The Penguins’ organizational depth on the blue line got a little meaner back in April, when the Baby Pens signed 21-year-old Maleek McGowan to a one-year deal.
McGowan isn’t a heavyweight at 6-foot-0 and 192 pounds, but he brings the kind of edge that stands out. The left-shot defenseman skates well, throws his body around with force, and can handle himself when things turn ugly. When the gloves come off, he’s described as an extremely capable fighter, able to land heavy shots with both hands.
Pens assistant GM Amanda Kessel put it this way: “As far as the player (goes), he’s somebody that has all the physical tools. He’s somebody that’s mean. He wants to hurt guys, and we like that about him.”
Maybe “punish” would have been the better word, but the point is clear: McGowan plays with a nasty streak.
He also showed he can contribute offensively, putting up 14 goals and 36 points in 62 games last season for Kingston in the OHL.
That makes him something of a poor man’s Kashawn Aitcheson, at least in this view, and while the undrafted McGowan is a long shot to land a spot on the Penguins’ blue line anytime soon, he gives the organization something it had lost over the offseason: muscle.
That matters after a summer that saw Noel Acciari sign with the Flyers, Connor Clifton join the Bruins, Parker Wotherspoon get dealt to Vegas, Matt Dumba released, and hulking Anthony Mantha likely headed elsewhere. Boko Imama also left for Florida, taking the only true heavyweight in the organization with him.
The Penguins had a better balance of physicality last season, but most of that group is gone now. McGowan at least restores a little of that bite, and that’s enough to make his signing feel important.
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