Rutger McGroarty will not have any fans in Manitoba for the foreseeable future. The 20-year-old prospect and former first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets was the target of taunting chants from fans inside Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre when his Pittsburgh Penguins team visited on Sunday.
McGroarty, who reportedly forced his way out of Winnipeg because he wanted immediate NHL playing time, was ironically sent to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday before he could even take on the team that drafted him. The Jets dealt him to Pittsburgh in late August in exchange for prospect Brayden Yager.
“Where is Rutger?” rang out around the arena during Winnipeg’s 6-3 victory.
Jets fans eventually spun their taunts into praise for Yager. “Yager’s better,” they chanted, per this video shared by SiNow’s Carter Brooks.
They follow it up with a, “Yager’s better” chant. pic.twitter.com/Vx6Zh8z4Vr
— Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) October 20, 2024
The origin of the fans’ beef with McGroarty starts with Winnipeg using their 2022 first-round draft selection on the Nebraska native. After spending two seasons with the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA, McGroarty came to a crossroads with the Jets, as the two sides could not agree on an entry-level deal.
McGroarty wanted to play in the NHL as soon as possible after completing his sophomore season, but Winnipeg would not guarantee him an immediate spot on their roster. After the trade, he immediately inked his ELC with Pittsburgh and made the Penguins out of Training Camp.
He then made his NHL debut in the team’s 6-0 Home Opener loss to the New York Rangers. McGroarty played three total games with the Pens before being healthy scratched against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday and then sent down two days later. He has recorded zero points in five combined games at the NHL and AHL levels this season and is a minus-2.
Yager was selected 14th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft and posted 95 points (35g, 60a) in 57 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors last season, finishing tied for second in scoring on the 2024 WHL champions. He has tallied 13 points (7g, 6a) in 7 games for Moose Jaw this year.
