Rutger McGroarty gave the Jets no reason for his trade request

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Rutger McGroarty from the Jets. In return, the club traded prospect Brayden Yager to Manitoba.

Both guys are 14th overall picks.

Obviously, this is a transaction we’ll be following for a while. We’ll be wondering whether the Jets got the right prospect in return for McGroarty, who signed his entry-level contract in Pittsburgh, and whether the Penguins did the right thing by sticking their noses into the matter.

The Jets and Penguins trade is a win/win for both teams and Winnipeg did well in a tough situation.

Former scout Jason Bukala breaks down the trade from both sides. https://t.co/P2BEzz8NZR

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 23, 2024

But the question remains: why did the prospect want to leave the Jets?

From what we’ve gathered over the past few months, it wasn’t because of Winnipeg: it was because the player wanted big NHL minutes right away, something the bosses weren’t prepared to offer him.

Is this true? Who knows.

In any case, the Jets GM spoke publicly about the matter and said he didn’t know where the transaction request came from. He says the player’s agent and the youngster himself haven’t given him an answer, saying only that McGroarty doesn’t feel he’s in the right place.

“(The agent) didn’t have a reason. I went through a litany of questions to the agent to see. Was it player development? Was it we didn’t burn a year (of his contract?) He says ‘No.’ He said it just didn’t feel right. It started at development camp and it just didn’t feel right.”

– Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) August 22, 2024

Maybe the GM is lying and knows the answer, but doesn’t want to share it publicly. If so, it’s either to protect hope, or to throw it under the bus.

But what if he’s not lying? If Kevin Cheveldayoff really doesn’t know why the prospect wouldn’t sign his entry-level contract, that’s something. It just goes to show that prospects like Cutter Gauthier and Rutger McGroarty have a little too much power in the way the system is built.

Players in the CHL, Russia or Europe don’t have as much power in their hands as those in the NCAA. Being able to become a free agent is a more than interesting right, let’s face it.

Under such conditions, if the youngster really did ask for a trade without explaining himself, the Habs were right not to go after him. No need for a guy who thinks he can do anything.

If he had explained himself, that would have been one thing, since he would have been accountable for his decisions. But now…

I imagine that playing with Sidney Crosby will teach the young man a bit about how to behave when you’re an NHL pro.