"It's not a good look": Jets may lose top prospect McGroarty

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Published Jun 22, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  4 minute read

Jets first-round pick from last season, Rutger McGroarty, will play for Team USA at the world juniors being held in Sweden. Photo by Chris Procaylo /Winnipeg Sun

A revelation on Saturday that the Winnipeg Jets are talking with other teams about trading Rutger McGroarty is shocking enough.

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The potential reason for such a drastic turn for the team’s 14th overall pick in 2022 only worsens it.

“It’s not a Winnipeg (as a city) issue,” a source with knowledge of the situation told the Sun on Saturday. “It’s a development issue and a relationship issue.”

The news regarding McGroarty first surfaced on the 32 Thoughts podcast on Saturday after hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reported Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had been discussing the possibility of trading McGroarty’s rights.

McGroarty, Winnipeg’s top prospect in its pool, decided against turning pro after leading the University of Michigan to the NCAA national championship game in St. Paul, Minn., this past spring.

At the time, it appeared there was an issue between the club and the player over the next step in McGroarty’s development path.

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The team preferred McGroarty hone his skills in the American Hockey League. At the same time, the 20-year-old felt he was ready to make the leap to the NHL, similar to the one Michigan linemates Gavin Brindley and Frank Nazar, who signed with Columbus and Chicago, respectively, are making.

Another source, who also spoke to the Sun on Saturday, confirmed as much, citing concerns over McGroarty’s developmental path and overall relationship with the club, including with the forward’s advisors.

The source also pointed to how the team handled Cole Perfetti’s struggles last season, including his lack of playing time in the first round of the playoffs.

They also suggested Ville Heinola’s “painfully slow” path to the NHL after being a first-round pick in 2019 (20th overall) as a concerning issue for prospects beyond McGroarty.

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“It’s not a good look,” they said.

A request for comment from the Jets and McGroarty has not been responded to.

If the Jets do, in fact, trade McGroarty, he would be the second draft pick they’ve dealt who wasn’t expecting to sign with the club before completing their collegiate career. Nathan Smith (third round, 2018) is the other. That’s a card college players have up their sleeves.

The tactic has been used sparingly in the past.

Still, it has been utilized by former Jets captain Blake Wheeler after being drafted fifth overall by Arizona in 2004 before signing as a free agent with Boston in 2008.

Adam Fox, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner Calgary took in the third round in 2016, was traded to Carolina in 2018 as part of a five-player blockbuster and then to the New York Rangers in 2019 after he wouldn’t sign in southern Alberta.

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Others include Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey, a 2012 third-round pick by Nashville whose rights were traded for by Buffalo before he signed as a free agent with the Rangers in 2016.

Former Jets forward Kevin Hayes also makes the list after Chicago drafted him 24th overall in 2010 only to complete his college career and sign as a free agent with the Rangers in 2014.

Most recently, 2022 fifth-overall pick Cutter Gauthier forced his way out of Philadelphia by not committing to sign with the club last season.

Gauthier’s case may be most relevant to the Jets regarding what they could get in return for McGroarty.

The Ducks sent promising defenceman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in 2025 to the Flyers in the deal.

McGroarty, who captained Team USA to World Junior gold in January, will have no shortage of suitors on the trade market.

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And while the team has often waited on players who have wanted out of the team, there may not be a better time than now for Cheveldayoff.

A deal struck over the next week leading into the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas could be a ticket for the Jets to get back into the first round after they traded this year’s pick to Montreal for centre Sean Monahan in February.

However, Winnipeg has more pressing needs than another draft pick, including a right-shot defenceman, something the Flyers got in Drysdale.

A Philly-Anaheim-type return would change the complexion of the current situation. Until then, it’s a tough pill to swallow for the team and its fan base, the latter of whom have voiced their concerns with the club’s direction in recent years with their wallets, including declining ticket sales.

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Whatever happens, it’s an interesting turn of events for McGroarty, who has always expressed his desire to sign with the Jets.

He praised the club for giving him space during Michigan’s run to the Frozen Four.

“I gotta give them credit,” he said. “They’ve been very respectful. They respect me at the University of Michigan, understanding the playoff push.”

He was also grateful for the support from the team after a hit landed McGroarty in hospital last December.

“I just felt loved by everybody (in the organization),” he said.

Something’s changed along the way.

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X: @scottbilleck

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