The Philadelphia Flyers have had a lot of exciting things happen to them recently. They blew their chances of making the playoffs in 2023-24 but that doesn't take away from the fact that they mostly overperformed for most of the year.
The Flyers have a bright future. It sounds like they are going to bring Matvei Michkov over to North America sooner than expected so the clock is starting to tick on them creating a winning roster around him.
One player for them to consider is Rutger McGroarty. He is a top prospect in the Winnipeg Jets organization. The Jets made him their first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Now, due to a difference in development opinion, it sounds like the Jets may be considering a trade involving their top prospect.
Rutger McGroarty is a player that the Flyers should consider trading for
McGroarty is coming off a great year with Michigan. They made it to the Frozen Four semi-finals before they were defeated. He scored 16 goals and added 36 assists for 52 points in 36 games.
He also was the captain of the Team USA squad that won Gold at the World Junior Championships. In that tournament, he scored five goals and had four assists for nine points in the seven games they played.
He was a big part of a lot of winning this season and now he believes he can be in the NHL. The Jets could trade him to a team that will afford him that opportunity. If not, he may end up back at Michigan for his senior year which is where things get fishy for Winnipeg.
If the Flyers were that team, they'd be able to give him what he wants. They have the space on their roster to see what he can do as a rookie in the NHL. With some of the young talent that will be around him, they may find that he can be a productive player.
It is unclear if McGroarty will be a top-line type of guy or if the middle-six is more for him. Either way, he could end up being a big part of a good team one day. The Flyers should at least make a call.