Some Bruins players are on break, some are in Milan, but the trade talks do not stop.

In an article for The Athletic ($) this week, Peter Baugh and Vince Z. Mercogliano looked at ten potential trade destinations for Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck. 

Naturally, the Bruins made it to the list. 

Trocheck, 32, has been generating trade buzz since the Rangers announced the start of their “retool” through a statement. In that same statement, Chris Drury stated he is going to “focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space.”

Trocheck has three years remaining on his contract, and he carries a $5.625 million cap hit. He has played as the Rangers’ second-line center. He is third on the team in points (12-24–36), and he is a minus-16. 

Trocheck represented Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off last season, and he is with the team at the Olympics in Milan.

Baugh and Mercogliano mentioned that the Bruins have been ahead of schedule this season and that Trocheck “would make their lineup more formidable.” The Bruins have been trending in the right direction; they are 32-20-5, and sit in a playoff spot at the Olympic break. 

They have been strong at center ice as well, with Elias Lindholm (11-26–37), Pavel Zacha (15-22–37), and Fraser Minten (14-15–29) locking in roles as the team’s first-, second-, and third-line centers, respectively. 

Aside from Minten, the Bruins also have centers in the prospect pool. Matt Poitras and Dans Locmelis are playing with the Providence Bruins. James Hagens and Dean Letourneau are both centers at the college level. Although he is primarily a center, Hagens has spent a lot of time playing on the wing this season at Boston College.

WHAT THE RANGERS WANT

Rangers GM Chris Drury stated that he wants “young players, draft picks, and cap space.”

If recent history tells you anything, the price will not be low.

At last season’s trade deadline, the Islanders traded Brock Nelson to Colorado. It cost the Avalanche a first-round pick, a third-round pick, one of their top prospects, and a depth player. 

Baugh and Mercogliano said that anything short of the Brock Nelson return should be off the table for Drury. 

That’s a lot for the Bruins to cough up, especially when they entered their own retool phase last season. 

At the conclusion of the Bruins section, Baugh and Mercogliano said that the team “would presumably be reluctant to part with the necessary picks and prospects to get it done.”

In total, the Bruins have four first-round picks over the next two seasons. This year, the Bruins have the Maple Leafs’ pick (top-five protected); if the draft lottery occurred today, that pick would have the 14th-best odds of winning the lottery. 

Given the expected price, the Bruins’ current center depth may outweigh the appeal of adding Trocheck.