![\"Vincent](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHL-Minnesota-Wild-at-New-York-Rangers-25832996-e1772729542756.jpg\")
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The NHL trade deadline is now less than 30 hours away, and to this point, Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has made a couple moves around the edges to help strengthen the roster for a deep playoff run this postseason.<\/p>\n
However, we are yet to see Billy pull off a much-anticipated SECOND blockbuster move of the 2026 season. Since sending a boatload<\/a> of Minnesota\u2019s best young players\/prospects to Vancouver in December, for superstar defenseman<\/a> Quinn Hughes, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding the Wild, but little actual movement.<\/p>\n During the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Guerin spent lots of time with many of the league\u2019s top executives<\/a>, while they all watched a Team USA squad he built win its first<\/a> men\u2019s Gold Medal in 46 years.<\/p>\n Upon Billy\u2019s return to the states, Wild trade steam has only intensified, specifically in regards to<\/a> 32-year-old<\/a> center Vincent Trocheck, who played on Billy\u2019s 2026 USA team and who the New York Rangers are shopping hard leading up to the deadline.<\/p>\n When we went to sleep on Wednesday night, Minnesota was still the leader in the trade deadline clubhouse to land Trocheck, but other teams were still very much in the mix<\/a>, specifically the Detroit Red Wings.<\/p>\n While I still see a strong chance that Vincent Trocheck is wearing red and green in Vegas on Friday night, a source in the Big Apple tells me that Detroit is making a strong push to land the prolific faceoff-winner.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jess Myers (@JessRMyers) March 4, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n And as the morning began to unfolded Thursday, it started to feel like the Wild might be nearing an agreement with the Rangers.<\/p>\n Minnesota Wild nearing deal for Vincent Trocheck?<\/p>\n According to<\/a> the New York beat writers at The Athletic (Vincent Mercogliano and Peter Baugh<\/a>) Minnesota\u2019s offer is the best Rangers GM Chris Drury has on the table, at least as of this morning, reporting that New York \u201cmight ultimately take [the deal]\u201d, but they are waiting to see if a higher bid comes along before Friday\u2019s deadline buzzer.<\/p>\n The Wild\u2019s offer for Trocheck revolves around Michigan State prospect, Charlie Stramel, which was reported yesterday<\/a>. Unlike Wednesday, however, there is no mention in The Athletic\u2019s piece about Minnesota\u2019s 2027 first round pick being included in the package.<\/p>\n Drury has signaled he\u2019s willing to hold his assets, according to a league source. It\u2019s a viable threat considering his most coveted players are under team control beyond this season, most notably center Vincent Trocheck and defenseman Braden Schneider. But there\u2019s a feeling around the league he could be using that as a negotiating tactic.<\/p>\n The pressure is on to do something after Drury published a Jan. 16 letter\u00a0declaring a retool<\/a>\u2026The belief here remains that Trocheck will be moved \u2014\u00a0he seems to think the same thing<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 with the Minnesota Wild the team to watch. Their GM, Bill Guerin, made it clear Tuesday\u2019s acquisition of fourth-line center Michael McCarron doesn\u2019t preclude him from pursuing more help down the middle.<\/p>\n The Wild are not on Trocheck\u2019s 12-team no-trade list and\u00a0have extended an offer, as colleagues Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported. The package is likely built around Michigan State center Charlie Stramel, who has been the buzz for weeks and was mentioned in\u00a0my Jan. 28 column.<\/p>\n The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n The excitement only intensified on Minnesota Wild Twitter, when our local The Athletic insider, Michael Russo<\/a>, started tweeting out pompous smiley faces in reference to Trocheck\u2019s status in the Rangers\u2019 lineup tonight being a game-time decision.<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude0a https:\/\/t.co\/NcvWQMjwmI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n But moments later, when Russo dropped his own Trocheck update on The Athletic\u2019s<\/a> MN Wild trade tracker, he did NOT double down on what his colleagues reported just hours earlier out in New York.<\/p>\n Russo: Nope, Trocheck to Wild steam is actually fading\u2026<\/p>\n Instead, Michael slammed unexpectedly on the Vincent Trocheck breaks, writing that Minnesota\u2019s pursuit of the Rangers\u2019 Gold Medalist wasn\u2019t heating up\u2026 but fading.<\/p>\n The Wild\u2019s hopes of getting Vincent Trocheck are fading.<\/p>\n The price for the New York Rangers center appears to be too rich at this point. It may just be that they don\u2019t have the assets to get it done\u2026 Minnesota continues its pursuit of a center, though\u2026likely looking for a top-six addition.<\/p>\n Michael Russo \u2013 The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n Per Russo, the Minnesota Wild remain on the hunt for a top six centerman, but he doesn\u2019t seem all that intrigued by the Wild\u2019s interest in the high price of Robert Thomas (Blues) or interest in others like Nazem Kadri (Flames), Charlie Coyle (Jackers), Ryan O\u2019Reilly (Predators).<\/p>\n Related: MN Wild Announce Grand Casino Arena Renovation Plans<\/a><\/p>\n In fact, Michael writes that he won\u2019t be surprised if Bill Guerin and the Wild end up standing pat and rolling into the stretch run with the team they\u2019ve already got, especially if Drury isn\u2019t going to bring his Trocheck price down.<\/p>\n Remember, the Wild may find it smarter to hang onto their remaining assets and go big-game hunting this offseason if potential difference makers hit the market.<\/p>\n Michael Russo \u2013 The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know about you guys\u2026 but if I didn\u2019t know any better, I\u2019d say at least one of the Wild and\/or Rangers are using media members as a negotiating tool this morning. Of course, I would NEVER accuse Mr. Russo of such things.<\/p>\n Thus, we\u2019ll just have to wait and see how the Trocheck sweepstakes play out over the next 24+ hours, because these dueling reports out of the same NY Times sports media outlet is something that has my antennas up for sure\u2026<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: NHL Trade Deadline<\/a> NHL Trade Rumors<\/a> Vincent Trocheck<\/a> <\/p>\n More About:Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google. \t\t\t![\"Vincent](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHL-New-York-Rangers-at-Minnesota-Wild-25662075-788x525.jpg\")
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