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

[TS Quint]

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.

You said his stipulation was to sign a contract this summer. If that's all it was it wouldn't have been a problem for the Jets. But you spelled out the stipulations in this post.

 

[Warh1ppy]

Was there or wasn't there rumours of McGroarty being traded or being unhappy at some point in te last season or so? or was that just forum nonsense?

Whatever the case I know not enough about either player to make a qualified comment about this trade except that it seems as though Pitts is going for it under Dubas while Malkin, Letang and Crosby still have anything left in the tank with Karlsson there.

Honestly, can't say I blame him for doing it.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

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

I would guess Naurato/Michigan had contingencies planned for this, so they either bring in another commit (Burchill) or just have to elevate a current roster guy (Werner, Moldenhauer, Estapa) into the top 6.

Stinks for the Wolverines but such is life with blue chippers likely only being there 1-2 years.

 

[MS]

Solid for both sides

Yeah.

Obvious win for Pittsburgh but Winnipeg does well to recoup 80-90% of the value from a bad situation and move forward with a different good prospect.

 

[CAUFIELD]

I'll try to better argumenting in the future

It’s just a polite way of saying it .

 

[Esko]

Come on, Dubas. You basically swapped a $20 dollar bill for two $10 dollar bills.

You're supposed to add more quality prospects to the pipeline, not just swap one quality prospect for another.

I think it's more like exchanging $20 USD bill for $27,22 CAD.

 

[Aoko]

Dumbass strikes again. Holy hell what a huge trade for Winnipeg. Waiting does pay off.

Yager is gonna be the real deal.

 

[Thechozen1]

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.

Same could have been said about McGroanarty when it was looking like he was returning to Michigan

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Re: Dubas comments…

They’re similar caliber prospects. I have my preferences but hard to act like it’s clear cut in one direction or the other.

Basically I love the trade but who’s really to say who’s better in 10 years?

 

[HBK27]

You said his stipulation was to sign a contract this summer. If that's all it was it wouldn't have been a problem for the Jets. But you spelled out the stipulations in this post.

I imagine that was his only stipulation for any team acquiring him this offseason versus any demands to be guaranteed an NHL roster spot, PP time or any of the other alleged demands some posters stated earlier in this thread (and still have not supplied any links for).

Seems to me that Winnipeg already burned their bridge with him
by not signing him once Michigan's season ended in April, though maybe expressing a lack of confidence in him making the NHL roster next season didn't help either.

Regardless of what transpired, it was no longer a matter of just being offered a contract by Winnipeg at this point - he wanted out.

 

[jfhabs]

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.

He's just 1 year older, these model suck a little bit to be honest.

I think they are absolutely comparable prospect, but McGoarty is a lot closer to the NHL. Yager is probably 2 years from contributing. For Pittsburgh aging core sooner is better. Let's just hope that Rutger will be happy with the Pens...

At the same time Winnipeg had their back against the wall and Dubas flinched and gave them equal value. In my book that's a win for Winnipeg. Doesn't mean it's a loss for Pitts, but it's not a win.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Canadian teams shouldn't draft NCAA Americans.

Seems rare that they play for the teams that draft them.

Not really? Knies just signed with the Leafs. So did Abruzzese

 

[kylbaz]

As a Jets fan I think Yager has a higher ceiling but mcgroaty is more NHL ready and higher chance of being successful. Slight win for Pittsburgh

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Dubas should have leveraged for more.

 

[Romang67]

He's just 1 year older, these model suck a little bit to be honest.

I think they are absolutely comparable prospect, but McGoarty is a lot closer to the NHL. Yager is probably 2 years from contributing. For Pittsburgh aging core sooner is better. Let's just hope that Rutger will be happy with the Pens...

I've often found that the people linking the models without understanding what they're saying are a bigger issue than the models themselves.

Neither model is saying anything about which player is better.

 

[S E P H]

Literally every single prospect rating list I can find has McGroaty ranked above Yager.

And that's how you're valuing them? Weak fam. Post #156 of this thread has all the facts and info you need on this trade blud.

 

[McJedi]

This is my kind of trade... Great job by the GMs.

 

[Pancakes]

Oh wow.

Not terribly surprised by that. I don't think Dubas makes the trade without some assurance that Mcgroarty would actually sign here. Insanely too risky to do otherwise.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

And that's how you're valuing them? Weak fam. Post #156 of this thread has all the facts and info you need on this trade blud.

Yeah idk if it’s as clear cut as presented in that post.

McG more size, skilled, better passer, just as good if not better shot. Yager better skater which obviously is the best tool to have.

I don’t see either having a clearly higher ceiling. In fact I could see McG having the higher ceiling in terms of NHL stats but Yager better ceiling in terms of eye test and skating, playing center and driving entries and exits. I posted earlier on our board that McG has lower floor IMO.

Who knows though. Will be interesting to follow.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah idk if it’s as clear cut as presented in that post.

McG more size, skilled, better passer, just as good if not better shot. Yager better skater which obviously is the best tool to have.

I don’t see either having a clearly higher ceiling. In fact I could see McG having the higher ceiling in terms of NHL stats but Yager better ceiling in terms of eye test and skating, playing center and driving entries and exits. I posted earlier on our board that McG has lower floor IMO.

Who knows though. Will be interesting to follow.

If the two have identical ceilings while McGroaty has the higher floor, that makes McGroaty a better prospect.

And that's how you're valuing them? Weak fam. Post #156 of this thread has all the facts and info you need on this trade blud.

Yes? How exactly should we value prospects other than their prospect ratings and production?

Both McGroaty and Yager are very good prospects that most scouting sources seem to be slightly higher on McGroaty. I think saying they have similar upsides while McGroaty is the safer prospect is entirely fair, but that fundamentally means McGroaty is a better prospect.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Wtf that's the one guy I was hoping wasn't going the other way. Have a bad feeling about this. Yager has been progressing really well.

 

[Pancakes]

As a Pens fan I don't particularly care to argue who is the better prospect. They're both pretty good prospects.

I hope they work out for both teams. Yager seemed like a good kid and was progressing well.

 

[CanadienShark]

I see this as a win for Winnipeg. Great value from a bad situation. Pittsburgh... I can sort of understand it, but not a win for them.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

Good, we got an official announcement.

 

[Rob Sense]

Camp's gonna be a bloodbath but this will get worked out. Nieto is cooked. LTIRetirement. Acciari could be moved or waived and no one would care. If a team wants to send us a 3rd for Eller right now he's theirs, and we like Eller. The real question is how do guys like Puljijiarvi, Poulin, Glass, Ponomarev, Puustinen, Beauvillier, Lizotte fit in?

McGroaty Crosby Rust
Bunting Malkin Rakell
DOC Hayes Glass
Beauvillier Lizotte Pulji
Poulin Puustinen

rookie on the 1st line??