Yesterday afternoon, the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins came together on a trade that sent disgruntled prospect Rutger McGroarty to Pittsburgh in exchange for Brayden Yager. The deal came after months of speculation involving McGroarty and his hockey future.
Before the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, news leaked that McGroarty was refusing to sign a deal with the Jets and instead would return to College for another season. At the time McGroarty or his camp provided no context as to why they'd made the request. While the McGroarty was simply looking to move on, yesterday Kevin Cheveldayoff was more than willing to discuss what occurred with the player and why the team wasn't able to overcome this challenge.
According to Cheveldayoff things started to go south when he received a message at the combine in June.
While Jets fans were disappointed in losing one of their top prospects, it must be reassuring to know that the franchise had no way of impacting this decision. It seems that for McGroarty that the VIBES just weren't right. Now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, McGroarty has already signed his entry level contract and is preparing to make his NHL debut.
For the Jets the addition of Brayden Yager should be a positive one as the Saskatchewan native moves closer to home where he'll likely be a fan favorite.
POLL | ||
23 AOUT | 109 ANSWERS Kevin Cheveldayoff shares the reason Rutger McGroarty gave him for wanting out of Winnipeg Who wins this trade? | ||
Pittsburgh Penguins | 18 | 16.5 % |
Winnipeg Jets | 54 | 49.5 % |
Both | 26 | 23.9 % |
Neither | 11 | 10.1 % |
List of polls |