Maple Leafs walk away as major winners in the Rutger McGroarty trade: Amazing news for Nicholas Moldenhauer

During the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Nicholas Moldenhauer was selected as the 95th overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He has established himself as one of the standout players in Toronto's pipeline, showcasing his talent with an impressive 30-goal, 75-point performance while playing alongside Macklin Celebrini for the USHL's Chicago Steel in the previous year. Moldenhauer made the transition to college hockey by joining Michigan as a 19-year-old freshman. Although he initially struggled, only managing to score one goal and four points in his first 10 games, he has since found his stride while playing on Michigan's second line.

Now that Rutger McGroarty has been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, he will almost surely start the season in the NHL, as opposed to being returned to Michigan State had he remained with the Jets. Thanks to this trade, Nicholas Moldenhauer is poised for a significant developmental year.

Had McGroarty returned to Michigan, it would have likely resulted in Moldenhauer being bumped down the lineup, consequently diminishing his ice time and limiting his developmental opportunities. Now that he won't have to deal with this issue, he will likely play on the top line and really develop into the top prospect that the Leafs knew he would be when they drafted him.

Nicholas Moldenhauer is a highly promising prospect who is poised to step up for his Michigan team next season, which will be facing the departure of key players such as Frank Nazar, Rutger McGroarty, and Gavin Brindley. Now that those three players are expected to be joining their NHL clubs, Moldenhauer is going to be counted on a lot more and will see a significant increase in his ice-time. The team is going to be counting on him to score more than his eight goals last season, where he also picked up 13 assists in his 41 games played.

What an unexpected turn of events! Something as simple as a trade between Winnipeg and Pittsburgh can turn out to have such a significant impact on the Maple Leafs. It's fascinating how these types of occurrences can pave the way for substantial changes elsewhere. It's becoming increasingly clear that Nick Moldenhauer is in for a major upturn in his career as a result of these latest developments.

Source:
Kyle Cushman on X

Source: Elite Prospects
Nicholas Moldenhauer Stats