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Rutger McGroarty

Central Notes: Predators, Drouin, Pavelski, McGroarty

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Nearly one year ago, the Nashville Predators made some surprise additions in free agency by bringing in veteran forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist on multi-year contracts. Expect much of the same from the Predators organization this summer as Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports Nashville is looking to be aggressive once free agency opens up on Monday.

Lavoie specifically cites Steven Stamkos as a player that the Predators will take a run at — a rumor that has been picking up some steam over recent days. With just over $26MM in cap space and only a few notable pieces to retain, Nashville could do some damage on the free-agent market this summer.

Outside of Stamkos, the Predators will likely be checking in on multiple free agents over the next few days as the team could use additional help in the form of a top-six forward and top-four defenseman. Thankfully, the team captain, Roman Josi, can still be counted on for the most minutes on Nashville’s blue line but the team could certainly use some help behind him in the form of a veteran talent to lessen the burden.

Other Central notes:

  • Despite both parties’ willingness to agree on a contract extension, the cap situation for the Colorado Avalanche may be pushing Jonathan Drouin out the door (Article Link). For the second summer in a row, the Avalanche are scrambling to sign cheap depth at every position with the team only carrying $10.47MM in cap space into the summer months. Without factoring in the potential return of forward Valeri Nichushkin and his $6.125MM salary, it appears improbable that Colorado will be able to retain Drouin. After only playing on an $825K salary for the 2023-24 NHL season, Drouin has earned a considerable raise after scoring 19 goals and 56 points in 79 games.
  • If everything is to go as expected, Joe Pavelski of the Dallas Stars has already played his last game in the National Hockey League. He will not have to wait long for a job offer though as Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside reports the Stars organization is more than willing to give Pavelski an opportunity in the front office if he officially decides to retire. It would not be surprising to see Pavelski land a front-office job after his playing career officially concludes, as the veteran star has largely operated in a leadership role throughout his professional career as a player.
  • After nearly a week of trade chatter, the Winnipeg Jets could not find an optimal trade to move prospect Rutger McGroarty out of the system during draft weekend. Looking for updates on the matter, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press could only confirm that McGroarty would not be present at the Jets’ development camp this summer. Due to McGroarty not being eligible for unrestricted free agency for another two seasons, Winnipeg can be patient when it comes to moving his contract rights.

Bruins, Wild Among Top Suitors For Rutger McGroarty

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News broke last week that Jets 2022 first-round pick Rutger McGroarty was seeking a trade, with most assuming that a deal could come across the finish line as soon as a few days ago so Winnipeg could recoup a first-rounder in this year’s draft. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s still a strong chance he could be moved as the first round kicks off in less than an hour.

Among the teams with significant interest are the Wild, The Athletic’s Michael Russo relays. The Bruins have also held “ongoing talks with Winnipeg regarding McGroarty, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported last night. McIntyre added that the Blue Jackets, Islanders and Sabres have also checked in but didn’t use as strong language to describe their interest.

Winnipeg selected McGroarty 14th overall in 2022, one pick later than the selection Minnesota holds this year (No. 13). The idea of a one-for-one swap makes sense. As for Boston, they ended up back with their own first-rounder (No. 25) after it traveled to Detroit and then Ottawa in the past 15 months, recouping it as part of the return for sending 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Senators. They’d likely need to add an additional pick or an equivalent asset in the form of a roster player or prospect in order to land McGroarty.

McGroarty, 20, was one of the best players in college hockey this season. Suiting up in his sophomore campaign at the University of Michigan, he finished top ten in NCAA-wide scoring with 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) in 36 games. He was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in collegiate hockey and captained the United States to a gold medal at the 2024 World Juniors, scoring five goals and four assists in seven games.

But he wasn’t given a clear role on Winnipeg’s roster next season, and as such, he’s decided to return to Michigan for his junior season rather than play for their AHL affiliate in Manitoba. Of course, he could decide to turn pro after a trade and make his NHL debut for a different team in the fall.

Rutger McGroarty Reportedly Seeking Trade From Jets Organization

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Earlier today on 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, the former indicated that a prospect for the Winnipeg Jets, Rutger McGroarty, had been brought up in trade talks over the last few days. In a follow-up report, Murat Ates of The Athletic wrote an article at length describing that “The league source tells The Athletic that McGroarty feels his path to the NHL is best suited in another organization.”

McGroarty was drafted by the Jets organization with the 14th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft after future teammate Frank Nazar went one selection ahead of him to the Chicago Blackhawks. Fast forwarding to this season, McGroarty saw Nazar and teammate Gavin Brindley sign entry-level contracts with their respective teams; while McGroarty committed to the University of Michigan for his junior season on April 16th.

The article from Ates illustrated the disconnect primarily came from the Jets organization and McGroarty disagreeing on his level of play, with the latter firmly believing he could immediately contribute to an NHL lineup. With a passing attempt at signing McGroarty to an entry-level contract once the 2023-24 NCAA ended, Winnipeg was unwilling to make any assurances of playing time to McGroarty, leading to him passing up an entry-level deal.

It is difficult to argue with McGroarty’s position, as he is beginning to look like a bargain pick at 14th overall. This past season with the Wolverines, McGroarty finished with 16 goals and 52 points in 36 games which finished second on his team and was good for 9th in the nation. Although there is never a guarantee that McGroarty would have cracked the Jets’ roster, keeping in hindsight the team is likely moving on from Nikolaj Ehlers and Tyler Toffoli this summer, the team could use a cost-effective addition to their top six.

Due to the reality of a few top-six forwards heading for greener pastures this summer, Winnipeg may opt to move McGroarty for immediate help up front in the form of veteran talent, especially given the fact that they do not appear to think he is ready for big minutes in the NHL. Nevertheless, the Jets organization holds most of the cards in any trade negotiations around McGroarty, as he would still need to complete another two seasons in the NCAA to become an unrestricted free agent.

Given the abundance of time ahead for a solution, the team may opt to hold onto McGroarty in the hopes of repairing the relationship. It was only last summer that all signs indicated that the Jets would be parting ways with both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck until the organization eventually signed the pair to long-term extensions late in the summer.

Morning Notes: Toffoli, McGroarty, Buyouts

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Elliotte Friedman (32 Thoughts) believes that the Vancouver Canucks could target Tyler Toffoli if they are unable to land pending free agent Jake Guentzel. The Canucks have been linked to Guentzel on several occasions and will likely face stiff competition to acquire the former Stanley Cup Champion. Toffoli is familiar with the Canucks organization as the 32-year-old was traded to the team in February 2020 and dressed in ten regular season games, notching ten points.

Friedman also linked Toffoli to the New York Rangers, saying that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rangers in the mix for Toffoli. New York recently moved Barclay Goodrow’s contract off the books and has almost $13MM in cap space heading into the offseason. Although they have some pending restricted free agents who will eat up a lot of that cap room and the pending Igor Shesterkin extension to deal with.

In other morning notes:

  • Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast that teams have inquired about former Winnipeg Jets first-round pick Rutger McGroarty (14th overall), and the Jets have engaged in trade talks about him. Friedman doesn’t get too far into the details but says that he’s heard that McGroarty is being talked about in trade discussions. The Jets hold the 20-year-old’s rights for two more years, and McGroarty decided in April to return to Michigan for another season in the NCAA. With Winnipeg in win-now mode, it would make sense for the team to look at moving him for a player that they can insert into their roster right away, particularly if they are concerned about losing his rights in two years.
  • Jeff Marek reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast that there will be buyouts in the coming days as the first buyout window will open 48 hours after the completion of the Stanley Cup final and will stay open until 5 p.m. Eastern Time on June 30th. Jeff Skinner of the Buffalo Sabres has been a name that’s been mentioned often when it comes to a buyout, as have Jack Campbell of the Edmonton Oilers and a pair of Philadelphia Flyers in Cam Atkinson and Cal Petersen. With the salary cap rising, teams have become creative when it comes to dumping salary, as evidenced by Barclay Goodrow being placed on waivers and the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings swapping Pierre-Luc Dubois for Darcy Kuemper. Buyouts have long-term salary cap ramifications and teams have become more strategic about using them.

Central Notes: Stars, McGroarty, Niederreiter, Wild

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Looking to clinch home-ice advantage through the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues, the Dallas Stars will be without defenseman Jani Hakanpaa according to Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. However, in the same report, after being a full participant in practice this morning, forward Evgenii Dadonov will be a game-time decision.

Having already missed the last 13 games for the Stars due to a lower-body injury, the organization does not seem keen to rush Hakanpaa back and potentially reaggravate his injury before the playoffs. Even though he is one of the team’s better physical defensemen, Dallas hasn’t missed a beat in Hakanpaa’s absence, as they’ve produced a 10-2-0 record while limiting opponents to just a 1.92 goals against per game on average.

Unlike Hakanpaa, Dadonov has been out of the lineup for the last two months with a lower-body injury, which will cap him at only 51 games played this year if he can play in tomorrow night’s contest. With the team on the precipice of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Dadonov may find himself in the press box for much of the postseason but could add some offensive punch to the team’s fourth line.

Other Central notes:

  •  After his sophomore season came to an end on April 11th against the Boston College Eagles, Rutger McGroarty is opting to forego signing an entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets and will return to the University of Michigan next year according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Displaying a very mature sense of hockey IQ for his age, the 14th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft showed off with an elite playmaking season with the Wolverines. Helping his team make their third straight Frozen Four appearance, McGroarty scored 16 goals and 52 points over 36 games this year and should become a fixture of the Hobey Baker Award conversation next season.
  • Missing the last five games due to an Achilles injury, Nino Niederreiter should return to the lineup tonight against the Seattle Kraken (X Link). During the organization’s game against the Los Angeles Kings on April 1st, Niederreiter sustained a cut to his tendon, which required eight stitches to close. With the team still having two games left to play, Winnipeg will need only one point to clinch the second spot in the Central Division.
  • With their season set to come to an end on Wednesday evening, the Minnesota Wild will get forward Frederick Gaudreau back in the lineup as he has officially returned from personal leave according to Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Mats Zuccarello will return to the team before their final game, meaning he will finish the year with 11 goals and 62 points in 68 games.

Central Notes: Forsberg, Seguin, McGroarty, Wagner

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Predators winger Filip Forsberg is in the middle of a career year as he leads the team in scoring with 43 goals and 44 assists through 76 games so far. However, he’s playing through some kind of injury as he has been rarely practicing with the team. In an appearance on 102.5 The Game (audio link), head coach Andrew Brunette indicated that the issue isn’t going away anytime soon. While he termed it as something that’s manageable, the bench boss also added that it might take the entire offseason before Forsberg heals up. The winger hasn’t shown any ill effects from whatever is bothering him, helping to lead the Predators on an improbable 18-game point streak recently, taking them from out of the playoffs to safely in the postseason picture.

Other updates out of the Central:

  • The Stars were without veteran forward Tyler Seguin in today’s loss to the Blackhawks, but they’ll get him back in the lineup tomorrow against the Avalanche, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. He’s dealing with a lower-body injury, potentially related to the issue that kept him out for 11 games in February and March. The Stars have been cautious with the 32-year-old’s deployment since he returned a few weeks back, making him a scratch for maintenance/load management reasons against the Sharks early last week. The 2010 second-overall pick is having his best season since missing nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign with a hip injury, potting 23 goals and 50 points in 64 games.
  • One storyline surrounding the Jets is the future of top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who has at most one week left in his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. He told Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun that his agents haven’t had serious discussions with Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff about an entry-level deal but have kept in touch. The 20-year-old Nebraska tore apart Big 10 opponents this season, finishing second on the Wolverines in scoring with 16 goals and 52 points in 35 games. Coming off a point-per-game freshman season and captaining the USA at the 2024 World Juniors, it wouldn’t be surprising to see McGroarty turn pro and finish the season as a Black Ace on Winnipeg’s playoff roster.
  • After being sent to the minors yesterday, Avalanche center Chris Wagner was recalled back to the NHL roster. The move comes in the wake of an upper-body injury to star winger Mikko Rantanen, who left partway through last night’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers and didn’t return. Wagner gives the Avs 13 healthy forwards without Rantanen, providing additional injury insurance for tomorrow’s all-important clash for divisional playoff positioning against the Stars. He’s got a goal and an assist in 11 games with Colorado this season, his first in the Avs organization.

College Hockey Notes: All-American Teams, Devon Levi, Rutger McGroarty

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College hockey’s final weekend of the season is underway with Minnesota and Quinnipiac winning semi-final games yesterday and now both teams will meet tomorrow in the national title game. Between those nights of on-ice action is the off-ice awards ceremony and part of that was the NCAA announcing its First All-American Teams. College hockey splits the country in two halves and names a First All-American Team East team and a First All-American West team.

Per Chris Peters of Flo Hockey, those teams were:

First Team All American East:

Goaltender: Devon Levi, Northeastern (Buffalo Sabres)

Defenseman: Lane Hutson, Boston University (Montreal Canadiens)

Defenseman: Henry Thrun, Harvard (San Jose Sharks)

Forward: Sean Farrell, Harvard (Montreal Canadiens)

Forward: Collin Graf, Quinnipiac (UFA)

Forward: Aidan McDonough, Northeastern (Vancouver Canucks)

First Team All American West

Goaltender: Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech (UFA)

Defenseman: Luke Hughes, Michigan (New Jersey Devils)

Defenseman: Brock Faber, Minnesota (Minnesota Wild)

Forward: Logan Cooley, Minnesota (Arizona Coyotes)

Forward: Matthew Knies, Minnesota (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Forward: Adam Fantilli, Michigan (NHL Draft 2023)

  • Another award handed out was for college hockey’s top goaltender. Per a team release, the Mike Richter Award went to standout goaltender Devon Levi of Northeastern. Levi, in his second season of NCAA action, posted a 2.24 GAA and a .933 SV% in 34 games, six of which were shutouts for the star goaltender. Levi was a seventh-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in 2020 but has since been traded to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal that brought Sam Reinhart to Florida. Levi has already signed an entry-level contract, bringing a close to a fantastic college career where he put up a 1.90 GAA and a .940 SV% in two seasons.
  • In other college news, it sounds like Michigan will get one of its star players back for a second season after losing many top players following a strong freshman season in recent years. According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, Rutger McGroarty will return to Michigan for his sophomore season. The Winnipeg Jets selected McGroarty with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft scored 18 goals and 39 points in 39 games for Michigan this season, but has decided not to rush to the pro level and should be a key player on the Wolverines team next season.

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