A long trade situation in Winnipeg has officially come to pass.
Rutger McGroarty felt that his path to the NHL is “best suited in another organization,” as written by Murat Ates of The Athletic. There was a feeling of disconnect between McGroarty and the Jets organization, as the team disagreed on his level of play, with the young prospect believing he can immediately contribute to an NHL team.
Fast forward to this past Thursday, where the Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins did a one-for-one swap of 14th overall picks, with McGroarty headed to the Steel City in exchange for Brayden Yager. The Penguins have subsequently signed McGroarty to his entry-level contract, meaning that his time with the University of Michigan has come to a close.
The Fallout Between Rutger McGroarty and the Jets
Initially, McGroarty was the 14th overall pick by the Jets in the 2022 Draft after Frank Nazar III, his eventual teammate at Michigan, was selected one pick ahead of them. Fast forwarding to now, he already saw his two linemates, Nazar and Gavin Brindley, sign entry-level contracts with the teams they were drafted by—the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets—while McGroarty would commit to Michigan for his junior year on April 16th.
McGroarty’s talent cannot be denied. He finished with 16 goals and 52 points in 36 games, second on his team and 9th in the NCAA. He was beginning to look like a hit for Winnipeg, though it was not guaranteed that he would crack the Jets’ roster. Though with Tyler Toffoli signing with the San Jose Sharks and the trade rumors surrounding Nikolaj Ehlers, there was some speculation that the Jets could use a cost-effective addition to the top six core.
The Jets felt that McGroarty was best suited for the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, though he was not interested in that. However, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff showed his transparency on what wasn’t a new rift, even if it wasn’t brought up recently. Cheveldayoff said that McGroarty’s agent, Pat Brisson, said that the Wolverine wasn’t intending to sign in Winnipeg. The hesitations about signing with Winnipeg came from his first development camp showing with the club, as relayed by Cheveldayoff.
This is where it gets interesting. In Pittsburgh, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was willing to stockpile later year draft picks, such as when he swapped the Blues’ 2025 second rounder back to St. Louis for their 2026 second round pick and the Ottawa Senators’ 2025 third round pick. The delay in the acquisition showed a long-range vision by Dubas to prioritize the Penguins’ post-Sidney Crosby future.
Penguins Improve Prospect Pool
McGroarty was the 33rd ranked prospect on The Athletic’s top 100 prospects list, compared to Yager, who was ranked 58th. Thus, McGroarty becomes the top ranked prospect on the Penguins, and has a legitimate shot at cracking the NHL opening night roster. His commitment to Pittsburgh showed the Jets needed to find someone in return, and that likely meant that both sides needed to get someone of equal value in such a trade.
The prospect pool faces several challenges in the last decade. Since 2014, they had just four first round picks, and since 2016, they only had just two draft picks play more than 100 NHL games. However, neither of them—Calen Addison and Filip Gustavsson—played a single game for the Penguins, showing the need of strengthening a system that will have to carry the mantle of the franchise’s future.
It’s hard to dispute him being an NHL-ready talent. Outside of his two years with Michigan, he was stellar with USA Hockey, captaining the team to winning gold in the World Juniors, where he recorded five goals and nine points in seven games. Getting him to the NHL fills a need on the Penguins’ top six. He projects at that position, and ideally would slot next to either Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, as his forechecking and style of play opens up a lot of space for the two future Hall of Famers, though McGroarty has some good finishing touches himself.
However, he will face a lot of competition to land a spot next to the wings of Crosby and Malkin. The Pens have Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Michael Bunting, Drew O’Connor, and Valtteri Puustinen at their disposal. A crowded field could have McGroarty starting in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, which could help him continue his development before the Penguins decide where he fits into their plans.
Jets Get Equal Value in Return
The rumbling was that McGroarty didn’t want to be with the Jets, and that there would eventually be a situation where the Jets would need to trade him away. In doing so, Kevin Cheveldayoff needed to find a prospect with equal value in return, and that he did. Yager has consistently produced during his time with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, finishing last season with 35 goals and 95 points in 57 games after 28 goals and 78 points in 67 games during the 2023 season. He also developed as a reliable penalty killer, bringing more defense to his game in comparison to McGroarty.
He also represented Hockey Canada at the 2024 World Juniors, where he had five points in five games for Canada, though they failed to medal. He appeared as if he would have an outside shot of making the Penguins’ roster, as he signed an entry-level contract with them just a month ago. Now, he will look to crack the Jets’ roster, which makes their desire to add a prospect who is already under contract stronger.
He heads into a prospect pool that is strong on the forward core with Brad Lambert, Chaz Lucius and Colby Barlow. There are a few openings on the lineup, and while Yager and the aforementioned forwards will join training camp, it’s going to be challenging to crack the opening night roster, and in that event, it appears he’ll likely have to return to Moose Jaw for a fourth full season. Yager does not turn 20 util January 3rd of next year, and the NHL-CHL agreement says that a prospect must be at least 20 years old if they were to make the opening night roster, as they cannot go to the AHL by then.
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