As the market heats up for high-end prospect, Rutger McGroarty, we dive into which of the reported teams could realistically pull off a deal
The Rutger McGroarty market seems to be taking form as the Bruins, Sabres, Islanders and Blue Jackets have all inquired about the Wolverine forward, according to Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre.
The foursome of teams aren’t what was expected to be the market of interested teams. We aim to comb through the listed teams as to which actually have the best case to land the Nebraska product.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins don’t have much in terms of draft capital, as they have no second round picks this year or next, as well as no third round picks this year. They also don't have much to brag about in their farm system and would likely need to trade high-end prospect Mason Lohrei along with their first round pick this year as well as additional picks, which the Bruins don't have.
McGroarty fits the characteristics of a Bruin, as he is an elite offensive forward, who can also make a difference with his physicality. However, the price tag seems too large for Boston, which has likely checked in with the Jets on possible returns.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres have the best prospect pool in the league according to The Athletic's Scott Wheeler, and could give the team a better chance to win the McGroarty sweepstakes.
Buffalo caught fire down the stretch last season and almost made the playoffs with a 15-10-2 record in its last 27 games. McGroarty could be a great addition to a team that wants to make an aggressive push in the next few years. His insertion into that lineup would come at the prime of the Sabres' attack.
They have the 14th overall pick in Friday's draft, as well as high-end prospects, including former Winnipeg ICE forwards Matthew Savoie and Zach Benson, as well as a slew of young forwards already at the NHL level in Dylan Cozens, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs.
If the Sabres want to make a move for McGroarty, they could, and the Jets could receive a very favourable return.
New York Islanders
At No. 20 in Friday's draft, the Islanders would likely need to add a couple prospects and picks beside it to make a package that the Jets will look twice at.
They have one of the worst prospect pools in the league, according to Wheeler, which means future picks and current Islanders will need to be exchanged.
They would likely need to package 23-year-old Simon Holmstrom or once-high end prospect Alexander Romanov. Holmstrom is the Islanders' fifth-best prospect according to Wheeler, as is coming off a 15-goal, 25-point campaign. Romanov is a better fit for the Jets as he could work as a great addition to their top-four defencemen after coming off a 22-point campaign, where he lead the team with a +23 rating.
The package would need to include more than one pick as well, as a good fit for the Jets, which makes it not impossible for them to get a deal done but unlikely.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have the highest pick of this group at No. 4 and could have a very successful Friday if they can engineer a trade to receive McGroarty without giving up that selection.
They don’t have a second round pick this year but they have a pair of thirds and all of their picks next year. Columbus also has a very deep prospect pool with Wheeler ranking it third-best.
Kent Johnson had an impressive 40-point campaign in 2023 as a rookie and followed it up with 16 points in 42 games before playing 10 games in the AHL, where he averaged an assist-per-game and finished with 15 points.
Johnson would be a fantastic add for the Jets, but they could also add blueline depth with high-end prospects David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk. Like Buffalo, a McGroarty trade with Columbus is very do-able and could propel the Blue Jackets further in their rebuild plus give the Jets a favourable return.