Jets Newest Prospect Addresses Penguins Trade

The Winnipeg Jets and their newest prospect are equally excited about his addition to the organization.

Sep 24, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Brayden Yager (62) scores a goal against Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Aaron Dell (35) in the shootout at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins made an unconventional swap of top prospects recently, resulting in the Jets landing Canadian-born center Brayden Yager in exchange for winger Rutger McGroarty. For the Jets, the trade ends a few months of back and forth with McGroarty, who made it clear he had no interest in signing with the organization.

It also means they have another young prospect to add to their impressive crop of young players. While McGroarty is regarded as having a higher ceiling that Yager, the consensus on Yager is that he will be a solid second-line center in the NHL soon. For the newest Jets player, the trade is a wild experience, but he's excited for this new opportunity. Speaking to the Jets' media, he shared his thoughts on the recent trade.

“The first reaction is a little bit of shock," he said. "You don’t obviously expect to get traded, but once you find out - you talk to your agents, you talk to Winnipeg’s staff - you start to get excited and you look into the future. You get anxious to get started. Obviously camp is coming up pretty quick, so I’m really excited to get there and meet everybody and get on the ice.”

Yager joins young forwards Brad Lambert, Cole Perfetti, Nikita Chibrikov, Colby Barlow, and Chaz Lucius as players all projected to be top of the lineup contributors as they develop. Jets' General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke after the trade about what the newest prospect brings, and he was complimentary of Yager as a person and excited for how well he fits into the organization.

"If I look at what we've gotten returned here, I think it's a player that fits very well into our organization," he said. "I think that if you look at the prospects that we have coming, you've got a player like (Colby) Barlow that plays wing that [is] going to be complemented exceptionally well by a player like Yager at centre. So, I think it gives us a lot more depth amongst the organization."

With training camp starting soon, Yager will quickly get up to speed with the organization and form an impression on the coaching staff. Still just 19, he has another year of eligibility in junior hockey, which is where he is likely to play the 2024-2025 season. Still, there is excitement and optimism on both Yager and the Jets' side that their newest prospect will be a wonderful fit in the organization.

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