Obscure former Boston Bruins: Greg McKegg

After resuming the offseason series I’ve been doing on obscure former members of the Boston Bruins, I did Colin Miller last week and most recently Par Lindholm. Today, I’ll be going over forward Greg McKegg.

McKegg broke into the league as a third round draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2010 NHL Draft. He’s played in the NHL with seven different teams, spanning nine seasons, debuting with a one game stint in 2013-2014 with the Maple Leafs.

Over parts of two seasons with the Maple Leafs, McKegg went without a point in four games. The Maple Leafs traded him to the Florida Panthers before the 2015-2016 season in exchange for a conditional seventh round pick in 2017 and forward Zach Hyman. Think that one worked out for Toronto?

McKegg scored five goals, and added three assists for the Panthers in 46 games over a season and a half before being placed on waivers during the 2016-2017 season. He was claimed by the Tampa Bay Lightning and had one point in 15 games.

In free agency before the 2017-2018 season, McKegg signed a one year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, making the opening night roster. He had two goals and two assists in 26 games for the Penguins that year before being put on waivers, where he went unclaimed and assigned to the AHL.

After being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes during his stint in the AHL, McKegg re-signed with the Hurricanes before the 2018-2019 season. He set career highs in goals with six, assists with five, and points with 11 in 41 games, averaging 10:40 of ice time.

McKegg signed with the New York Rangers prior to the 2019-2020 season and played in a career high 53 games in his first full NHL season, putting up five goals and four assists that year as a fourth-liner.

The following offseason, the Bruins scooped up McKegg on a one year, two way contract. He spent the majority of the Covid shortened 2021 season on the Bruins taxi squad, appearing in just five games, scoring one goal in the process. After his contract with the Bruins expired, McKegg returned to the Rangers for the 2021-2022 season, tallying two goals and three assists in 43 games.

Currently, Greg McKegg is entering the second year of a two year, two way contract with the Edmonton Oilers. He spent all of last year with the AHL Bakersfield Condors, contributing seven goals and 13 assists in 66 regular season games, going without a point in two playoff games.

While an unspectacular player, McKegg only took one penalty in his brief five game foray with the Bruins and has just 65 penalty minutes in his career, being a solid plug and play fourth liner when a team has that need.