Pittsburgh Penguins place forward Jonathan Gruden on waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Jonathan Gruden on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday afternoon.

Gruden, 23, has one goal in 11 games with the Penguins this season. He’s under contract at a $775,000 NHL cap hit through the end of 2023-24, at which point he can become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

The Penguins have used Gruden as a depth piece who has gone up and down from the NHL to the AHL and back this season. The Rochester Hills, Michigan product has averaged just 8:49 of ice time with Pittsburgh this season.

The Ottawa Senators originally selected Gruden in the fourth round (No. 95 overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The 6′ left wing spent one year at Miami University in Ohio before leaving to join the London Knights for the 2019-20 season.

The Senators subsequently traded Gruden and a 2020 second-round draft pick to the Penguins in exchange for goaltender Matt Murray. Gruden turned pro with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the 2020-21 season, collecting six goals and 14 points in 32 games.

Gruden appeared in his first three NHL games with the Penguins in the 2022-23 season, being held pointless. He scored his first NHL goal in the Penguins’ 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on March 2.

Although Gruden isn’t related to former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, his father is current Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden, who also played in 92 career NHL games as a defenseman with the Senators, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals.

Through 14 career games over parts of two seasons with the Penguins, Gruden has collected just the one point. If he clears waivers, he’ll likely be sent back to the WBS Penguins, with whom he’s amassed 45 goals and 95 points in 202 games over parts of four seasons.