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

[Honour Over Glory]

Feel like WPG got the better player.

Before they turned on Rutger, most Jets fans had him down as a future captain type and a Jamie Benn type future.

Funny how quickly that turned.

 

[TS Quint]

Before they turned on Rutger, most Jets fans had him down as a future captain type and a Jamie Benn type future.

Funny how quickly that turned.

When did they turn? I don't see Jet fans changing their opinion on Rutger the hockey player at all. Or are you basing your opinion on what Sens fans think?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

When did they turn? I don't see Jet fans changing their opinion on Rutger the hockey player at all. Or are you basing your opinion on what Sens fans think?

Jets thread, the Rutger thread in the draft forum...

 

[Royale With Cheese]

According to Chevy's presser the "didn't feel right" comment was repeated to Chevy by McG when they met face to face and that feeling started at the 2023 development camp when he seemed to thrilled being a future Jet and was becoming a fan favourite.
It was not obvious why he soured on Winnipeg as he could offer only that vague explanation.
It seems more likely he didn't want to play in Winnipeg but only brought it up when the Jets tried to sign him after Michigan's season ended.

This guy is supposed to have strong "leadership qualities", is that correct? I dunno, leadership to me would be being truthful instead of dodging questions when your employer sits in front of you and asks. Team drafts you, invests in you, it seems to me the least you can do if you don't want to play for the team is give them an honest answer.

 

[TS Quint]

Jets thread, the Rutger thread in the draft forum...

Not at all. The vast majority coninue to say the Pens probability got the better, closer to the NHL player. But the Jets did well in the circumstances.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Not at all. The vast majority coninue to say the Pens probability got the better, closer to the NHL player. But the Jets did well in the circumstances.

Look right above your post. Just because you want to ignore it mate doesn't mean it's not happening. I don't care either way. But it's what I've been seeing. Now it's character issues or some other bs.

 

[Figgy44]

Everyone keeps saying the bolded and I see the opposite tbh

Rutger has wider range of outcomes to me.

Yager better floor, lower ceiling.

Just my opinion but I thought similar about the Drysdale/Sanderson debate. Everyone kept calling Drysdsle the high upside lower floor of the two and it seemed opposite. This is a little different since McGroarty isnt a great athlete (like Sanderson) but to me if he hits big he could produce way more points than Yager’s ceiling IMO and be a unique threat in doing it, like how Tkachuk and Benn are/were. Very hard to see Yager ever being like a big time point producer.

Floor wise: Yager better chance to carve out a role with his skating, 2way game and positional versatility as a RH shot and center capable. If McG too slow, he could be like a 100-200 game guy then done.

I think feel like the confusion is that many posters are missing a dimension in their evaluation. It's not just floor and ceiling, but team's positional needs, team's timing requirements and risk as well.

Some posters said Yager has more flexibility and options in slotting in the line up. I think that increases his floor but also increases the risk. Rutger is much more specific as a winger. I think that means his floor is lower, but also decreases the risk.

I think Yager is a bottom 9 or bust player. RM seems like he could be a winger on any line or bust type player.

I also think both teams got the type of player they needed. Winnipeg gets a prospect who can add to their centre group in contributing via committee as needed. Pens get a pure winger who can contribute nearly immediately and the centre skillset is unnecessary because they have Crosby/Malkin at C and decent options for bottom 6C. Both players also IMO are in a situation where their path to the NHL has gotten easier.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think feel like the confusion is that many posters are missing a dimension in their evaluation. It's not just floor and ceiling, but team's positional needs, team's timing requirements and risk as well.

Some posters said Yager has more flexibility and options in slotting in the line up. I think that increases his floor but also increases the risk. Rutger is much more specific as a winger. I think that means his floor is lower, but also decreases the risk.

I think Yager is a bottom 9 or bust player. RM seems like he could be a winger on any line or bust type player.

I also think both teams got the type of player they needed. Winnipeg gets a prospect who can add to their centre group in contributing via committee as needed. Pens get a pure winger who can contribute nearly immediately and the centre skillset is unnecessary because they have Crosby/Malkin at C and decent options for bottom 6C. Both players also IMO are in a situation where their path to the NHL has gotten easier.

It's more or less interesting because Malkin has one more year left and will retire and Crosby maybe has another 3yrs if he ever extends. Yager being a C was much needed but now it's no one in the pipeline at C that is even remotely close to being a top 9 c at worst or a top 6c at best like Yager. Yeah the Pens desperately needed a top 6 LW but at the cost of a C kind of fills one hole and creates a massive one as well.

 

[TS Quint]

Look right above your post. Just because you want to ignore it mate doesn't mean it's not happening. I don't care either way. But it's what I've been seeing. Now it's character issues or some other bs.

Maybe read that post. No where does the poster degrade Rutger the hockey player.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Maybe read that post. No where does the poster degrade Rutger the hockey player.

Ok so you're just looking to ignore stuff.

 

[TS Quint]

Ok so you're just looking to ignore stuff.

Ignore what? Nothing has changed. That poster probably had that opinion for months. It has nothing to do with Rutger the hockey player.

 

[surixon]

You need top 3-5 picks in the right drafts to get electrifying talents like Makar and MacKinnon. Jets have had only one top-5 pick in 14 drafts and ended up with Laine (who was a pretty dynamic scorer during most of his time with Winnipeg).

I think the Jets have had rosters that can and have played exciting hockey, but they have had a long stretch of coaches that prefer a tight defensive system. I don't expect Arniel to break that mold, but he might play some of the Jets' faster and more skilled players in more prominent roles. I hope they rejuvenate the stagnant PP, too.

He has said he wants more speed, offense, and better special teams. So we shall see.

 

[MVP Zacha]

I was excited about Yager, he's got good vision and a great shot. But now that's he on another team I think he's a bad prospect and his shot sucks.

This is the HF Way.

 

[Buffdog]

Yeah, if the Winnipeg media knew the Penguins liked McGroarty back in January, Dubas could hardly pretend to be uninterested now.




I very much doubt McGroarty will hit his ceiling, but a comparison I've seen in a few places is Matthew Tkachuk.

Mcgroarty had SIX penalty minutes last season

Tkachuk is a terrible comparison

It's for deals like this one. He should have got a + in the deal for helping the Jets out.

He didn't help the Jets out. He helped himself out.

He traded a guy who is a few years away from contributing for a guy who can step in right now and hopefully play a meaningful role on an ELC while they're up against the cap and their superstars are aging quickly

 

[OtherThingsILike]

Mcgroarty had SIX penalty minutes last season

Tkachuk is a terrible comparison

Is taking unnecessary penalties really an intrinsic part of Tkachuk's game?

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Mcgroarty had SIX penalty minutes last season

Tkachuk is a terrible comparison


He didn't help the Jets out. He helped himself out.

He traded a guy who is a few years away from contributing for a guy who can step in right now and hopefully play a meaningful role on an ELC while they're up against the cap and their superstars are aging quickly

That is irrelevant. Dubas is giving a player of similar age and value. He should have got something for that just like Columbus gave Mtl a 2nd for taking Laine. Now McGroarty is younger and doesn't have as many question marks about his ceiling so maybe a 3rd or 4th.

 

[Empoleon8771]

That is irrelevant. Dubas is giving a player of similar age and value. He should have got something for that just like Columbus gave Mtl a 2nd for taking Laine. Now McGroarty is younger and doesn't have as many question marks about his ceiling so maybe a 3rd or 4th.

Comparing Laine and McGroarty is like incomprehensibly dumb.

Columbus gave a 2nd to Montreal for taking Laine because Laine has a $8.7 million cap hit.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

That is irrelevant. Dubas is giving a player of similar age and value. He should have got something for that just like Columbus gave Mtl a 2nd for taking Laine. Now McGroarty is younger and doesn't have as many question marks about his ceiling so maybe a 3rd or 4th.

I don't know if Jordan Harris' trade value was a 2nd, but he did (and does) have trade value, so to suggest that the 2nd was to pay the Canadiens to take Laine is misleading.

 

[Figgy44]

It's more or less interesting because Malkin has one more year left and will retire and Crosby maybe has another 3yrs if he ever extends. Yager being a C was much needed but now it's no one in the pipeline at C that is even remotely close to being a top 9 c at worst or a top 6c at best like Yager. Yeah the Pens desperately needed a top 6 LW but at the cost of a C kind of fills one hole and creates a massive one as well.

Yeah, that's the case normally, but I'm not sure this is the specific case for the Pens.

If the Pens are going to enter into a post Crosby/Malkin era, Yager as a C option really isn't helping or truly contributing much to all of the needed rebuild pieces via very empty cupboards. Blasting a hole in a wall isn't going to be as big of a deal since Pittsburgh is likely going to be basically living under a tarp for a while in the post Crosby/Malkin era while they grind past some brutal years to get to the point where they have some talent and picks in their pipeline again. What might be a big hole in other instances might not be as big of a concern in the grand scheme of things in the Pen's impending situation. It might be different if Yager was trending towards being a bonafide 1C or 2C, but that's not guaranteed at this point.

Winnipeg will be happy with the flexibility and options and time they can get with Yager. Pittsburgh needs something specific and faster than what they have right now so RM work better for them.

 

[Thechozen1]

Yeah, if the Winnipeg media knew the Penguins liked McGroarty back in January, Dubas could hardly pretend to be uninterested now.




I very much doubt McGroarty will hit his ceiling, but a comparison I've seen in a few places is Matthew Tkachuk.

Definitely not as skilled as Tkachuk

 

[Antropovsky]

Find someone you love as much as Leafs fans hate Dubas.

I mean he pretty much gave both Kadri and Hyman away for free and signed Marner to an absurd deal. Cant really blame us Leaf fans. Those are critical pieces that were the right age for our rebuilt. He also put a rookie coach in charge..which we also paid dearly for. No cup since 67..best chance since then... squandered by a 30' something know it all. Yea kinda sucks.

 

[Casper The Soy Ghost]

Brayden Yager from Saskatoon and Moose Jaw would make sense. Both picked 14th OA one year apart.

Ayo, what's the lottery numbers?

 

[CanMerc]

As someone who hated the pick of McGroarty from day one, I’m very happy with the return WPG got…I think the Jets are a better team now than before the trade

 

[Buffdog]

That is irrelevant. Dubas is giving a player of similar age and value. He should have got something for that just like Columbus gave Mtl a 2nd for taking Laine. Now McGroarty is younger and doesn't have as many question marks about his ceiling so maybe a 3rd or 4th.

Laine had a 8.7M cap hit and nobody else wanted it and Waddell still had to pay the Habs to take it. The deadline was approaching because both parties agreed that Laine at training camp wasn't an option

Chevy had two years to sort out the McGroarty issue and would only make a move if his price was met, which it was - by Dubas, who saw how the deal could benefit his team as well

If there was even one other team interested in Rutger, any leverage you seem to think Dubas had in the situation is gone. You saw forst hand how Chevy leveraged MTL's offer for Dubois to get a max return from LA

Your lack of understanding of how these things work seems to not have improved since the PLD situation. Maybe you can figure it out now

 

[Bottle Rocket]

Ayo, what's the lottery numbers?

I've got intuition and logic, not a crystal ball nor jedi powers

Try 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42