New York continues to look for new players, but the clock appears to be ticking.
According to The Athletic, the New York Rangers remain in trade talks to move off Vincent Trocheck and would prefer a package that would bring in a young player, ideally on an NHL roster.
Last week, Pat Brisson and CAA were hired to represent the 32-year old forward, who has two-years left on his seven-year deal, which will pay him $39.38MM ($5.625M AAV) until 2029. He finished his 2025-26 season scoring 16 goals for 53 points in 67 games played with the New York Rangers. Brisson will be quite busy this offseason and has worked with stars who’ve shocked waves with their moves around the league.
Trocheck was almost dealt away from the Rangers at the 2026 deadline, but was ultimately kept to garner more value around this time. While New York, which boasts nearly $26MM in cap space, doesn’t have to trade him, one should note a few factors listed that would rebut that statement. Trocheck will soon be age 33, and Artemi Panarin is not going to help his points production. Based on what other players are commanding in trade value, it would be ideal for the Rangers to move him as soon as possible to get value that can help them in this retool.
If not a young rostered NHLer, like the Rangers want, they’d have to settle for draft capital and prospects. According to the report, the list of suitors appears to be fading in numbers. Most notably, because of the status of the Dylan Larkin sweepstakes. The sooner Larkin is moved, which GM Steve Yzerman is in no rush to do, the better for the Rangers because Trocheck would then become the top-ranked center available for the taking. It doesn’t appear as though Larkin has opened his destinations outside of Florida, Vegas, and Minnesota. The Wild, in the Trocheck race, aren’t keen on him, considering Larkin remains the top man available.
On July 1, Trocheck’s 12-team no-trade list drops two teams down to 10, according to Puckpedia. The desire to stay east was prominent in these talks, but that doesn’t mean a Western Conference team couldn’t swoop in and win Trocheck over.
If we’re going by the Rangers’ ideal return from certain teams, are the Ducks willing to swap Mason McTavish in a trade for Trocheck? If the value doesn’t add up, perhaps the Kings could find a way to partially fill the veteran center role formerly held by legend Anze Kopitar and thus reunite Trocheck with Panarin. Maybe Shane Wright could find a fresh start in New York if the Rangers started conversations with the Kraken, as they’ve done so a few times before in recent memory.
Staying east, according to the article, Toronto has inquired about Trocheck’s services and could use another center under Auston Matthews. If not there, the Bruins, who enjoy having their center corps by committee, could pony up a deal to add down the middle, but is it ideal given where they’re at organizationally? The reigning Cup champions also previously had interest. Perhaps Alexander Nikishin is exactly the young fit on the left side of the blue line that the Rangers could ask for. However, would Carolina want to deal their 24-year-old defenseman for a center group that is already filled out for next season? Two other Atlantic teams, the Canadiens, who’ve been quiet so far this offseason amid the chaos, could see Trocheck as the secondary middleman to Nick Suzuki, but who of their young core are they willing to deal? Buffalo, who is experiencing a reinvention of itself after dealing away Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch, could have Trocheck come in to add experience. As for both of those teams, the Rangers would ideally have to settle for picks and prospects in that regard.
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