On Vincent Trocheck’s Rangers future

Vincent Trocheck has been arguably the best acquired player by Chris Drury since he took over as General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the New York Rangers. Signed to replace Ryan Strome and, to a lesser extent, Andre Copp, Trocheck has been a great Ranger through this season. Still, Vincent Trocheck’s Rangers future seems in doubt given the retool. The Rangers would benefit from keeping him around, but he’s also a highly valuable player that can move the retool along much faster by being moved.

Now the Rangers are in the midst of a rebuild on the fly, Trocheck’s Rangers future is in doubt as he is being bandied about as one of the strongest potential trade options. Trocheck’s Rangers future is impacted by a very weak center market at the trade deadline. The Rangers are looking to continue their retooling of the roster and locker room, and Trocheck is too good of a player on too good of a contract to not attract a ton of interest.

Teams with strong groups of center typically go far in the playoffs, so expect a lot of noise around Trocheck leading up to the trade deadline. I truly believe the best approach for the Rangers is to say that they don’t need to trade Trocheck, but if someone wants to blow the team away, he can be had.

Last season, the New York Islanders traded Brock Nelson for a package that included draft picks and a top prospect. If the Rangers can get that (or more, Nelson was a rental and Trocheck has three years left on his contract), it would be a huge get for the retool. Players under contract have more value than pending free agents.

If you’re wondering who might be so interested in him to pay up the haul to put Trocheck’s Rangers future in doubt, then perhaps the better question might be who would not be interested in Trocheck. Remember, Trocheck has garnered enough respect around the league that he earned a spot on the United States Olympic roster in a year where his play has suffered and his health has been spotty.

The biggest fit that comes to mind is the Minnesota Wild, a confirmed rumor already. Bill Guerin is their General Manager and he also happens to be the General Manager of the United States Olympic team. It is likely no coincidence that Guerin is interested in Trocheck joining the Wild. Minnesota did just trade for Quinn Hughes, which both lowered their prospect pool and proved that they are serious about winning now. Still, there’s a trade to be made there, and the Wild will likely be gunning for him.

On the East coast, look for the Washington Capitals to get involved, though they may be more interested in Artemi Panarin right now. While the Capitals have a decent group at center, the team badly needs a top-six forward, has a lot of assets to part with, and has seen first-hand how Trocheck performs in the postseason. 

The Colorado Avalanche are always looking to build, also a confirmed rumor. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a clear path to the Cup, unless the Buffalo Sabres can do anything about it. Buffalo would love to make the playoffs for the first time since Trocheck was, what, 5 years old? Though it would be funny to see Terry Pegula approve a Rangers trade.

All in all, Trocheck’s Rangers future is up in the air. The Rangers have no need to force a Trocheck trade, but other teams will likely make it impossible for the Rangers to say no.