Montreal should be in no rush to trade for Rutger McGroarty

There has been a lot of talk about the Montreal Canadiens trading for the 2022 NHL Draft’s 14th overall pick, Rutger McGroarty. The American centre and captain of the 2024 World Juniors gold medal-winning team has been spending the last two seasons at the University of Michigan, but has been vocal about not wanting to play for the Winnipeg Jets, which leaves the door open for a trade to recuperate some assets for the Jets.

It is not the first time that a player has forced a team to trade him before he has signed a contract. Recently, Adam Fox forced the Carolina Hurricanes to trade him to the New York Rangers. However, I also remember Eric Lindros forcing his way out of the Quebec Nordiques via a trade to Philadelphia. In that case, the Nordiques made out like bandits. Steve Duchesne, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, Kerry Huffman, Mike Ricci, Chris Simon, Philadelphia’s first-round picks in 1993 and 1994, and $15 million were the return Quebec received. It was this trade that served as the foundation that gave the Colorado Avalanche two Stanley Cups in six years after the Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995.

As Fox has blossomed to become one of the better defencemen in the league, with a Norris Trophy to his name, it is understandable that Winnipeg will ask for a lot for their current asset. However, as Fox’s four years of NCAA play were up and he was adamant that he didn’t want to play in Carolina, the price at the end of the signing window shrank: Carolina received a second-round pick and a conditional third-round pick. While I am not comparing Fox — or McGroarty — to Lindros as players, the price is vastly different.

One reportedly proposed trade between the Canadiens and the Jets involved Montreal giving up the Calgary Flames’ conditional first-round pick in 2025 (from the Sean Monahan acquisition), and a couple of prospects. While it sounds like a lot, it is a trade with many pieces in one corner, and a huge asset in the other. While the trade might have equal value in the aggregate, McGroarty remains the most valuable piece. In the mind of Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, there were too many maybes, and not enough certainty.

While most Montreal fans would be happy with the trade mentioned and might be disappointed that it didn’t pan out, they shouldn’t be discouraged. McGroarty was drafted in 2022 and has gone the NCAA route, currently playing at the University of Michigan, so there are still two years before his signing rights expire,. As time passes, the pressure grows on Cheveldayoff and the Jets.

One can understand that the general manager is probably asking for a top prospect, not a variety of assets. In his corner, he probably starts the discussion with David Reinbacher or another top-end prospect. If you trade for McGroarty now, you have to wait potentially one or two additional years while McGroarty continues in the NCAA.

While Montreal hasn’t added anything in free agency this summer, Hughes has been patient with his rebuild and hasn’t rushed into any deals or bad contracts. He can play the long game with regard to McGroarty, having a number of valuable assets and the luxury of patience. Hughes has proven to be a good poker player, and he is sitting on a strong hand.