Winnipeg Jets get: Prospect Brayden Yager
Pittsburgh Penguins get: Prospect Rutger McGroarty
Corey Pronman: Yager scored 95 points this past season in the WHL. Despite his production, he wasn’t truly a standout player in junior like his draft slot would suggest. He’s clearly a talented forward with NHL speed, a good shot and a high skill level. For a 5-foot-11 forward, he isn’t dynamic, though. I don’t see him as a true driver of offense at higher levels. Rather, he’s a hardworking center who can create some offense and be a player coaches rely on. He projects as a middle-six forward or a potential third-line center.
McGroarty was one of the better forwards in college hockey this season and captained Team USA to a gold medal at the world juniors. He then requested a trade, which led to this move. McGroarty has good offensive skills and hockey sense, but his game, like Yager’s, isn’t the flashiest. He accomplishes a lot through his great compete level. He’s a tenacious competitor on pucks and around the net. His footspeed is mediocre at best with a choppy skating stride but he still gets to a lot of pucks due to his effort. I don’t think he’s going to be as major a scorer in the NHL as he’s been at lower levels, but he’ll still provide some offense and be a player coaches love to plug into their middle six.
Ultimately, both players are strong pro prospects with similar profiles in terms of two-way play and minor questions on offensive upside. I lean slightly to Yager’s long-term NHL profile as he’s a superior skater who plays the middle, but he’s not as big and, quite frankly, I was underwhelmed by him this season at times, hence why I’m sure Pittsburgh was open to moving him. I’m also surprised Winnipeg was able to get a quality prospect for McGroarty given the public nature of this trade request.
Penguins grade: B
Jets grade: A-
Sean Gentille: When McGroarty’s preferred next step became clear — he didn’t attend the Jets’ prospect camp and, instead, announced he’d play a third season for Michigan — Pittsburgh seemed like a potential dance partner for the Jets, with one major roadblock.
Most of Kyle Dubas’ plan for the Penguins revolves around getting younger and staying competitive, at least theoretically, at the same time. There aren’t a ton of players who fit that bill, though; shocking as it sounds, most teams aren’t interested in parting ways with guys who are good, young and close to NHL-ready.
McGroarty, though, was forcing Winnipeg’s hand. And while Pittsburgh should’ve been in on him from the start, the question was always going to be whether it had the sort of assets necessary to get a deal done. The Penguins’ roster, generally speaking, is made up of players they’d either never want to trade, they’d never be able to trade or that would never net a return like McGroarty.
The prospect pool, meanwhile, was deeper overall but still thin at the top. Yager was certainly No. 1, but it was fair to wonder a) whether he’d be ready in time to help Sidney Crosby, and b) just how much value he’d have on the open market. He’s not the kind of player you move for a rental, but he also might not be enough to serve as the primary return for Pittsburgh’s platonic ideal. Yager is pretty good; he’s also probably not going to net you, say, a cost-controlled 26-year-old with a couple 30-goal NHL seasons under his belt.
McGroarty is probably as close as Dubas was going to get; he’s a year older than Yager — both were No. 14 picks — and unquestionably more prepared for the NHL game. He’s 6-foot-1 and plays with skill, sense and physicality, and he’s joining an organization that could use all three of those attributes. Like, immediately.
It’s beyond easy to imagine him sticking on the roster out of camp; you wouldn’t have been able to say the same about Yager, who would’ve then been stuck playing his 20-year-old season in the WHL. McGroarty might not make the Penguins better in 2024-25, but he has a better shot than Yager. That fact, combined with a high enough ceiling, makes this a win for Pittsburgh.
That doesn’t make it a loss for Winnipeg, though. Yager’s speed, skill and potential to stick at center probably give him a higher ceiling than McGroarty, all told. Being a Saskatchewan native doesn’t hurt, either. Not a bad return for a trade they were forced into making.
Penguins grade: A-
Jets grade: B+
(Photo of Rutger McGroarty skating around Maxim Štrbák: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
