Potential trade destinations for Jets’ Rutger McGroarty, Predators’ Yaroslav Askarov

Trade speculation is always fun, but there’s a little layer of sugar on top when the players being discussed could conceivably fit with all sorts of teams.

That’s the case when it comes to a pair of early-20s prospects who could appeal to both contenders as cap-friendly depth contributors and rebuilding squads looking to plop another key piece in the foundation.

High-priced veterans tend to have a fairly narrow market, but the field widens significantly for young legs that can help for the next dozen seasons, beginning as soon as this coming October.

So with rugged winger Rutger McGroarty and highly regarded goalie Yaroslav Askarov looking as though their long-term futures are not with the teams that drafted them — the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators, respectively — the mind begins to wander in terms of where they could ultimately land before training camp.

McGroarty, 20, has completed two years of NCAA hockey and the 2022 14th-overall pick certainly appears ready for the pro jump. The 22-year-old Askarov, meanwhile, has a pair of AHL seasons under his belt and is surely ready for a role in an NHL crease.