Let's say the Minnesota Wild have the 13th overall pick in Friday night's draft. They'll have a few options. With any luck, a player like Barkley Catton, Konsta Helenius, or Carter Jakemchuk might land in their hands. If not, Minnesota could land an intriguing, physically gifted Norwegian player like Michael Brandzeg-Nygaard or Stian Solberg.
But they can't normally draft Michigan outfielder Rutger McGroarty because the Winnipeg Jets already have him, a 6-foot-1 winger with a pro-caliber build, in the 2022 draft. McGroarty was taken 14th overall, five spots before the Wild selected Liam Ogren with the 19th pick.
If the Wild wanted McGroarty, now is their chance to show it. McGroarty reportedly wants to leave McGroarty in Winnipeg. A rift has developed between the team and the player over the Jets' handling of his decision to join the NHL last season. The Athletic's Murat Ates reported Saturday that “Winnipeg could use McGroarty to acquire a first-round pick — and a high one at that,” before warning, “The impression is a trade is coming, possibly as soon as pre-draft.”
The Wild could emulate the long-rumored McGroartie trade to acquire Marco Rossi, since Winnipeg would also be interested in acquiring an NHL-ready player. But perhaps a smarter move would be to give Minnesota's first-round pick to the Wolverines. Look at it this way: If McGroartie re-enters the draft, the Wild would have to think long and hard if they were to select McGroartie with the 13th pick.
McGroarty had a breakout season at Michigan, scoring a career-high 50 points in 35 games, a performance that continued despite suffering a punctured lung from broken ribs in November. After returning to the field at the World Junior Championships in December, McGroarty captained Team USA to a gold medal, scoring five goals and nine points in seven games. In the gold medal game against Sweden, he scored the opening assist and the game-winning goal in a 6-2 win.
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Since returning to the Wolverines, his production has skyrocketed. McGroarty had a strong second half, scoring an astounding 10 goals and 34 points in 23 games. Most of those games were Big Ten Conference games, with 13 against teams that were in the NCAA Tournament. He had an astounding 3 goals and 8 points in a home-and-home series against rival Michigan State, taking 19 shots on goal.
McGroarty has 34 goals and 91 points in 75 games over two seasons at Michigan. Sure, that team was undoubtedly strong, with first-round draft picks Frank Nazar III and Gavin Brindley playing with him last year and Adam Fantilli, Luke Hughes and Macky Samoskevic in his freshman season. But McGroarty was a key cog in that mix, and has assumed the top role since the departures of players like Fantilli and Hughes.
Outside of the numbers, McGroarty fits the Wild's Bill Guerin identity perfectly. No NCAA player can move him from in front of the basket, and he combines the vigilant play of a Joel Eriksson Ek or Marco Rossi with high-level playmaking. “He has natural skill, which shows up in great hands and a good sense for the puck when passing,” McGroarty wrote. Athletic Scott Wheeler took over as manager in February. But he doesn't take McGroarty's shot lightly. [to the net]He has the strength to shoot from a bad position or off balance. He always seems to hit the shot in a good spot.”
Guerin is a former power forward and is a sucker for players who adopt his style. McGroarty feels like a natural successor to guys like Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman in Minnesota. His skill set should be a good fit on the Wild's power play. For a team that needs scoring depth, McGroarty puts in the hard work that leads to himself or a teammate putting the puck in the net.
Their depth makes the 13th pick a better trade option for McGroarty than someone like Rossi, who can score 20 goals. The 13th pick could be anyone in theory, but it's a long way from being in the NHL. Minnesota would be trading a sure thing and gambling on two relative unknowns in McGroarty and a first-round draft pick.
On the other hand, having Rossi and McGroarty on the team gives them a much firmer foundation to build on. Granted, McGroarty is still unproven as an NHL player, but two years of impressive development mitigates some of the risk factor. The possibility of him making the NHL next season instead of waiting for an 18-year-old would be appealing. Also appealing would be signing a three-year entry-level contract in the final year of the buyout-related struggles when they're at their worst.
Even when it comes to projecting line combinations, McGroarty and Rossi could be a powerful duo. Both are smart players who can score goals and distribute the puck with skill. McGroarty's strength around the net allows him to play in more areas of the ice rather than sticking around in front of the net with Matt Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson. If this duo works, Minnesota could maintain a dominant top line without a drop in the scoring power of the secondary.
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The biggest obstacle to such a move may not be that it's an intra-division trade, or that teams like the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres or Philadelphia Flyers might be waiting to trade to Winnipeg with the higher pick. Guerin may just have created a self-inflicted logjam that makes it difficult to acquire an NHL-ready prospect like McGroarty without blocking someone else.
With Zuccarello under contract for two more years, Hartman under contract for three, and Foligno and Freddy Gaudreau under contract for four, where is the room for young players to shine? Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Baldy, Eriksson Ek and Rossi are the eight forwards Minnesota wants or needs to give up long-term. That leaves just four spots. With Ogren, Marat Khusnutdinov, Riley Height and Danila Yurov in the running, how can Guerin expect to land them all if McGroarty adds another long-term player?
Too many qualified leads Maybe that's a good problem to have. But it's not necessarily Minnesota's problem. The problem is that too many positions are held down by older guys on non-transferable contracts. It's not impossible that a trade to Minnesota would lead to a situation similar to the one McGroarty is trying to escape in Winnipeg.
But these are team-building questions. Should the Wild stop being interested in McGroarty? Probably not. He's a quality prospect with the skills the team desperately needs. He also fits into a win-now schedule that's important to keeping Kaprizov, and it's always fun to increase competition against a rival team up north. If Minnesota can “draft” McGroarty with the 13th pick, it should be on their radar.
