When the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, Jonathan Marchessault surprised everyone by becoming the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP because he of his huge impact in the Stanley Cup Final. Marchessault scored 13 goals and 25 points in 22 games, leading the team in goals, with plenty of clutch moments. In particular, he scored eight points and five games in the Stanley Cup Final, lifting himself up over Jack Eichel, who’s one of the league’s best players and centers.
Vincent Trocheck is a different player, but his playoff history means could have a similar impact for the Minnesota Wild. Looking at Trocheck’s most recent playoff performance, he helped lead the New York Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final with eight goals and 20 points. There were plenty of clutch moments, with the biggest being his double-overtime goal in Game 2 of their second-round series with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Trocheck finished the playoffs tied for first on the Rangers goals (with Alexis Lafrenière and Chris Kreider), and led the team in points. Like Marchessault in Vegas, he outperformed bigger stars in Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin. That doesn’t mean Trocheck is more talented than Panarin, who’s still one of the league’s best scorers. However, in the 2024 playoffs, Trocheck’s two-way game translated better to playoff hockey.
Panarin wasn’t the only player Trocheck outperformed that year. Trocheck had more goals than Conference Finalists Sam Bennett (7), Matthew Tkachuk (6), and Jason Robertson (6). Nine of his 12 assists were primary assists, which shows he was directly creating offense rather than just being a passenger. The nine primaries tied him for fifth in the NHL, with Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell. Trocheck’s 20 points were eighth in the NHL, and the most of any player that didn’t make the Cup Final.
It’s very possible that by the end of the week, the Wild will have Trocheck and be be looking forward for him to make an MVP-type playoff impact. Bill Guerin is trying his hardest to convince Trocheck to come to Minnesota.
Trocheck prefers to stay in the Eastern Conference, but reports are he’s willing come to Minnesota since it isn’t further west. The Wild are frontrunners to get Trocheck because it looks like they have the best offer for him, which probably looks like this:
To Minnesota: Vincent Trocheck
To New York: Charlie Stramel, Carson Lambos, and 2027 1st round pick
Many will say that this is an overpayment for Trocheck. While that may be the case, the Wild aren’t paying for the regular-season version of Trocheck. They’re paying for what he can provide in the playoffs, because he’s frequently risen to the occasion.
Stramel started the year as a top-10 prospect in the Wild system. Minnesota graduating Danila Yurov and Jesper Wallstedt and trading Zeev Buium and Liam Öhgren moves him up the list, but Stramel is not seen as a future star. He projects as a solid two-way center with size, who can play in the middle-6. Lambos is a top-15 prospect in the system and not a top-10 prospect. He has skill and upside, but he is not viewed as a top-4 defenseman. At this point, Daemon Hunt is more valuable than Lambos. The Wild wouldn’t be trading Marco Rossi or Zeev Buium caliber prospects for Trochek.
Stramel and Lambos were first-round picks. That matters because it means the team invested in them and they have upside, but being a first-round pick does not mean you will become a star. Many first-rounders become middle-6 forwards or depth defensemen.
The 2027 first-round pick also has value, but if the Wild go deep in the playoffs with Trocheck next year, then that pick could be in the late 20s. Perhaps the first-round pick could be a conditional pick in case the Wild don’t make the Final this year or next?
Either way, the playoff version of Trocheck isn’t cheap. The last time he was in the playoffs, he was producing at a top-10 level across the league. When compared against many of the NHL’s best players, he proved to be more valuable than they are. If the Rangers won the Cup, he was on track to be their MVP over superstars like Panarin.
Quinn Hughes has made the Wild a team to watch in the Western Conference. All they’re missing is a center like Trocheck producing at a top-line level. Having him will ease the burden on Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, and especially Joel Eriksson Ek. Instead of asking Kaprizov and the power play to carry the scoring every night, Trocheck will help turn Minnesota into a more dangerous team.
Many fans believe that if the Wild trade for Trocheck, it would be their “big move” at center. However, that is not the case, as Minnesota should have top young players like Yurov and Wallstedt after a Trocheck trade. Adding Trocheck would not stop the Wild from making a bigger move later, such as trading for Jack Hughes or Auston Matthews. For now, Wild fans should enjoy the idea of Trocheck’s clutch playoff scoring making him Minnesota’s version of Marchessault.
Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we’ll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.