WOW! Penguins Swap Yager to Jets for McGroarty

For the past couple of days I considered scraping together a mish-mash type of article, but just couldn’t lock on to a subject that inspired me enough to put my fingers to the keyboard.

Then…WHAM. Penguins POHO/GM Kyle Dubas took care of my motivation issues. In one dramatic swoop.

Today he traded our No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, Brayden Yager, to Winnipeg for forward Rutger McGroarty, the 14^th overall selection in the ’22 draft.

Make that power forward Rutger McGroarty.

Swapping an undersized, physically unassertive forward for one who bangs and competes and gets his fingernails dirty?

Music to my ears.

To say nothing of swapping out the 58th best prospect (Yager) for number 33 (McGroarty), according to The Athletic’s recent ranking of drafted prospects.

For longer than I can remember, I’ve stressed our need to get “grindier,” for lack of a better way to put it. Acquiring Michael Bunting last spring was a huge first step that direction. Acquiring McGroarty reinforces it.

As an organization, the Pens have a long history of valuing skill over compete, to a detrimental extreme. This deal marks an audible shift…and hopefully departure…from our traditional ways. It also reinforces my faith in Dubas and tells me he gets it.

Back to our new acquisition. McGroarty’s a 20-year-old, left-handed shooting winger. Can play either side. Not a blazing fast skater, but effective with a powerful stride. Stands 6’1” and weights in at a sturdy 205 pounds. Thrives in the traffic areas.

He’s known as more of a playmaker than a pure goal scorer, as his numbers during his sophomore season at the University of Michigan (16 goals, 36 assists in 36 games) will attest. In many ways the opposite of Yager, whose best attributes by far are his hair-trigger release and wicked shot.

Although Yager may hold an edge in pure sniping, I love that McGroarty’s physically mature and ready to compete for a spot this fall. Apparently, his NHL-readiness was a bone of contention with the Jets…and the primary (or at least advertised) reason he refused to sign with them. Which Rutger promptly did with us…inking a three-year, entry level deal with an annual cap hit of $950K.

Did I mention the kid hails from Nebraska? Just like a recently departed high-scoring winger.

Hopefully the geographic genes rub off and McGroarty enjoys a long and successful career sporting the black and gold.

From Russia With Love

It was, indeed, a busy day for our favorite hockey team. In addition to pulling off the McGroarty blockbuster, Dubas invited 26-year-old defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to attend training camp on a PTO.

A left shot, the hulking 6’3” 220-pound Muscovite has 81 games of NHL experience under his belt, all with San Jose. He’s amassed three goals and a dozen points, along with 55 penalty minutes, 91 blocked shots and 112 hits.

His best season with the Sharks came in 2020-21 when he tallied two goals and 10 points in 56 games. Ironically before the arrival of present Pens assistant David Quinn.

Given his size and hit totals, there would appear to be a welcome degree of physicality, not to mention stay-at-home sensibility, in Nikolai’s game.