The Winnipeg Jets have decided to trade one of their better prospects. There have been ongoing rumours surrounding Rutger McGroarty’s for sometime, and with this trade, it seems his wish came true. The Pittsburgh Penguins, no doubt in an attempt to inject some youth into their collective roster at the forward position were willing to make a move on prospect. However, Pittsburgh also had to give up a decent NHL prospect and one of the better ones in their own right. Going back the other way, is the Pens 2023 14th overall selection Brayden Yager.
Working on more, but hearing Rutger McGroarty is being traded from Winnipeg to Pittsburgh
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 22, 2024
Two Prospects Brayden Yager and Rutger McGroarty Involved in Trade for One Another
Rutger McGroarty was the Winnipeg Jets first-round selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Since the draft, McGroarty has spent two seasons honing his craft with the University of Michigan Wolverines. Furthermore, he has done nothing to drop his status as an exciting NHL prospect. In 75 games in Ann Arbor, McGroarty has 34 goals and 57 assists for 91 points. This included him increasing his freshman output into his sophomore campaign. He had 13 more points year-over-year, despite playing three less games. At 20 years old, it seems he is, at the very least, close to making the leap to the professional ranks. Now that he has the chance to play with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, it might make his decision to forego his junior university season that much easier.
It seems that for sometime there have been rumblings that McGroarty was not looking forward to playing in Winnipeg. The reasoning appeared to revolve around the point that Winnipeg were not really willing to give him a shot at the NHL right away. Rather than develop in the AHL, McGroarty thinks he is NHL-ready. Another young player, Cole Perfetti, comes to mind as someone who Winnipeg is very reluctant to give full-time NHL minutes to. Perhaps it factored into the destination, whether or not this is an opportunity that Pittsburgh will give the young McGroarty.
Brayden Yager is going to the Jets https://t.co/9LeBEhL65A
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 22, 2024
What Does this Mean from the Winnipeg Jets Perspective
Yes, someone like McGroarty would have been nice for Winnipeg’s system. However, they do have a decent enough top-six, along with plenty of competition for power play minutes. Therefore, he was the type of player that was expendable. Especially so if he wasn’t really interested in playing in Manitoba. This is similar to the type of player they are getting in Yager. Yager, who is from Saskatoon, might be more excited to play for Winnipeg, seeing the opportunity as a homecoming of sorts. He has been playing in the same area, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In 2023-24, as a 19 year old, he put up 95 points in 57 games, and helped the Moose Jaw Warriors capture the WHL title.
How About the Thoughts from Pittsburgh
For Pittsburgh, their forward group is older. This even includes their younger players at the NHL level. This is a great boost to their development system as a whole. According to hockey-reference, their youngest forward currently listed is Sam Poulin, who turned 23 in February. It seems with that level of experience throughout the forward group, adding someone of McGroarty’s inexperience is a very low risk decision. Conversely, Yager still might need more time to develop, so it might be win-win for both sides.
Main photo: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
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