Jonathan Gruden has the bloodlines.
He has the kind of versatility the Penguins prize.
He has some pretty fair offensive skills, and he clearly has a desire to play in the NHL.
Gruden just doesn't have a timetable for when he expects to do it.
Or, for that matter, even a feel for where he'll spend the 2020-21 season.
The Penguins acquired Gruden, a forward, along with a second-round draft choice that was used to claim Finnish goalie Joel Blomqvist from Ottawa Tuesday for goaltender Matt Murray.
His father, John Gruden, is a former NHL defenseman who currently is an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, one of the Penguins' Metropolitan Division rivals. When those two actually will meet in a professional setting is hard to say, however.
"Obviously, you don't want to rush yourself," Jonathan Gruden said. "You want to develop. There's a great development staff in Pittsburgh. I'll work with them throughout this fall. Just kind of work my way up and just talk to them about what's best. There's really no timeframe, because I think that once you put a timeframe on it, you get too far into your head."
His primary focus, he said, will be to improve his skating.
"To get to the next level, I want to work on my speed," he said. "It's a fast game, and it's getting faster every year. I just want to work on my speed, and the rest will take care of itself."
Gruden got around well enough in 2019-20 to put up 30 goals and 36 assists in 59 games with London of the Ontario Hockey League.
He has the option of returning to the Knights -- "There's no better place to play than London," Gruden said. "I'm glad I went there." -- as an overage player or of going to the Penguins' farm team in Wilkes-Barre.
"This obviously would be a good path for him, starting in Wilkes-Barre, learning our organization and learning the way we play," said Patrik Allvin, the Penguins director of amateur scouting, adding that "it's up to the management and development staff" to determine where Gruden should be.
Wherever he ends up this winter, Gruden believes the team will be getting an honest worker all over the ice.
"I'm just a two-way forward who likes to get in front of the net, likes to go to the dirty areas," he said. "A very high-compete player. Can score. Can hit. Just be effective anywhere on the ice."
That dovetails nicely with the assessment offered by Allvin.
"He's a hard-working player," Allvin said. "Competitive. Good details to his game. Probably more suited for a bottom-six role."
Gruden said he learned of the trade after completing an on-ice workout this morning, only 10 minutes or so before the deal was announced.
"It kind of happened pretty fast," he said. "I couldn't even get undressed from my gear."
But while he apparently was surprised by the trade, Gruden apparently wasn't upset about joining the Penguins.
"It's just a top-notch organization," he said. "A bunch of Stanley Cup. (Sidney) Crosby, (Evgeni) Malkin, all the players that play there. It's awesome."