What Jets and Penguins get in McGroarty-Yager trade
Rumors that Rutger McGarry’s name was coming up in trade rumors first started floating around during NHL Draft weekend in June, when Elliott Friedman first broached the subject on an episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
Right now, the comparisons were being made to Cutter Gauthier, not necessarily how they play or what their trade value might be, but how the two USNTDP prospects looked before signing contracts with the team. were engineering a change to the one who drafted them.
You’ll recall that Gauthier, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, was unwilling to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers, forcing GM Daniel Briere’s hand to explore a trade. One came on Jan. 8, as Gauthier was sent to Anaheim for Jamie Drysdale — the 2020 running back with the sixth overall pick.
McGroarty was selected in the 2022 draft after Gauthier, who went 14th overall to the Winnipeg Jets. On Thursday, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed McGroarty and his representation informed the team in June that they had no desire to sign him.
“We were at the draft combine and we got a text from his agent saying he wanted to meet so we sat down and talked and he told us Rutger said he didn’t intend to sign,” Schwaldiff said. explained.
Later, the Jets GM spoke directly with McGroarty to find out why he wanted the change, or what went wrong.
“He said when he got to development camp, he put the jersey on, it got real, and it just didn’t feel right at the time,” Cheveldayoff continued. “If there is a specific reason, Rutgers has not told us.”
So, ahead of the draft with trade rumors, our scout Jason Bukala looked for some 2024 prospects he could be comfortable trading McGvarty for, and rounded them all up in the top 14. Seasons of growth under his belt.
In the end, the Jets sent McGvarty to the prospect-starved Penguins and got a young player in return to fill a void in the pipeline. Coming to Winnipeg is Braden Yeager, selected 14th overall (same as McGvarty) in 2023. Yeager, a WHL champion with Moose Jaw, had 35 goals and 95 points in 57 games last season.
As Winnipeg’s focus now turns to striking a deal for RFA Cole Perfetti — their only remaining unsigned player — we turn back to Bakala for another interesting trade in August.
Scout’s Analysis on trade
he long-rumoured McGroarty trade became a reality on Thursday. At the end of the day, all things considered, the Winnipeg Jets ended up acquiring a prospect in Yager who has similar upside overall. Both McGroarty and Yager project as top-six NHL forwards with solid offensive upside. They go about their business differently, but both players have been proven scorers at every step of their development to date.
To trade Pittsburgh: Rutger McGroarty
Whatever happened, or didn’t happen, between the Jets and McGraty is water under the bridge at this point. The reality is that the Pittsburgh Penguins have a very small number of prospects and McGroarty immediately becomes the top prospect in their system.
McGroarty signed his entry-level contract with Pittsburgh and, I assume, will compete for an NHL roster spot in training camp.
I’ll be monitoring McGroarty’s scenario closely this season. I’m curious to see how he handles the ups and downs of being a first-year pro and the adjustments he makes along the way. The NHL is the toughest league in the world to earn a roster spot, and it will take persistence.
He has strong potential to break camp with a roster spot in Pittsburgh this fall, but time in the AHL will benefit his development.
To Winnipeg: Brayden Yager
Yager is a proven scorer at the junior level, where he has 104 goals and 135 assists in 211 regular season games and has added 20 goals and 30 assists in 40 playoff games. His experience representing Team Canada at high-leverage tournaments – the Memorial Cup and on the international stage – has also benefited his development. He is a solid skater who attacks quickly and slides effectively into open space in the offensive zone. Both qualities speak to his vision and hockey sense. His attention to detail is also reliable defensively. He reads the play in his own zone, rarely gets caught chasing down the hash marks, and tracks back the full 200 feet.
Yager has ping-ponged between being described as a shooter and a playmaker, but he brings a combination of both offensively. He’s not a heavy set player, but he’s around the game on the battlefield and usually doesn’t shy away from digging in to win the puck. Increasing power will provide more opportunities to clear pucks along the wall and find other opportunities in traffic.
At the NHL level, Yager’s primary ice time is likely to come on the even strength and power play. He will likely need some time at the AHL level to acclimate to the pro game, but his skills and hockey sense are spot on. Like all prospects, the daily wear and tear of the pro game will test him physically early in his career.
