The Philadelphia Flyers could be one of the teams interested in acquiring Rutger McGroarty's signing rights, after Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the Winnipeg Jets have brought his name up in trade conversations.
Friedman specified that while neither McGroarty's camp nor the Jets have spoken publicly about a potential trade, he said, "The one thing I can tell you is that his name has come up in trade discussions. The Jets have discussed trading and other teams have discussed acquiring McGroarty's rights."
The Jets have his rights for two more years, but the forward from Lincoln, Nebraska optioned to return to the University of Michigan for his junior year in the 2024-25 season.
McGroarty was drafted 14th overall from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in the 2022 NHL Draft. He also captained the U.S. at the 2024 World Junior Championship, where the group won gold after an emphatic 6-2 victory over Sweden.
According to DobberProspects, he's described as a "highly skilled, competitive, versatile forward who can play on the wing and center...has the size, strength, and leadership qualities to go along with the scoring ability and hockey IQ...[can] contribute to the powerplay and penalty kill."
Acquiring McGroarty's rights could be a huge boost for the Flyers, considering the fact that his skill as a center would help add depth to a position in the roster that desperately needs it. Flyers GM Danny Briere highlighted the team's lack of centers in a pre-draft press conference on Thursday, saying, "Teams want centers. They're a lot tougher to find. So, you got to respect that as well when you're making your pick, and you're evaluating the players...[and] let's face it, we're lacking centers coming up throughout the organization. We haven't tried to hide that, it's a reality."
While no specific teams have been named yet as having particular interest in the 20-year-old forward, it would be naive to think that Briere isn't aware of a potential opportunity to acquire a skilled young center who has also repeatedly commended for his hockey IQ and leadership skills. The focus for the Flyers will still be primarily on the draft next week, but McGroarty's name is now one that fans might want to keep an eye on in the coming months.
