Earlier this week it had been reported that Winnipeg Jets prospect and 2022 14th overall Draft Pick Rutger McGroarty was not happy with the way he has been handled by the Jets and he and his camo let it be known that they were looking for an opportunity to play elsewhere if facilitated. Earlier than that in June reports surfaced that left-wing Nikolaj Ehlers would also like a change of scenery for next season.
This has caused rumours to swirl that the Jets and the Chicago Blackhawks have been discussing a blockbuster trade that would send McGroarty and Ehlers to the Windy City in exchange for defenceman Connor Murphy, forward Lukas Reichel and a 2024 first-round pick.
It's no secret that the Blackhawks are looking for help up front to support sophomore Connor Bedard, but would the Jets be giving up too much and in reality would it help both teams in the long run? While Ehlers has already established himself as a bona fide NHL player and McGroarty is all but ready to take the next step, would this be a case of Kyle Davidson trying to fleece Kevin Cheveldayoff?
Murphy and Reichel have tremendous upside and the first-round pick in question is the second-overall pick, but are the Jets in win-now mode or can they afford to wait to see if the above pan out? Conversely, as stated above, Ehlers has shown he has the talent and McGroarty appears to be ready to be a full-time NHL player this coming season. Could things backfire for one team or the other? Sure. But that's the beauty of professional hockey.
