Rutger McGroarty gets his karma after forcing trade away from the Winnipeg Jets
Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty had a rude awakening today as the club demoted him to the American Hockey League.
The Penguins acquired McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets in August in a major deal that came as a surprise to many around the NHL. Penguins top prospect Braden Yager was the primary piece going the other way. The Penguins made the deal as part of an effort to get younger quickly. Currently, McGroarty is seen a the more NHL ready player, so most fans expected him to be in the lineup all season for the Penguins. Perhaps McGroarty himself also thought that would be the case, as he actually requested a trade from Winnipeg with the goal of playing in the NHL this season.
McGroarty was selected 14th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2022 and was seen as a great pick at the time. During his draft season he scored well over a point-per-game pace in the USHL and NCAA with the USNTDP. After that season, he moved on to the University of Michigan where he really showed why the Jets selected him in the first place. He had 18 goals and 39 points in 39 games during his freshman season and followed that up with a terrific sophomore campaign, putting up 52 points in just 36 games. Unfortunately though, it seems that he is not quite ready for the NHL as he had zero points and just 2 shots on goal while going minus one in three appearances this season. This resulted in the Penguins sending him down to the AHL.
Many fans have taken this as a learning moment for the young forward. It is true that he has a lot of talent. Rutger McGroarty is a very good hockey player. But even good players need to be at their best to succeed in the NHL. Furthermore, young players entering the league need to earn their ice time and prove that they can hang at the top level. So far, McGroarty has not done those things, and only made himself look like a fool for requesting a trade only to be sent down immediately after a slow start.
Hopefully, McGroarty will be humbled by this move and will work extra hard to earn his way back into the NHL lineup. After all, Penguins fans are still excited to see what he can do. We will just have to wait and see when he might get that next chance though.
