Winnipeg Jets GM's shocking reason Rutger McGroarty wanted to be traded revealed

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Daniel Lucente
August 23, 2024 (1:45 PM)

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Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has explained that the reason Rutger McGroarty wanted out from the team was because the jersey felt unnatural to him.

The Winnipeg Jets traded forward Rutger McGroarty to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Brayden Yager. Yager was Pittsburgh's first-round pick last year, while McGroarty was Winnipeg's first-round pick two years ago. It seems like a fair swap on paper. McGroarty captained the U.S. to a world junior gold medal win and led the University of Michigan to the NCAA championship game. However, it seems that McGroarty's desire for an NHL job may have caused a rift with Jets management.

Earlier this summer, sources informed the Winnipeg Sun that Rutger McGroarty and the Jets couldn't agree on his development path. McGroarty and his agent believe that the 20-year-old is prepared for the big leagues, while the Jets prefer to have their prospects play for their AHL farm team for an extended period, sometimes longer than the prospects are willing to wait.

During a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff

Cheveldayoff mentioned that he asked the agent for an explanation, but the agent didn't have a clear answer for the decision. Even during a face-to-face meeting with Rutger, the player had the same response. McGroarty expressed that when he put on the jersey during the development camp, it didn't feel right and it became real for him that he would need to be traded.

Kevin Cheveldayoff indicated that if there's a specific reason for McGroarty's decision, he hasn't communicated it to the team.

«We make our decisions for the greater good of the club,» he said. «And all the players that are on it, they earn their opportunities and that's never going to change. There's always the want for younger players to get there fast. If you do a real deep dive, it's more important to get there long than to get there fast. To stay and to become a pro and extend your career as opposed to trying to get in there and not being ready.»

- Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff

A year older, Rutger McGroarty may be more prepared. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound winger tallied 16 goals and 52 points in 36 college games last season. He will definitely have a lot of opportunities over in Pittsburgh.

This trade fiasco isn't the greatest look for the Jets, but as Kevin Cheveldayoff has previously demonstrated when dealing with unhappy players, he has managed to come out even, or at least that's how it looked on paper.

As is the case with any trade, the true outcome will only become clear years down the road.

Source: Hockey Feed
Hockey Feed

Source: Elite Prospects
Rutger McGroarty Stats