Mar 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) brings the puck up ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Vincent Trocheck was sure that the re-tooling New York Rangers were going to deal him before the NHL trade deadline on Friday. The writing was on the wall on Thursday when he was benched for roster management purposes, though he later revealed that he was dealing with an illness.
It might have been for the best that he was.
“I was in and out of sleep, not checking my phone,” he admitted.
When he came to, though, a trade never went through, and he will spend at least the rest of the 2025-26 season with the Blueshirts.
“It is what it is, it’s a business,” Trocheck said. “It’s not the first time my name’s been mentioned in trade rumors. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. At the end of the day, I’m here to play hockey. I’m a New York Ranger now, right now, and that’s who I’m playing for. I’m going to continue to keep doing that.”
With it comes understandable relief. Trocheck has a 12-team no-trade clause and was adamant about not being traded to a Western Conference team to amplify the severity of uprooting his family.
“I was just happy for all of it to be over with,” he said. “It’s a stressful waiting game when you’re in talks like that. So for me, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. Now that it’s done with, for now, it was nice.”
“For now,” is the kicker to all of this. The 32-year-old winger will likely be thrown right back into the trade market once the Rangers’ miserable season comes to an end. General manager Chris Drury has already dismantled the majority of the core over the last two seasons, whether it was trading Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, or sending Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings last month.
Defenseman Adam Fox might also be joining Trocheck on the market this summer, as the American star will give Drury a chance to see how he addresses this re-tool.
For more on Vincent Trocheck and the Rangers, visit AMNY.com