Rutger McGroarty's demands derailed potential trade recently
A report states demands made by Rutger McGroarty and his camp were enough to stonewall a potential trade by the Winnipeg Jets as recently at this past weekend
He has yet to play a game in the NHL yet, but Rutger McGroarty's name has been popping up a lot in the hockey world over the past few weeks. Unfortunately for the first-round draft pick, the attention he's getting isn't positive.
McGroarty was taken 14th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL entry draft. It was recently reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that McGroarty wanted a trade away from the Jets because he felt his path to the NHL would be better served with another organization. The perception is that McGroarty wants gauranteed ice-time to make the jump from NCAA hockey to the NHL, with assurances that he won't play in the minors.
Now there's word that McGroarty's demands are pushing other teams away as well. While he wouldn't say which one, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press says there was a trade for McGroarty in place as recently as this weekend, but the other team backed out because of the demands.
The general consensus is, yeah, there's a sense of entitlement there that has obviously led to issues with the Jets...I think it's also leading to potential issues with other teams and potential trade partners.
McGroarty, 20, was born in Nebraska, but moved to Michigan as a teenager to enter the United States National Team Development Program. He's competed for USA twice at the World Juniors, including serving as team captain his second time and winning a gold medal. McGroarty has had two huge seasons with the University of Michigan, scoring 91 points in 75 total games.
