The Winnipeg Jets have traded 2022 14th overall draft selection Rutger McGroarty to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for 2023 14th overall draft selection Brayden Yager. The unsigned McGroarty immediately signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins following this trade. Good riddance, I guess.
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This comes not too long after Rutger McGroarty’s agent, Pat Brisson, had informed Jets general manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, at the 2024 NHL Draft Combine that his client would not be playing for the team.
In typical Kevin Cheveldayoff fashion, he takes his stance from being backed up against the corner with a player and their agent and turns it into a really strong trade. The Winnipeg Jets go from having a top prospect with suspect skating demanding NHL games to getting a responsible two-way forward who will be a part of the team’s long-term future.
McGroarty was one of two players drafted by the Jets in 2022, the second was Brad Lambert who the Jets selected at 30th overall. Fortunately for the Jets, they’re padding their already excellent centre depth and adding a better long-term player.
What’s to Like About Yager?
Yager was WHL Rookie of the Year in 2022, won the WHL Championship last season, is a two-time WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player, the CHL Sportsman of the Year last season and was named to the Memorial Cup Tournament All-Star Team in 2024. You don’t get those honours by simply going on cruise control and hoping for the best.
In our 2023 Inside The Rink draft coverage, our internal rankings had Yager projected to go 10th overall, while my rankings had Yager going seventh overall. I highlighted Yager’s strengths in my prospect profile, and he had more than I can count.
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I highlighted his two-way play as one of his best attributes, but he’s got a lethal shot and can analyze plays and pass pucks like he’s already an NHL superstar.
Overall, this is a great trade for everyone involved. The Jets get a stud of a centre prospect, the Penguins get a physical forward who’s been projected to become an NHL captain one day, and both general managers walk out of this trade happy.
Final Thoughts
While Cheveldayoff mentioned in his media availability that he never had that conversation with McGroarty’s camp regarding his path to the NHL, there’s still a lot to like about both players. Out of all the analysis to have trickled out in the hours between the news breaking and my piece being published, it’s an equal type of prospect going both ways.
Both players are proven leaders and both might even be making an appearance in the NHL this season. Pittsburgh gets a prospect to bolster their pipeline and build into the future and the Jets remain competitive and give fans a reason to be excited past the 2024-25 season.
Without a doubt, there is no definite winner or loser of this trade from an immediate analytical viewpoint. The Penguins will give McGroarty the pedestal he wants to be an NHL player and Winnipeg holds firm that any player to wear a jersey for their team will earn it.
Yager is not eligible to join the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ AHL affiliate this season due to the NHL/CHL player rules. Cheveldayoff also emphasized that they will not seek an exemption for Yager similar to what the Seattle Kraken did for Shane Wright.
This is an exciting trade and gives the Jets an instrumental player who will be hungry to earn his role with the team. Unlike McGroarty, Yager is no stranger to the Canadian prairies either, hailing from the province next door, Saskatchewan.
As an interesting note, the Winnipeg Jets will welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins, likely accompanied by Rutger McGroarty, to the Canada Life Centre on October 20th, 2024 for a 2:00 pm game.
