season, whether Pat, that's on the third line, for example, with Ben Kendall, whether that's on the fourth line potentially, for example, even though I do think Avery Hayes has the fast track for that spot on the fourth line with was on endure. Still, go out there and earn your spot. Like, this is the next step for his development. Okay. H.L. regular season, when he came back, I know he had the injuries going into camp last year, wasn't ready to go, which was totally unfortunate. It really stunk because I wanted to see what he

could do at training camp, wasn't able to come us back, over point per game. That's great. In the playoffs, I think he's fine. I don't think he's one of their best players, but also don't think he was awful or anything like that. Okay, take all that, go into the online, off season, continue working your butt off and try to go into camp and make this team. Like, I'm with you on the panic meter as well. It's not to the point again where we're at with Ville Coyvin, where we're panicking a bit more over him. But I also don't want it to get to that point with Magority because I like a lot of the

traits that he has overall. Before we get to what his ceiling and everything is in the next segment, the last thing I do want to say about him was more intangible than anything. Yeah, he didn't wear a letter in Wilkes Bear, but you could tell he was a leader on that team. He spoke with reporters quite a bit. He very much was a leader in that locker room, which is just an inherent trait of his. You can tell he is one of those players that does not shy away from leadership. He does not shy away from trying to set a good example for his team and his teammates. And I know that a lot of that stuff gets used as an excuse to talk about players who aren't as good as you want them to be. But you can see that

the hockey sense, some of the skill and the work ethic are all there for McGority. So having all of that in one package, it's now going to be, it's going to be important for him to put all of that together and take that next step into becoming a full-time NHL player. And that is exactly what we are going to talk about when we come back from this break. What is Rutger McGroarkey's ceiling? And yes, we will do a tad bit of dooming and talk about what would be disastrous for Rutger McGroarie. We will get into that when we come back right after this.

But first, we got to tell you about one of today's sponsors, and that is five-hour energy. If you've got a sweet tooth like I do, you know how tough it is to find that perfect treat without all of the sugar. That is why the fruity rainbow five-hour energy shot brings that nostalgic flavor back in a whole new way. Fruity rainbow five-hour energy shots, treat your taste buds to an explosion of fruity flavor with a tasty caffeine kick. It's a quick, easy way to satisfy that sweet craving while keeping things simple and on the go. It's a zero sugar treat that is sweet tooth approved. And as I continue to work multiple jobs, try to keep myself in shape, all that good stuff. I need some caffeine boosts here and there to keep me going.

Five hour energy shots, they do the job, not getting all the sugar, not getting all that junk in my body. It's keeping me pepped up, keeping me ready to go. cannot recommend it enough. So get candy-flavored chaos with fruity rainbow five-hour energy shots. They're available online at five-hour energy.com or on Amazon. Keeping it rolling here on the Tuesday edition of Locked-on Penguins, Patrick Damp with you right alongside Hunter Hodes. And before we continue, get your daily locked-on penguins fix completely ad-free

by joining the Everydayer Club today. You can start your seven-day free trial right now and get closer to the Pittsburgh Penguins without all of the interruptions. Click the link in our show notes or go to Locked-on Podcasts.com slash Everydayer Club, find our show, and start your free trial. Now, we just went over 25, 26 for Rutger Magrorty, so let's pull out our crystal balls, phrasing on that one, Pat, I can't believe you wrote that one down.

Anyway, and let's take a look into the future. He's 22 years old. He's a 14th overall pick. He won't be 23 until March 30th of next year. He's already played 32 games, nine points in those 32 games. As I hinted towards Hunter, he has shown flashes, but I'm going to kind of meld things I said into some stuff you said here with where I look at his ceiling.

And I think he tops out at a middle six forward. He's going to be a guy that plays a really good two-way game. He can pot you at a peak, say 15-ish goals, 35, 40-ish or more points. And he'll be a reliable piece on your third line. And if there are injuries, he can fill in on your second line pretty admirably. but I look at him as a very steady middle six forward who will be a solid leader. He won't be afraid to play physical and he can chip in offensively when you need him to. I think the peak ceiling for him, and this is the absolute peak people,

is probably a top six player, Pat, who can give you know, 15, 20-ish goals and 40 plus points. Again, that's like the peak for me. overall though it's more of what you said middle six to bottom six someone that can play on your third and fourth line still give you double digit goals but probably closer to you know the 11 to 12 range and maybe not upwards of 18 goals so that's kind of where i'm at and maybe someone that can give you in the middle six bottom six you know 20 to 25 plus points maybe even upwards of 30 points someone who improves defensively a little bit more improves the skating a little bit more, but can give you a depth goal, you know, every few games and tops out again, a lower double-digit goals, someone who is a good player for you.

It's not, he's not going to cost you too, too much. Though we did just see with Michael McCarron, he doesn't score very much, and Minnesota decided to give him a six-year term at age, 31 years old. So, you know, maybe at some point that's in the future for Rucker McGority if he gets a six-year term or something like that. But I think overall, outside of his peak pat, which I have at top six,

I see him more as a third to fourth liner. It can give you 10 to 12 goals, better defensively, and works on his play, making a little bit more as well. And also maybe even turns into a bit of a leader in that bottom six as well. Yeah, I know.

You have Blake Lazott down there right now. You have Connor Dewar. Ben Kendall is still young, but I see him turning into a leader down there, down the road as he gets. it's a bit older. But I think with Magority, Pat, just considering he was a leader this past year in Wilkesbury, he's a little bit older than someone like Kindle.

I see him potentially turning into a leader of that bottom six as well. So that's kind of where I see, you know, a more realistic ceiling for him. Like his absolute peak, someone that can play in the top six gets more minutes on an every night basis and also someone that can play on PowerPlay 1, especially 2. With the middle six, bottom 6, maybe he gets on PowerPlaying. too, but there's also right now at least better options, but absolute peak, powerplay one. And as for Pat, you know, what could go wrong? I'll bring up your quad A player, reference, someone who, you know, lights up the A,

but isn't able to stick in the NHL. And I think you probably agree with that. That is kind of what I look at as what would be the disaster scenario, is that he does turn into one of those quad A players. He's great at the AHL level, just absolutely dummies people. down there and then for some reason or other can't figure it out at the NHL level and that would definitely be pretty negative for Riker McGroorty's career going forward but I also think to build off of what you said and this is obviously very contingent upon what other moves this team

makes who they draft who emerges and who doesn't but assuming he does make it to the NHL full time and becomes an NHL regular. I could see him wearing a letter down the line sometime in the next five to seven years if he's an NHL regular with the Penguins because if everything I said in the first segment, he is a natural leader. He took on a leadership role with the baby penguins when you look at a lot of the players that they had down there. He didn't need to take on a leadership role.

They had plenty of it down there on that roster, but that's just who he is as a person and a player. So depending upon who this team drafts, who they trade for, who emerges out of nowhere in free agency or otherwise, he looks to me like someone that when he starts to get into his mid to late 20s, they would put an A on his jersey as one of the leaders of the team just because that's the kind of player that he is. And I also think one of the things that makes his ceiling a little bit more unpredictable is that he has really good hockey sense. We saw it when he got that eight game cup of coffee two seasons ago. He meshed pretty well with Sidney Crosby. And we've talked about it on the show. If you have followed the penguins in the Sydney Crosby

era, you know good and well. There is a roster full of players who the penguins have gone out and acquired in one way or another to play with Sidney Crosby, and it didn't work. They just did not mesh or it just didn't work out at all. And granted, it's eight games, so it's really hard to get a true sense of that. But what do I say all the time? Being able to play with elite level players is a talent in and of itself. I think of guys like Chris Coonitz, who really good hockey player, but you wouldn't put them down as a, top line winger, but he was because he thought the game fast enough. He had chemistry with Sidney Crosby.

He knew where to be when Sid needed an outlet. And that's a skill in of itself. And I look at a player like McGority, he's a very intelligent hockey player, has really good hockey sense. And that alone at times, if you can at least get the physical attributes up to passable, we'll give you time and will give you. a longer career. Yeah, I do especially like his hockey sense. He does see the ice really well. I just overall want to see him work on, you know, all aspects of his game. I wasn't trying to,

you know, crush him for playmaking because he is more of a playmaking player overall. I just still want him to work on it a little bit more if he wants to be a full-time initial player. Same for his defensive game. Same for his goal scoring ability. Same with his skating. I want him to, you know, mesh all of these together so that he is in the best possible position to make the full-time roster for October, going into training camp, fully ready to go, all that good stuff. But yeah, for example, if injuries arise next year to the top six and you need McGorority to play a few games in there, I don't think it would be the worst thing in the world, considering that you're right, he did show at least a little bit of chemistry with Crosby

at the end of the 24, 25 season, excuse me. Yeah, it was under a different coaching staff, but I'm sure Damn U's saw how that worked. And if he needed to, he would put McGority right back up there just because they have shown a little bit of that chemistry. Now, I don't think he was going to get a lot of top line minutes next season, but I'm just saying if the need arises, you can put him right up there for a game or two, maybe three, see how he does. And then once the players come back, you can move him down the lineup.

But still, overall, kind of been a theme of these first two. segments, this is a massive offseason for him. The biggest thing I'll say to close out the Magrory discussion is this. With the exception of the NHL in this year, it was a lot of stop and start up and down. But when he has gotten extended looks and extended time at pretty much every level, whether it was the U.S. development program, Michigan, now Wilkes-Bare, after a while, he starts to produce. He starts to figure it out.

He starts to become a productive player. So of course now the challenge for him is making that happen at the NHL level. And with all the things we talked about, his leadership, his work ethic, his hockey sense, it is all there for him to take. He just has to reach out and grab it. So we will obviously keep an eye on him. We're obviously rooting for him. We want to see him turn into a full-time NHL player.

And he will have that opportunity when we get to camp this fall. But that is going to do it for this middle segment. When we come back, oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time to start talking about the NHL draft. And we've got a doozy of one to talk about when we come back right after this. But we've got one more sponsor to get to before we do that. And it is Fandul. The biggest stage in world soccer is here.

And every match feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment. one goal can completely change the energy of the game, shift the momentum, and alter the outcome in an instant. That's what makes tournament soccer so exciting from the opening whistle to the final kick. Now, Fandall is giving fans another reason to stay locked into every match with every goal pays. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored in that match. More goals means more bonus bets. All you have to do is turn on your time. token. That is what I love so much about these tournaments. You can turn on a match between teams

and countries that you don't normally follow. You don't really know anything about. And suddenly one goal changes everything. The tension builds so quickly that you're invested before you even realize it. Whether it's getting up early and heading over to my neighborhood pub at an abnormal time or huddling around a small TV in the office, you guys know there is nothing. And I mean, nothing like the World Cup. And now you can benefit from every goal scored. From the opening whistle to the final kick, let there be goals on Fandul. Visit fandul.com right now to get started.

We're finishing up the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. Patrick Damp and Hunter Hode is here. And you know what else is here, Hunter? Penguins draft talk. That's right. We're just a couple weeks away from the NHL draft. So make sure that you are subscribed to the show. You're following us on social media for all the latest,

especially this guy next to me because he is deep into the tape. He's deep into the numbers. He's getting his draft board ready. So without further ado, let's get started. Today, we're talking about a defenseman that, in my opinion, if he is still on the board at 22, Kyle Dubus needs to sprint to the microphone on his Zoom call and make the pick. That is Ryan Lynn.

Huge year this year in the WHL for the 5 foot 11 inch defenseman, 53 games with the Vancouver Giants, 14 goals, 43 assists, 57 points. Not only can Lynn produce offensively, he already has a very mature defensive game. Hunter, give us the rundown on Ryan Lynn. Yes, Pat. So defenseman Ryan Lynn, the first two words that come to mind for me are steady, reliable. Those are the two words that come to mind when I watch Ryan Lynn's tape.

He is really good in all three zones. He's always in a good position, has really good pinching tendencies. And what I mean by that is, you know, he knows when to pull back and avoid what I like to call those 30-70 pinches. You'd sometimes see some of the defensemen on the penguins do that. towards the end of the Mike Sullivan tenure. I'd absolutely hate it. It would lead to way too many odd man rushes,

three on twos, two on ones. Thankfully, Damien was able to fix that for a lot of this past season. You did not see the Penguins give up nearly as many odd man rushes. Overall, and I think a big part of that is making sure you're not doing these, you know, dumb pinches along the boards. Lynn, he also knows exactly when to jump into the play. There were a lot of moments throughout the season when he would simply smartly come down and just rifle the puck.

He has a really underrated shot. He's not afraid to do it when he gets the chance. He also has experienced quarterbacking the power play, had some really impressed the keeps of the blue line. One example that, you know, I keep coming back to when I put on his tape. He played in the Holinka Gretzky semifinal, Canada, USA. He dove across to keep the puck at the point in the power play. Tinen Lawrence, who, he's one of my dream options for the Penguins.

If he is somehow on the board at 22 or if he starts falling a little bit, I would actually want Kyle Dubus to start considering trading up for him. I'm a big Ty Lawrence fan. And again, that's just one of my dream options. Like, for example, a few years ago when I had my board, Zach Benson was that dream option. And obviously came very close to becoming a penguin. I think he was going to be the pick.

Sabers took him one pick before. And you all see how great he's doing with Buffalo. But again, Ty and Lawrence, he gets the puck along the boards before cutting the slot and then firing the puck home. It was just a really, really nice keep at the blue line. and he also just moves the puck extremely well from his own zone. Vancouver played Cam Loops this past season, Harrison Brunick's team.

And there was a play where Lynn started from behind the net, quickly got a burst of speed coming out of his own zone. He gains the red line before skating the puck into the offensive zone, drops the puck off, pucks in the back of the net two seconds later. It all started because of the way he skated out of his own zone with control and just knifed around a player, gets into the offensive zone, drops the puck off for his teammate, and then boom, you get a scoring chance and a goal.

Just overall, I'm a big fan of him, man. He may not be as flashy as some of the other defensemen in this draft, but he, again, knows when to jump into the play. He's not afraid to shoot it. He has good playmaking ability. He can quarterback your power play, has some nice keeps. He's a steady all-around defenseman. He also plays well in his own zone.

He's good behind his net. He's everything I think you want in a defense. defenseman in that range. The biggest problem for me, though, Pat, is he even going to be there at 22? Because to me, this is a player that probably should go in the top 15 to 16 in the draft. But if he starts slipping a little bit after that, I'd also consider Kyle Dubus to maybe trade up a few spots to get him because, you know, he is really good. I would definitely be a fan if the Penguins were able to snag him in the first round. They still need more for their defensive pipeline going forward.

That's the biggest, to me right now, the biggest need, even though I have said already on this show that I think if they stay at 22, it is going to be full BPA best player available just because you get into that back half of the first round. And you can't really be choosy. You just got to get hopefully the best prospect you can get. And like you, I'm very skeptical that Lynn will be available at 22. I have him pegged as well as a top 15 pick. Just kind of depends upon who and where. But he's already committed to go into Denver next year in the NCAA. So he's going to try to take that next challenge after a big year in the WHL. The thing that I liked a lot about his game watching some of the film from Vancouver is that he is just consistent.

He does not make a lot of mistakes. No. There is not a lot of, I don't, I would, I would call, I would not call him, excuse me, a raw prospect. Now, granted, it's got to grow. He's got to get better. All the usual caveats you say for players who are 18 and going into the draft. But you look at the way he plays defensively. He's positionally sound. He knows when to, he knows when to play the angles right, when to throw a hit, when to use his stick, when to escape behind the net.

he's got a solid first pass. It is a defensive prospect that I think one of the things that honestly may keep him from going top 15. Now, granted, still doesn't mean I think he's going to fall to 22 is that he's under six foot. And we know how the NHL thinks. They think you got to be big, you got to be tall, whatever. But Lynn, despite not being six foot tall, does play a. really good game. He is really good defensively, and he chips in offensively. So I look at this kid, and again, I'll end it where I be in. If his name is still out there at 22 and the penguins

haven't traded up, that has to be a huge consideration for Kyle Dubus and company. Yeah, I'd be a big fan. His transition game is also really, really strong, excuse me, going from defense to offense, just in general, man. There's just not really many war. when it comes to his game when I turn him on the tape. I'd be very happy if the Penguins were to get him at 22, maybe a few spots higher if they want to get a package going and maybe move up a little bit in the draft. Because personally, I don't think they're really going to move down from 22.

I think if anything, if they're moving from that pick, I think it's to move up to get a player. Now, maybe they try to move up a little bit higher than that to potentially see if any team in the top 10 is going to move down, like the Panthers, for example, that's, their pick is potentially up for sale. And for obvious reasons, Pat, they want to try to really make a run at this again next year with Sasha Barker back. So if you want to try that, sure, though I think they might be looking at a forward

at that juncture. We have to see. I haven't really heard anything when it comes to that. But if Ryan Lynn does start falling, he gets to 15, 16, and starts dropping a little bit below that, you know, I'd start, you know, calling some of the GMs ahead of me being like, hey, what do you want for maybe, you know, the 17th, 18 pick or something? So that's kind of where I'm at. I'd be very happy if he was to pick at 22, though.

This is a prospect that I think if he hits his ceiling pat, if, again, if he can be a steady, reliable second pair of defensemen in the NHL, hopefully. Kind of the theme of today's episode, if this player hits their ceiling. But of course, we will have plenty more draft profiles to, talk about between now and the NHL draft. So again, make sure you're subscribed. Make sure you're following Hunter on social media. That way you can be on top of all of it.

And to make sure you're getting every episode right to you of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. But that is going to do it for the Tuesday edition of Locked-on Penguins. Hunter and I will be back with a brand new episode for you on Wednesday. So for now, for Hunter Hodes, I am Patrick Damp. Thank you as always for tuning in, and we will be back on Wednesday.