Confirmed Trade: [PIT/WPG] Rutger McGroarty for Brayden Yager

[PROUD PAPA]

Maybe a winner will be established one day. Today this is as even Steven as it gets.

 

[Empoleon8771]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5303482/2024/03/04/top-nhl-prospects-2024-matvei-michkov/

In this list from March, McGroaty was listed as #18 and Yager was listed as #37. This list doesn't include the 2024 draftees, which is what this list has:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5612279/2024/07/16/nhl-prospects-ranking-celebrini-michkov/

This list has McGroaty at #33 and Yager at #58. You can also point at some of the analytical prospect models that paint a similar picture:




Anyone who tries to argue that these prospects are far apart is absolutely wrong, but McGroaty is the better prospect as of right now.

 

[Jacob]

We need to install a Great Firewall around Montreal.

Is McGroarty expected to sign now or still return to Michigan? Assuming the former but haven't been following this.

 

[Empoleon8771]

We need to install a Great Firewall around Montreal.

Is McGroarty expected to sign now or still return to Michigan? Assuming the former but haven't been following this.

He signed already after the trade.

 

[deakka]

Should the pens have gotten a bit more?
Sure!

Nut it's not as easy as to say Jets were under a Gun and would have walked away with nothing if he didn't sign.

I think they would have gotten a high 2nd round pick if he didn't sign as compesation.

 

[Jacob]

He signed already after the trade.

Oh wow.

 

[stanley25]

McGroaty is an excellent prospect but I'm surprised the Jets got Yager, as Pitts should be stocking up on picks and the Jets are trading from a position of weakness but this has been a long process and there must have been other teams in on it and Dubas finally upped his offer to Yager. Or maybe it's just Dubas being Dubas we'll see. With that said I could see someone like McGroaty who seems to like to be in the spotlight elevating his game to play with Crosby and bettering his development in the process

As Yager is from Saskatoon and plays for the Moose Jaw there is a very high chance he will be part of the Jets for a long time. This imo is an excellent return for the Jets and good one for the Pens as well.

 

[pth2]

Should the pens have gotten a bit more?
Sure!

Nut it's not as easy as to say Jets were under a Gun and would have walked away with nothing if he didn't sign.

I think they would have gotten a high 2nd round pick if he didn't sign as compesation.

PIT is getting the more NHL ready prospect, though, so in way they come out ahead.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Dude was literally running away Briere like he was a serial killer at the world Juniors to avoid a simple cup of coffee

Dumb take. Feel bad for anyone drinking the Flyers koolaid.

The guy made his decision and had his agent communicate his wishes to the Flyers FO. Total bush league move by the Flyers to follow him around at the WJC while the guy is trying to focus on his obligations to his national team.

The Flyers said themselves that they knew the summer before the WJC that he wasn’t going to sign and that’s when they started earnestly exploring trade options. The WJC bs was strictly a PR stunt to shape the narrative, and to ultimately cover their own ass when they traded him weeks later for a suboptimal return.

They even made sure to time the trade so it was announced during a rivalry game with the pens, when all hands would be on deck ready for damage control at a time when they’d have the most eyeballs on them.

 

[BCNate]

The whole "wow he got value even when the player wanted out" is way overplayed. Jets would be losing his rights July 2026. It's not like there was any rush.

Yes, but they got a very comparable player in return. Thats not always the case in these situations regardless of how much time they have.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Solid for both sides

 

[DrDangles]

Feels bad losing Yager but this makes sense. Rutger has a similar ceiling but higher floor IMO, and is more likely to be impactful at the NHL level in the short term.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I am legitimately curious for how Yager does in the WHL next year with who Moose Jaw is losing to the pros. Firkus (126 points in 63 games), Calvert (95 points in 68 games), Mateychuk (75 points in 52 games as a defenseman) and Savoie (47 points in 23 games) are all graduating from the WHL, the support around Yager next year is going to be wildly worse than it was last year.

He likely ends up getting traded to a new team with more support later in the year, but I wouldn't be surprised at all for Yager to have a regression on his production just due to the substantially worse team around him. I haven't seen much of Yager in the WHL, but I've read comments from people who have that say Yager was less impressive than the teammates around him.

 

[TS Quint]

What "stipulations" exactly, other than wanted to sign a contract this summer?

I highly, highly doubt Dubas or Sullivan guaranteed him any playing time.

Jets would have given him a contract last year if he would have accepted.

 

[StreetHawk]

He wanted to bypass rhe AHL

Chevy would have been more than happy to sign him, let him compete for a spot in camp and then send him to the Moose if it didn't work out

I recall seeing (can't remember the source) that Rutgers camp actually wanted PP time guarenteed

Aside from Opportunity to compete for a spot or even a promise of a certain number of NHL games to get a look (like 10 or something), there really is no guarantee that the team will keep the player on the NHL roster for the majority of the season.

 

[TS Quint]

Who's to say he would've wanted Montreal?

I still think the not wanting to go to the AHL was a spin put on for the media but what he really meant was he didn't want Winnipeg or maybe even Canada

Why would he come up with a lie that makes him look like a dick to the entire league instead of just 6 teams?

Stop putting us all in the same basket. It’s a sophism and so is bad argumenting.

Then Habs fans should police themselves instead of whining about how its not all of you. Talk to your fellow fans not everyone else.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Also Koivunen who i think very, very highly of. That guy is gonna be pushing for a post sooner or later

I love Koivunen also but I think Dubas's moves lately all but guarantee he's in the minors for one full season. He's going to be a big part of this team in a year though.

 

[HBK27]

Jets would have given him a contract last year if he would have accepted.

I don't doubt this as you're a Jets fan and certainly follow the situation more closely...

However, signing a contract "last year" would've almost certainly meant that he would've spent this past season in the AHL/Manitoba versus chasing a championship with his teammates at Michigan, so I can understand that decision. I think it was also a reasonable expectation that with another good season at Michigan (which he most certainly had), he could expect to sign his ELC and burn a year immediately after Michigan's season ended - putting him in the same position (contractually) as if he had played in Manitoba for the year.

Not sure what this has to do with what you quoted me on though.

 

[Buffdog]

Stop putting us all in the same basket. It’s a sophism and so is bad argumenting.

I'll try to better argumenting in the future

 

[Whileee]

Huge blow to the Wolverines, would change them from solid in the tournament team to likely outside the top 14-16 of the Pairwise

Yup... first McGroarty pulled the rug out from under the Jets, and now messes up the Wolverines.

 

[Slats432]

I dunno. Rutger is kind of a lame name.

Some will disagree.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Welcome to the Pens Rutger

 

[ZDH]

Dubas gonna Dubas.

Pittsburgh is going nowhere fast.

 

[StreetHawk]

Feels bad losing Yager but this makes sense. Rutger has a similar ceiling but higher floor IMO, and is more likely to be impactful at the NHL level in the short term.

Rutger has a size edge over Yager. About an inch taller but 30 lbs heavier. So, expect to see about a 25 lb difference even when they both completely fill out in say 3 years time. So long as he uses it properly, he'll stick in the NHL for a while pending his cap hit, thus the higher floor.

 

[Guess]

Wow, great job by Winnipeg on the return.

Really happy that Went Wughes went with Laine instead of McGroarty, especially seeing that return, a rehabilitated Laine has more upside.

(I know, not another Habs related post in non-Habs thread, but given the timing of the signing it's safe to assume KH was in on this as well)