NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Penguins' game against the Predators in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday very well may have been Brock McGinn's last game in a Penguins uniform.
The Penguins put McGinn on waivers on Tuesday at 2 p.m. shortly after the morning skate. Teams have until 2 p.m. on Wednesday to submit claims for McGinn, who has two years remaining on his contract that carries a $2.75 million cap hit. If McGinn isn't claimed, the Penguins would have the option to send him down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and clear $1.125 million in cap space ahead of the March 3 trade deadline.
It has to be a nerve-wracking 24 hours for McGinn, knowing that a new team or an assignment to the minors may be in his near future. It's also got to be disappointing for McGinn for this to be going on during the Penguins dad's trip, since any potential move could cut into this week that's supposed to be a special opportunity for the fathers and their sons.
Being on waivers doesn't preclude a player from playing in a game during that 24-hour waiver period. They're on the roster at least until the period ends at 2 p.m. the following day. With the Penguins not having any healthy extra forwards on the roster, McGinn remained in the lineup for Tuesday's game.
It would have been understandable if McGinn would have struggled in the game. He was already in a 26-game point drought, and the stressful circumstances aren't exactly conducive for getting things back on track.
McGinn played his best game in quite awhile, ending his point drought and coming up big with plays on both sides of the puck in the Penguins' 3-1 win. He earned the admiration of his coaches and teammates for his strong efforts despite the circumstances.
After a scoreless first two periods, the Predators opened the scoring 7:01 into the third period when a Kris Letang turnover set up ex-Penguin Mark Jankowski for the Predators' opening goal. It was starting to seem like the Penguins might not be able to solve Predators goaltender Juuse Saros, when McGinn picked the perfect time to end his point drought. His great pass sprung Sidney Crosby on a breakaway, and Crosby capitalized to tie the game:
"He was awesome," Crosby would say of McGinn afterward. "That's not an easy thing to do at all, and he handled it unbelievably. The way he played, he plays the same way every night. We've gotten used to just the blocked shots and stuff, we don't take that for granted. He's a guy that competes regardless of the situation or the circumstance. It was another huge game by him tonight."
Jason Zucker's goal with just 1:39 remaining in regulation stood to be the game-winner.
The Penguins have a gladiator-style helmet for their "Bold Penguin" MVP of the game award, and it's always given out by the previous win's recipient. The last recipient was Brian Dumoulin, who was given the helmet after Sunday's win over the Blues for his first goal of the season. When Dumoulin was picking the winner of the helmet this game, he didn't go with Crosby for the tying goal, or Zucker for the winner, or even Tristan Jarry for his near-perfect 24-save performance.
Dumoulin chose McGinn -- not just for his work setting up the assist, but also for his efforts on the other side of the puck. Dumoulin specifically referenced this big blocked shot -- a 92-mile-per-hour slapshot by Predators defenseman Roman Josi in the second period -- for which McGinn was still walking around with his foot wrapped in ice after the win:
McGinn finished the game with three hits and one takeaway in addition to that one blocked shot. The Penguins fared well in the 10:16 he was on the ice at five-on-five, with the Penguins outshooting the Predators 6-3 and recording 5 high-danger attempts to the Predators' 2 in that span, and of course outscoring them 1-0. Those results come despite McGinn being thrown out there in a more defensive role, being on the ice for four defensive zone faceoffs and just one in the offensive zone. McGinn also played two minutes on the penalty-kill -- the second-most of any Penguin forward -- and held the Predators' power play scoreless.
Mike Sullivan said afterward that McGinn "played a really unbelievable game under difficult circumstances."
"I think it just speaks volumes to the person that Ginner is," Sullivan said. "That's a difficult circumstance, not only for him but for his teammates as well. I thought they handled it really professionally, Ginner in particular played a strong game for us. I know that (Ron Hextall) has made that decision to have roster flexibility around the next couple of days. These are really difficult decisions, but I thought he handled it extremely well under difficult circumstances."
I asked Sullivan what he thinks hasn't worked for McGinn in Pittsburgh this season -- a fair question, I think, given his line's struggles for much of the season and McGinn's lack of offensive production for the last few months. Sullivan didn't agree with the premise that McGinn hasn't worked out this season.
"I don't know if that's the right question," he said after a pause. "I think Ginner's done a lot of really good things for us. He's one of those glue guys, for me. He just competes hard, he's a solid two-way player. He had a really good start for us. He's not the type of player that he has to end up on the scoresheet every night to help us win games. I think the microscope has been put on some of these guys, but what I will tell you as their coach is I think these guys -- Ginner in particular -- have done a lot of good things to help us win games. He's a really good person, he's a great teammate. I just think if you watch him play under circumstances like that, I think it speaks volumes of his character."
This might have been McGinn's last game as a Penguin. Whether he's claimed by another team or clears and is sent down and then potentially moved in the offseason, it wouldn't be a shock if we don't see him again in Pittsburgh. If this was the end of his time in Pittsburgh, he certainly had a heck of a game to go out, and left an impression on those around him for his demeanor and effort through this adversity.
