Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck wants to stay in Eastern Conference if traded
New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck took the opportunity after the team’s morning skate on Monday to publicly speak out about his expectations for a possible trade to a contender ahead of this Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, Trocheck confirmed an array of media reporting that his desire would be to get dealt to an Eastern Conference team to remain close to his family.
“Yeah, it’s not a secret,” Trocheck told Walker. “They are on my no-trade clause. Family is important to me, and my family is on the East Coast.”
Trocheck, a veteran two-way center, is originally from Pittsburgh and has spent his entire career in the Eastern Conference. He was drafted by and debuted with the Florida Panthers before getting sent to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2020 trade deadline.
After a few productive years in Carolina, Trocheck hit the unrestricted free agent market and signed a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $5.625 million to join what was then a Stanley Cup contending Rangers squad.
New York made the Eastern Conference Final with Trocheck in 2024, but missed the playoffs altogether last season and are all but assured of doing the same this year.
With Trocheck on the trade market and in some control of his destination with a limited no-trade clause, some interesting possibilities emerge. If the Penguins and Kyle Dubas choose to be aggressive buyers at the deadline, they could further strengthen their positioning down the middle by landing the hometown product. The Hurricanes could be interested in a reunion as well, as they’ve struggled to find a consistent answer at second-line center since Trocheck’s departure.
Trocheck played a key depth role as a face-off specialist and penalty killer as Team USA won the gold medal at the Olympics in February, proving he can contribute to a winning team at the highest of levels.
“I am 32 years old,” he told Walker. “I would like to win a Stanley Cup.”
For the Rangers, the opportunity to get young prospects and draft capital for veteran players to kickstart a retool is one that general manager Chris Drury has to get right. In February, he started the process by dealing Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings for a package centered around prospect Liam Greentree.
Trocheck, as a two-way center with less control over his destination, could command an even greater return on the trade market.