Prospect Info: Rutger McGroarty, 2022 NHL Draft, #14 Overall

[Joe Hallenback]

I think Murat’s a great writer personally and enjoy his articles

Easy Murat!

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

God i hope so. End this saga already Chevy.

Just not for Laine.

OK if Laine is part of a package in a bigger deal.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I disagree. But am open to the fact I could be wrong and wouldn’t be surprised.

Personally I think Rutger would not be able to keep up with the speed of the game. And nothing from his time in NCAA would address that imo. Playing with men And big bodies for sure. But even then, the league is light on the contact.

When he was drafted skating was listed as his weak point. People here who claim to have watched him pretty closely report that his skating is improved. It wasn't a huge weakness to begin with. So I don't see it as a problem going forward.

I suspect he will need to adjust to playing an 82 game schedule but with WJC and post season NCAA he must have been playing about 50 games per season in NCAA so it shouldn't be too great an adjustment.

The NHL plays at a higher speed than any other league so he would need to adapt. Every rookie goes through that, including those who have been in the AHL.

 

[10Ducky10]

Iafallo, Baron, Gustafsson or Fjallby. I personally think he is currently better suited for the NHL than Lambert or Chibrokov. I'm sure others disagree.

How would we know?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Oh sorry, lol. I suppose I jumped in the middle of a convo and offered up an irrelevant opinion. Lol. Sorry!

To your point though, they’ve played an nhl game successfully and scored a point each!
In your face Rutger!

Hard to say one way or the other. I am more confident in those two as they have been part of the jets development system and grown within it. I think that favours them over Rutger.

OK, fair enough.
None of us can know until we see them in the NHL. Those single games for Chib and Lambo were nice but ....... 1 game. I remember a Habs prospect centre a few years ago who got his 1 game and scored a hatty. He still hasn't made it to the NHL. I can't remember his name off the top of my head. I don't think he is even in the Habs org any more. Looked it up - Ryan Poehling.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Well then get your ass to camp and show everyone this. I would love to see him become a regular on the Jets but gifting him a spot when other guys will be here busting their ass's trying to actually win a spot isn't ok. Don't you think that would rub some of the guys the wrong way? Again we aren't talking about a 1st overall draft pick here.

Even if it was a 1st OA, they need to show they are ready. Of course those usually go to weak teams that have plenty of space.

With McG, I would go so far as to tell him to come to TC. If you can show us that you are as ready as you think you are we will MAKE room for you. That is as close to a guarantee as I would go. Pretty sure that is more than most prospects get, even highly regarded ones. Might be more than most here would go too.

 

[kylbaz]

Just not for Laine.

OK if Laine is part of a package in a bigger deal.

Repeating myself but I'd love to see jiricek and Laine for McGroaty + 2nd + ????
What price can you even put on Laine? It's a gamble, he wants out, would probably like to come back here, he gets paid a lot, but when he's healthy he played well with Columbus.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I am confused how one can just assume McG > Barron/Iafallo/Appleton. Based on what? Playing good (not necessarily outstanding) on a WJC gold medal team? Producing and playing well (nothing crazy though) on a good NCAA Team?

How many players do you think achieved those exact things before turning pro... And never achieving anything on the NHL level. Like not even play 50 games? And that is already worth playing over Barron or Iafallo?

Who assumed that?
I said that there is room for him. That assumes nothing. He could win a spot over any of those. It just means that he does not need to beat out Vilardi, KC, Perfetti or Ehlers to win a spot on the roster.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Repeating myself but I'd love to see jiricek and Laine for McGroaty + 2nd + ????
What price can you even put on Laine? It's a gamble, he wants out, would probably like to come back here, he gets paid a lot, but when he's healthy he played well with Columbus.

Getting Jiricek would make the risk of taking Laine back acceptable to me.

Laine value is funny to try to calculate. Almost like a cap dump negative value, but not. There are so many risk factors but the potential payoff is pretty high too. Certainly a boom or bust gamble.

 

[KingBogo]

Repeating myself but I'd love to see jiricek and Laine for McGroaty + 2nd + ????
What price can you even put on Laine? It's a gamble, he wants out, would probably like to come back here, he gets paid a lot, but when he's healthy he played well with Columbus.

Not sure if Chevy can convince a team to give up on a 20 y/o 6.3 RHD drafted 6 O/A. Maybe you could pry Mateychuk out. Still a blue chip prospect though not quite as valuable.

 

[Bigfish]

Well then get your ass to camp and show everyone this. I would love to see him become a regular on the Jets but gifting him a spot when other guys will be here busting their ass's trying to actually win a spot isn't ok. Don't you think that would rub some of the guys the wrong way? Again we aren't talking about a 1st overall draft pick here.

Rub guys the wrong way? You mean like holding players like Perfetti and Ehlers to different standards than other players on the team, rub the wrong way?

 

[kanadalainen]

Ha ha, so true.

FWIW, the only other NHL club he follows besides the Jets is the Columbus Blue Jackets. Looks like we know where he's going to get traded.

bingo

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

McGroarty is just pissed because he was at the World Junior Team summer BBQ and could only afford to bring Bud Light while his best buds that got NHL contracts were drinking Macallan.
*Speculation*

If bud light is good enough for kid rock then it's good enough for rutger

 

[Huffer]

Not sure if Chevy can convince a team to give up on a 20 y/o 6.3 RHD drafted 6 O/A. Maybe you could pry Mateychuk out. Still a blue chip prospect though not quite as valuable.

The more I read from fans etc about those 2, the more I see comments about Mateychuk possibly having the higher upside.
I've seen a lot of concern over Jiricek's defense in the AHL. Not saying it's right or wrong, just sharing what I'm reading.

 

[KingBogo]

The more I read from fans etc about those 2, the more I see comments about Mateychuk possibly having the higher upside.
I've seen a lot of concern over Jiricek's defense in the AHL. Not saying it's right or wrong, just sharing what I'm reading.

What player do you think they would keep over the other?

 

[Huffer]

What player do you think they would keep over the other?

Honestly I don't think they would like to move either.

It looks like they have much more depth at Forward in the under 23 category than defenseman under 23.

 

[Gm0ney]

Didn't read the article but I'll give my opinion on it anyway lol

I find that Murat (as well as more than a handful of posters on here) make these types of proclamations less as fans and reporters and more as "this is my opinion of how things should be done based on my zero experience in hockey at any level"

I've heard Murat ask more than a couple of stupid questions where Bones or Chevy have had to gently correct him with an amused little smirk that says to me "cute question, but it obviously shows that you have no idea what you're talking about". A good example was at the end of last season when he asked Bones about Ehlers ice time and Bones answers by asking Murat whether he was looking at TOI or the number of shifts. Of course Murat was using TOI, whereas Bones was like "listen, he had the same number of shifts as everyone else, he just comes off early" lol

Maybe Ehlers should try getting hemmed in his own zone for 45 seconds every shift to boost his TOI...?

 

[KingBogo]

Honestly I don't think they would like to move either.

It looks like they have much more depth at Forward in the under 23 category than defenseman under 23.

How about Sillinger then? The guy has really filled out now at 6.2, 200+ lbs and he had a nice jump forward last season with 32 points, and it looks like his defensive game made good strides forward. No doubt rushed into the NHL after being the 12 O/A in 2021, but it doesn't look like any damage was done. Could be the answer for our #2 center spot.

 

[Jets 31]

Rub guys the wrong way? You mean like holding players like Perfetti and Ehlers to different standards than other players on the team, rub the wrong way?

While i don't agree that Ehlers and Perfetti were held to a different standard even if you feel that way that was Bowness and Bowness is gone now. Why don't we see how Arniel runs the team first.

 

[Huffer]

How about Sillinger then? The guy has really filled out now at 6.2, 200+ lbs and he had a nice jump forward last season with 32 points, and it looks like his defensive game made good strides forward. No doubt rushed into the NHL after being the 12 O/A in 2021, but it doesn't look like any damage was done. Could be the answer for our #2 center spot.

Could be an option for sure. I won't pretend to know all about him, but from a lot of reading on their board I'm not seeing a lot of untapped upside there. Maybe he takes another jump, but from what I read they look at him more like a checker. Personally I'd rather target someone with more upside with McGroarty.

Or try to get their 2025 1st and use other assets to get a roster player.

 

[JetsFan815]

How about Sillinger then? The guy has really filled out now at 6.2, 200+ lbs and he had a nice jump forward last season with 32 points, and it looks like his defensive game made good strides forward. No doubt rushed into the NHL after being the 12 O/A in 2021, but it doesn't look like any damage was done. Could be the answer for our #2 center spot.

Would be a terrible trade for the Jets imo. Salinger has stagnated and not been impressive in my viewings on Columbus. He has also been thrown on the 4th line and hasn't been able to win a top 6 role on Columbus (let alone a 2C) even with the lack of options up there.

 

[Heldig]

How about Sillinger then? The guy has really filled out now at 6.2, 200+ lbs and he had a nice jump forward last season with 32 points, and it looks like his defensive game made good strides forward. No doubt rushed into the NHL after being the 12 O/A in 2021, but it doesn't look like any damage was done. Could be the answer for our #2 center spot.

My hope is something around McGroarty and Stanley for Sillinger and Ceulemans (wishful thinking it is Jiricek)

 

[Eyeseeing]

I find it sad that we were 4th best in the NHL and we still had issues selling tickets...

Very small blue collar city.
That is all.
It's very much a privilege to be in the NHL , The league was very awesome to have us back.
There is a balancing act of on ice product and customer service.
On ice has gotten better with the departures of Wheeler and PLD.
The customer service issues need to get better.

 

[KingBogo]

Could be an option for sure. I won't pretend to know all about him, but from a lot of reading on their board I'm not seeing a lot of untapped upside there. Maybe he takes another jump, but from what I read they look at him more like a checker. Personally I'd rather target someone with more upside with McGroarty.

Or try to get their 2025 1st and use other assets to get a roster player.

Good points, but the guy should of never been brought into the NHL as an 18 y/o. He certainly put up points in his draft year in the USHL with 24G - 22A - 46P in 32 games. Before that as a 16 y/o he was over a point per game in the WHL. I think it might be one of the cases where a team rushes a player and forces them into a role. I just see a guy who could really excel in a different environment.

Would be a terrible trade for the Jets imo. Salinger has stagnated and not been impressive in my viewings on Columbus. He has also been thrown on the 4th line and hasn't been able to win a top 6 role on Columbus (let alone a 2C) even with the lack of options up there.

And we would be saying the same things about any of our top forward prospects if they were thrown onto the 4th line on a dumpster fire team as a teenager.

 

[LucianoBorsato]

I find it sad that we were 4th best in the NHL and we still had issues selling tickets...

It's not just hockey tickets, tickets sales have been down in Manitoba for music festivals and other events. Dauphin Countryfest used to be a guaranteed sell out and it hasn't been the past couple years, for example. Manitobans are hurting finan
cially probably more than most other Canadians. First thing to go when people have less cash flow is entertainment and its definitely more noticeable in a small market hockey city.

That being said ticket sales for the Jets did get much better as the season went on.