The 2024 NHL Draft is less than a week away, yet uncertainty shrouds the New Jersey Devils’ plans for the 10th overall pick. General manager Tom Fitzgerald has not been shy about declaring that the pick is available for trade if the price is right. On the other hand, the Devils’ once elite prospect pool has diminished through the promotion of players like Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Alex Holtz, and Dawson Mercer, as well as the trades of Graeme Clarke and Shakir Mukhamadullin. Other than Seamus Casey, the most highly touted Devils prospects have not yet come to play in North America.
Related: Devils Have Key Decision to Make With the 10th Pick in NHL Draft
The Devils will likely have several appealing options if they stay and make the 10th pick. Players like Beckett Sennecke, Sam Dickinson, Cole Eiserman, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård have all been linked to the Devils at one point or another. The ability to add a player of that caliber to the prospect pool does not otherwise come cheaply, so it is an opportunity New Jersey cannot pass up. The only downside to adding a player in their draft year is that by the 10th pick, they are still likely two to three years away from being able to contribute at the NHL level.
The acquisition of Jacob Markstrom, who has two years remaining on his contract, signals that Fitzgerald and ownership believe they can win now and begin a run toward reclaiming the Stanley Cup. With that belief in mind, perhaps there is a better option for New Jersey than making the pick. This option would allow the team to supplement its prospect pool with a player who can be impactful immediately. A player who is already two years beyond being drafted and should be close to ready to step onto NHL ice. That makes the opportunity to trade the 10th overall pick to the Winnipeg Jets for Rutger McGroarty so tempting.
Rutger McGroarty Fills a Need
Earlier this month, Fitzgerald bemoaned that his top six had become too vanilla and needed an adjustment. A healthy Timo Meier should bring more snarl to the group, but he can only play one line at a time. Adding a player like McGroarty, who has demonstrated leadership and physicality at every stage of development, could provide balance to the Devils’ forward group.
McGroarty was taken by the Winnipeg Jets as the 14th overall draft pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. TSN Insider Elliotte Friedman broke the news Friday that the Jets and McGroarty are at an impasse similar to the one that developed between the Philadelphia Flyers and fellow 2022 draftee Cutter Gauthier. That acrimony led to Gauthier, the 2022 NHL Draft’s fifth overall selection, being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick. From Friedman and subsequent reporting out of Winnipeg, it seems likely that McGroarty’s rift with the Jets is beyond repair, and he will be traded as soon as before the 2024 NHL Draft.
McGroarty has already signaled his disappointment with the Jets by surprising many and deciding to return to the University of Michigan for his junior season. He finished his sophomore season with 56 points in 32 games, which was second on the Wolverines and put him ninth in the nation. He finished seventh in the country for points per game with 1.44. He also captained the United States Junior National Team to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring five goals and nine total points in seven games.
In addition to his talent, McGroarty would bring much-needed cap relief and stability. As Hughes, Holtz, Mercer, and Nemec age out of their entry-level contracts and need more lucrative deals, the Devils must prioritize finding inexpensive talent. The key is that since McGroarty has not yet signed his entry-level deal, the Devils would get three full cost-controlled seasons where he could help the NHL roster. Nobody else that they would be drafting 10th overall this season would have that kind of immediate impact.
“The true definition of a power forward, McGroarty can utilize his large, powerful frame to muscle defenders off the puck, while at the same time regain possession and dish the puck off to a teammate. He is quite talented at making defenders commit turnovers in their own zone and has the skill and knowledge to make them pay the price for it…McGroarty has quite impressive vision on the ice, especially in the offensive zone when it comes to making plays. Often, he’s able to hit a teammate with a seam pass for a tap in goal, which many other players wouldn’t have the skill or gall to attempt. He’s able to do it while oozing confidence and is usually rewarded with a primary assist.” – Paul Zuk, Smaht Scouting
From The Hockey Writers’ 2022 Draft Profile of Rutger McGroarty
The key elements of McGroarty’s game are his hockey sense, shot, and compete level. He is projected as a forward who can win battles along the walls, play heavy, and score in the dirty areas. His detractors claim his skating is his most glaring drawback, but he has shown marked improvement in that area of his game as his development has progressed. The Devils prospect pool lacks a true power forward who projects as, at worst, a middle-six forward with the upside to be a top-six winger. McGroarty could change that. His leadership should also not be overlooked; he went from being the United States National Development Team captain to the junior national team captain.
Devils Have the Assets to Acquire McGroarty
Fitzgerald has indicated the Devils would be willing to trade the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for a young player with term. McGroarty fits that profile. If the Gauthier trade is a guide, a player drafted ten places higher than McGroarty was traded for a roster player and a second-round pick. The Devils have two second-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft that could be used for a trade. They also have players who could be sent to Winnipeg to facilitate the deal. The Jets have several free-agent defensemen who could walk and must be replaced. Perhaps a player like John Marino would be enough to acquire McGroarty without attaching a draft pick. If the reports about Fitzgerald wanting to acquire a top-four defenseman are accurate, moving Marino would clear enough cap space to add a player like Brett Pesce or Chris Tanev.
There is likely to be significant competition for McGroarty. If necessary, the Devils hold the trump card and should not be afraid to use it. Any draft pick is imbued with risk. Selecting 10th mitigates that risk, but acquiring a player like McGroarty, who the team has likely been watching play since he was in juniors, carries much less risk. Even if McGroarty were to play at Michigan for his junior season, the Devils could sign him to an entry-level deal once the college season ended and have him available for the end of the regular season and potentially the playoffs, much in the way Luke Hughes was last season and Cale Makar and Matthew Knies in previous years.
After acquiring a goaltender earlier this month, the best use of the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft would be to acquire a player who could significantly impact the Devils’ contention window. McGroarty fits the criteria Fitzgerald laid out to entice New Jersey to trade their pick. He is young, talented, and under team control for seven more years. Adding a 20-year-old power forward known for his leadership and heavy game, who has been a reliable scorer in both NCAA and international competition, is a no-brainer, and Fitzgerald should do whatever he can to make McGroarty a Devil, even if it means trading this year’s first-round pick.
