Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Rating for Rutger McGroarty – Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

What’s in store for NHL general managers this August? We have offer sheets. We have trade, and this is usually the quietest month on the hockey calendar. The two most recent teams to come together to make a deal are the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Winnipeg Jets.

After months of speculation, the Jets have finally traded wide receiver Rutger McGroarty after reports that he was unwilling to sign his entry-level contract with the organization. McGroarty ends up in Pittsburgh and will likely sign his ELC to begin his NHL career. Meanwhile, the Jets got a great opportunity to return to Brayden Yager.

Penguins Add Much-Needed Youth to Side

We know the Penguins have one of the oldest rosters in the league and need to be young to compete in the Metropolitan Division. Sidney Crosby is still at the peak of his powers, and the team has enough talent to be in the playoff conversation.

However, one thing they lack is scoring on the wing. Bryan Rust is still at the top of his game, and Michael Bunting played well for the Penguins after coming to Pittsburgh as part of the Jake Guentzel trade at least at the offseason trade deadline. There’s also Rickard Rakell, but the Penguins need him back after a rough 2023-24 season.

Related: Penguins Acquire Rutger McGroarty from Jets

After those three, there is no more scoring pop in the wing. There are some interesting depth players like Valtteri Puustinen and Drew O’Connor, but they are bottom six players more than anything else. That’s where McGroarty could be a difference maker, especially since he’s likely to end up as a top-six player for the Penguins at some point.

McGroarty was one of the best players for the Michigan Wolverines in his two years in Ann Arbor. He was a point-per-game player as a freshman and finished his sophomore season with 52 points in 36 games. He’s not just a skilled player, however, as he can play a heavy game and has a more well-rounded approach than Yager. That shouldn’t be surprising since he already measures 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. He already has an NHL draft.

Of course, McGroarty is only a prospect, so it’s hard to know what he will be for the Penguins. At least for the foreseeable future, he could start as a middle-six/third linebacker before moving up the lineup, but there are top-six possibilities. One way to do that is to look at NHLe, which tries to translate production from other leagues into NHL points.

With JFresh’s prospect cards, McGroarty has an 80 percent chance of becoming an NHLer and a 15 percent chance of hitting superstar status.

Overall, the Penguins did very well. Yager’s 95 points in 57 games in the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season will raise an eyebrow and make you wonder if the Penguins really improved by trading their top prospect for McGroarty. But by the looks of it, McGroarty has more upside and more to offer than Yager. The Penguins needed this type of young player in their system, and he should help them immediately.

Penguin grade: A-

Jets Are As Efficient As Possible

The Jets were in a tough spot here, but they did well to land a prospect who looks like he has an NHL future, too. Yager was a first round pick (14th overall) in 2023 and appears to have improved well in his 1+ draft year, as mentioned above.

While Yager isn’t a sure bet to make the NHL like McGroarty, he still has a very good chance. With JFresh’s cards, you have a 52% chance of becoming an NHLer and a 10% chance of hitting superstar status:

Yager is a different player than McGroarty, as he is smaller (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) and more of a shooter; Yager has a great release. In Devin Little’s 2023 draft profile for Yager’s Hockey Writers:

“The thing that stands out about Yager’s game is his hitting and his willingness to use it. He has a quick release and hits his target with deadly accuracy. He has 60 goals in his past two seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and could have many more if asked to adopt a shot-first mentality. His shot doesn’t compete with the best goal scorers in the world, but it’s dangerous enough that he could be a 30-goal scorer in the NHL during his prime.”

The Jets did well, considering the circumstances. Everyone knew McGroarty wanted out, and there were probably only a few teams willing to sign him, limiting their market for him. Yager is a legitimate pitcher and could be a middle-of-the-six pitcher. I’m not sure they could have done much better, and even if Yager isn’t McGroarty’s prospect, the organization and its fans should be happy for him.

Jets grade: B+