Background
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Jonathan Gruden as part of the Matt Murray trade in the 2020 offseason along with the 52nd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (Joel Blomqvist). Projected as a bottom six, energy player with some ability to produce, Gruden finally earned a call up to the NHL after a productive start to 2023 with seven points in five games. The 2018 fourth round pick ranks third on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 11 goals and seventh with 16 points in 32 games and boasts 27 goals and 57 points in 139 career AHL games over the past three seasons.
The Senators took Gruden with the 95th overall pick after the then University of Miami (Ohio) commit put up 34 points in 25 USHL games with the United States National Team Development Program–good for fifth on the team behind four future first round picks. After a somewhat underwhelming freshman season with the Redhawks, Gruden joined the London Knights of the OHL and finished second on a loaded team with 30 goals and fourth with 76 points.
Draft Comparables
Three Before
Connor Dewar
92nd Overall (+3), Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild took Connor Dewar late in the third round with the 92nd overall pick, and Dewar recently developed into the fourth line center for the team for the 2022-23 season, producing 11 points in 41 games so far. The WHL product recorded 59 points in 103 AHL games before outright making the Wild roster.
Riley Sutter
93rd Overall (+2), Washington Capitals
A big body from a storied hockey family, Riley Sutter continues to struggle at the professional game with only 27 points in 124 AHL games with the Hershey Bears and no NHL appearances. The power forward never really recovered or took the next step in development after suffering a season-ending injury in the 2018-19 season with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL.
Matej Pekar
94th Overall (+1), Buffalo Sabres
Also failing to appear in the NHL, Matej Pekar actually went the wrong direction in the prospect system, being demoted to the Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL in 2022-23 after producing only 13 points in 77 AHL games with the Rochester Americans. The Czechian forward managed 99 points in 84 OHL games after being drafted, but failed to find any consistency at the professional level.
Three After
Luke Henman
96th Overall (-1), Carolina Hurricanes
Known for being the first player to ever sign with the Seattle Kraken, the Carolina Hurricanes drafted Luke Henman 96th overall but let the QMJHL product’s rights expire despite 214 points in 225 games in major junor. Henman carries only 19 points in 80 career AHL games and currently plays for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL.
Allan McShane
97th Overall (-2), Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens never signed 97th overall pick Allan McShane, and the OHL product immediately signed in Europe after registering 245 points in 253 OHL games between the Erie Otters and Oshawa Generals. McShane currently plays for Asiago in Italy in the ICEHL (Austria, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia) and leads the team with 42 points in 35 games.
Ryan O’Reilly
98th Overall (-3), Detroit Red Wings
Not quite as successful as the St. Louis Blues captain with the same name, Ryan O’Reilly, the 98th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings, plays in the NCAA for Arizona State University and ranks sixth on the team with 11 points in 25 games and remains unsigned by the Red Wings.
Outliers
Yegor Sharangovich of the New Jersey Devils (46 picks later) remains the steal of the draft, ranking eighth among all players taken in 2018 with 97 points in 174 games despite being taken 141st overall. Three players taken later in the fourth round appear to emerging as serviceable NHL forwards in Philip Kurashev (120th Overall) with 55 points in 163 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Paul Cotter (125th Overall) with 11 points 34 NHL games with the Vegas Golden Knights and Jasper Weatherby (102nd Overall) with 11 points in 50 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks.
Final Thoughts
Later rounds produce a lot of hits and misses. Gruden compares relatively favorably with the forwards clustered around the 95th overall pick and in fourth through seventh rounds in general. With ice time, particularly at center, hard to come by in Pittsburgh, Gruden likely ceilings as a slightly above average AHL player to a plug-and-play NHL bottom six forward–about the best case scenario for a player taken outside of the first three rounds.
Other Trade Options
Did the Pittsburgh Penguins acquire the best prospect possible from the Ottawa Senators in the Matt Murray trade? Take a look at some other comparable options.
Mark Kastelic
2019, 5th Round (125th Overall)
A bigger body at 6’4″, 209 lbs., Mark Kastelic currently plays in the NHL and centers the fourth line, boasting only five points in 40 games in 2022-23 after producing 28 points in 64 AHL games last season. Maybe a little less interesting of a prospect at the time of the trade, Kastelic represents maybe the only comparable prospect with a higher appeal.
Angus Crookshank
2018, 5th Round (126th Overall)
Taken 31 picks after Gruden by the Ottawa Senators, Angus Crookshank currently ranks fourth on the Belleville Senators with 20 points in 36 games. At the time, a player picked in the fourth round as compensation probably looked better, though Gruden and Crookshank appear to be very comparable.
Viktor Lodin
2019, 4th Round (94th Overall)
Viktor Lodin ranks 11th on Belleville with 12 points in only 17 games played, missing time at different parts throughout the 2022-23 season with injury. The Senators took Lodin at 19 years old and the Swedish forward showed promise with 27 points in 44 SHL games before joining Belleville, but so far seems to be unable to stay healthy in North America.
Final Thoughts
Given the rapidly depreciating trade value of Matt Murray, getting a solid goaltending prospect with the 52nd overall pick in Joel Blomqvist and Gruden tacked on–compared to comparable prospects in the Senators system at the time–the Penguins look like winners of the trade.