\n\tAs the NHL trade season approaches, we should start to see some clarity on which teams will be buyers, which will be sellers, and how they could fit together in trade discussions. The Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers are two teams that already seem like a natural fit.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMinnesota has gone all in on this season with the acquisition<\/a> of Quinn Hughes<\/a> and is still looking to make another splash. The Rangers are open for business with GM Chris Drury<\/a>\u2019s recent statement<\/a> that the club \u201cMust be honest and realistic about (their) situation,\u201d and that means \u201csaying goodbye to players.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tReports have linked<\/a> the Wild to Artemi Panarin<\/a> for some time, and he\u2019ll undoubtedly be on the market given that New York recently informed<\/a> the star winger that they won\u2019t be extending his contract. While Panarin could be a solid target if the Rangers are open for business, Vincent Trocheck<\/a> is a potential target who would be an even better fit.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrocheck might not be a splash acquisition like Panarin. He\u2019s never cracked 100 points or received Hart trophy votes. Still, Trocheck\u2019s talents address the Wild\u2019s needs much more efficiently.\n<\/p>\n \n\tFirst of all, he\u2019s a center, and Minnesota needs depth at that position. The Wild entered this season with center depth issues, and that problem has worsened after trading<\/a> Marco Rossi<\/a> and Joel Eriksson Ek<\/a>‘s injury<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tEven when Eriksson Ek returns from injury, the Wild need more center depth to contend this season. Trocheck bolsters that unit the second he enters the building.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile any center would meaningfully upgrade the roster, Trocheck in particular fits some of the Wild\u2019s needs perfectly. Minnesota needs to win more faceoffs. It\u2019s a small part of the game, but 2016-17 was the last time the Wild won more than half of their faceoffs.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrocheck would immediately help them in the faceoff dot. He\u2019s won more than 50% of his draws every year since 2016-17, and has been over 55% five of the last six seasons. Trocheck\u2019s faceoff prowess is also just a part of his fairly solid defensive toolkit. He has received Selke votes in three of the last five seasons.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrocheck\u2019s defensive acumen is appealing, but he\u2019s also a threat offensively. He has scored more than 20 goals and 50 points in four straight seasons, and he set a career high with 77 points during the 2023-24 campaign.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThose scoring numbers don\u2019t make Trocheck a primary offensive weapon, but the Wild don\u2019t need one. They have high-output scorers like Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> and Matt Boldy<\/a>. Minnesota\u2019s issue has been depth scoring for several seasons, and Trocheck is one of the best depth scorers in the league.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrocheck is also a desirable asset due to his playoff experience and success. He\u2019s never won a Stanley Cup, but he reached the Eastern Conference Final with the Rangers in 2023-24 and went to the second round three straight times with the Carolina Hurricanes from 2019-20 through 2021-22.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn his best playoff run, Trocheck put up 20 points in 16 games with the Rangers, making the kind of postseason impact the Wild need to succeed in the Central bracket. For a team clearly looking to make a Stanley Cup run, that experience is a tremendous asset.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrocheck would undoubtedly make a meaningful impact in Minnesota. Still, it\u2019s vital to examine whether it makes sense, given the Wild\u2019s cap situation<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tOne of the more unique aspects of a Trocheck trade is that it won\u2019t be a rental. The 13-year veteran is in the fourth season of a seven-year $39.375 million contract. Any team that acquires him will have to be willing to pay his $5.625 million average annual value.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to Puckpedia<\/a>, the Wild are projected to have $5,343,890 of trade deadline cap space. It isn\u2019t quite enough to fit Trocheck\u2019s deal. Still, it\u2019s close enough to make it work if the Rangers retain some salary.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAfter this season, Minnesota will have the space to accommodate his deal in future years. Some of their current contracts, like Mats Zuccarello<\/a>\u2019s and Vladimir Tarasenko<\/a>\u2019s, are coming off the books.\n<\/p>\n \n\tStill, there are ways for Minnesota to acquire Trocheck, which would help solve its center depth issue for years to come. Trocheck is 32 years old and will be under contract until he\u2019s 35. Naturally, the deal may offer less value as he ages. Still, a rising salary cap makes paying a 35-year-old center relatively easy to fit under the cap, even if his play diminishes slightly.\n<\/p>\n \n\tVincent Trocheck also has a modified no-trade clause, so he will have some agency in where the Rangers can trade him. However, that may give the Wild better odds of acquiring him.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTrocheck and Bill Guerin<\/a> appear to have a good relationship. At the very least, we know Guerin already appreciates what Trocheck brings to a hockey team, given their connection with Team USA.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBill Guerin and Team USA built the rosters for the Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics, and Vincent Trocheck made the cut both times.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tAlex Tuch<\/a>, Jason Robertson<\/a>, and Chris Kreider<\/a> are among the impact forwards who didn\u2019t make Team USA\u2019s Olympic team, but Guerin trusts Trocheck enough to get the job done against the best players in the world.\n<\/p>\n \n\tGiven his connection to Guerin, Trocheck would probably waive his no-trade clause to come to Minnesota.\n<\/p>\n