The New York Rangers ultimately held onto veteran center Vincent Trocheck at the NHL trade deadline, but they haven’t completely closed the door on a deal.
That’s if you believe the latest chatter from top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on the “32 Thoughts” podcast at Sportsnet, particularly last Friday, when he touched on the Rangers’ off-season and what lies ahead after a massively disappointing season. Friedman could still see a Trocheck trade taking place, especially with a team that expects to be a playoff contender going forward, and could use Trocheck’s two-way savvy and veteran leadership this time of year. That’s why Friedman is looking at teams that are currently in the playoffs, and may look to Trocheck as an answer to bolster their center depth chart sometime this spring/summer.
“You still got the Trocheck situation hanging around, and again, we’ll see where that goes, but teams know what the Rangers want,” Friedman said. “And I always assume, after the playoffs are over, someone who’s going to lose early is going to say, ‘You know what, you know who we could use, we could use Vinny Trocheck. So I think the Rangers have a chance to have a very interesting summer, particularly when you know there isn’t a lot available in free agency.”
The general belief heading into the trade deadline was that Trocheck wanted to stay on the East Coast, which would’ve certainly limited the Rangers’ options for potential suitors. And some of those teams don’t necessarily need to invest in Trocheck at the moment. The Devils and Islanders are cross-state divisional rivals who have veteran center depth already. The Bruins are investing in youth with James Hagens and Fraser Minten, while Pavel Zacha could be up for an extension after a career year.
At this stage, the Rangers may be looking at trading Trocheck within the division, which leaves the Flyers and Penguins as potential landing spots. A reunion with the Carolina Hurricanes could be on the table, but they’re not expecting to have an early playoff exit. It’s also hard to believe that the Florida Panthers would take Trocheck back, especially with his contract. They may look at a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning as an ideal option, but of course, it takes two teams to make a deal.
The Rangers may “know what they want” for Trocheck right now, but if it’s something approaching what they may have demanded at the trade deadline (first-round pick, roster player, high-level prospect), their price tag will have to come down. They can shop Trocheck around all they want, but it doesn’t seem like moving him has gotten much easier.