PITTSBURGH — There is a growing perception that the Pittsburgh Penguins are unhappy with Rutger McGroarty, as one of the team’s top prospects has been unable to become a regular at the NHL level this season.

While the Penguins have shocked the hockey world by becoming among the Eastern Conference’s best teams this season, they’ve done so without much of a contribution from young forwards other than 18-year-old Ben Kindel and 25-year-old Egor Chinakhov.

So, is the organization down on McGroarty?

From what team sources have told me, the answer is no. The Penguins still have high hopes for him and still believe he’s going to be a very good NHL player for a long time. They also really liked what they saw from him during a brief call-up in early February.

Why isn’t he getting more NHL opportunities? McGroarty’s skating remains an issue, and it’s never going to be his strength at the NHL level. Still, he just turned 22 last week, and there is plenty of time for growth in that area. Not everyone is Kindel, who turns 19 on April 19 and is ready to excel in the NHL at such a young age.

The Penguins love McGroarty’s hockey IQ, size, play on the boards and defense. They believe the rest of his game, namely production, will come around. It will be very surprising if he doesn’t start next season as a top-12 forward in Pittsburgh.

I have been told that McGroarty is disappointed he’s not in Pittsburgh right now. That doesn’t mean the Penguins are disappointed in him. They understand that some prospects take longer than others.

Playoff goaltending

The Penguins are now considered to have a greater than 99 percent chance of making the postseason, so for this exercise, we’ll assume they’re in. Everything I’ve heard indicates that Stuart Skinner is going to be the Penguins’ No. 1 goalie when the playoffs begin. I wouldn’t expect the Penguins to resort to the goaltender rotation that they’ve used most of the season. Skinner appears to be the guy. His gutsy performance in the final minutes of a game in Utah last month won over a lot of people in the organization.

Skinner is dealing with an eye injury, which makes things a little murky. Eye injuries can be tricky, and I’m not about to play doctor. But I can tell you that the Penguins feel more comfortable with Skinner starting a playoff game than they do Artūrs Šilovs.

That brings us to Sergei Murashov, who was called up on Tuesday due to Skinner’s injury.

If Skinner’s eye injury keeps him out for a long time, or if he plays very poorly early in a playoff series, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Murashov catapulted over Šilovs. The Penguins have been extremely disciplined with Murashov, resisting the temptation to bring him to Pittsburgh because they wanted him to play an entire season in AHL Wilkes-Barre. They’ve prioritized his development.

But some people in the organization want him to stick around, even after Skinner is healthy. I don’t think Kyle Dubas is one of those people. The Penguins’ boss has wanted Murashov to marinate in the AHL, which is hard to argue against because Murashov has been outstanding there.

That said, Dubas has been burned by poor goaltending before. I don’t think he’d let Šilovs mind the net with the season on the line if Murashov were available. The Penguins have accomplished their development goal here. Now, the priorities have changed as playoff hockey arrives. Most people I’ve spoken with in the organization believe Murashov, even with his NHL inexperience, would give the Penguins a better chance in playoff competition than Šilovs.

The Penguins consider Murashov their second-best option in net but want him to play regularly, so they prefer to keep him in the AHL when Skinner is healthy. If Skinner isn’t healthy for an extended stretch, Murashov may well become their No. 1 goaltender.

Trade deadline steal

As you may have suspected, the Penguins are positively delighted with everything they’ve seen on and off the ice from Elmer Söderblom.

One team source told me over the weekend, “I can’t believe Kyle got this guy. He’s going to be a part of our bottom six for a long time.”

Söderblom has six points in his past six games and, perhaps even more noteworthy, has been a consistent presence in the offensive zone in all of those games. He uses his massive frame to hold onto the puck and has showcased skill and vision that have gotten everyone’s attention. Points can come and go, but Söderblom having the puck on his blade so often, even in fourth-line minutes, has everyone excited about where this could lead.

The Penguins are pleasantly surprised with his physicality, leveling defensemen regularly and dropping the gloves with the Islanders’ Scott Mayfield last week. He’s also been willing to put in post-practice work and has quickly adapted to the Penguins’ system. The move to bring Söderblom to Pittsburgh flew under the radar on trade deadline day, but he’s made a pretty clear impact.

Tough decision looms

Who comes out of the lineup when Blake Lizotte returns from injury?

There are no obvious candidates. It could be Söderblom, though we’ve covered what the Penguins think of him.

We know Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Evgeni Malkin, Chinakhov, Anthony Mantha, Kindel and Lizotte are locks to remain in the lineup. Someone from this group will have to sit: Justin Brazeau, Söderblom, Connor Dewar, Tommy Novak or Noel Acciarri.

Novak has really been off his game lately, with zero goals and only three points in his past 12 games. That said, the coaching staff really trusts him, so I don’t know that we’ll see him out of the lineup in the postseason when he hasn’t been a scratch all season. Söderblom has made this decision more difficult. It’s not like Brazeau or Dewar deserve to come out of the lineup, either, and I’d be stunned if Acciari were removed.

All eyes on Chinakhov

In my time covering the Penguins, I don’t recall a time when players were as blown away by a new arrival as they are by Egor Chinakhov.

His name is brought up unprompted almost daily by Penguins players, who mention his talent, his future and their general confusion about why the Blue Jackets traded him to a division rival.

Chinakhov had only three goals in 29 games with the Blue Jackets this season, though he didn’t get much ice time or opportunity in Ohio. The Penguins have deployed him in a top-six role in every one of his 40 games with Pittsburgh. He has responded by putting up 17 goals and 33 points. Of Chinakhov’s 17 goals with the Penguins, a staggering 15 have come at even strength.

Despite all of that offense, many of the Penguins are more inclined to discuss his overall game and his defensive work, which is exceptional.