How bold Vincent Trocheck decision could lengthen Rangers lineup
Mike Sullivan will have so much on his plate next season, his first as New York Rangers coach, that the last thing he may want to do is mess with their most productive line. But with an eye toward lengthening the lineup and building four deep lines in the mold of the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, perhaps having Vincent Trocheck center the third line is not such a terrible idea.
Listen, Sullivan would have to swallow hard to dismantle the Artemi Panarin – Trocheck – Alexis Lafreniere line. Two years ago, each player posted career-best numbers skating with one another. Panarin was a Hart Trophy candidate with 49 goals and 120 points. Trocheck had 77 points, including 52 assists. Lafreniere had a breakthrough season with 28 goals and 57 points, then tied for the team lead with eight goals in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And even though this past season went sideways for the Rangers and their top line, Panarin, Trocheck and Lafreniere still had a 51.18 percent expected goals share at 5v5 in 60 games together, per Natural Stat Trick, and outscored opponents 36-28.
So, keeping that trio together and banking on them to produce more in line of what they did in 2023-24 is not the worst strategy.
But let’s work under the assumption that the Rangers can’t make significant changes up front this offseason due to salary-cap limitations and that Sullivan sees Mika Zibanejad as a center and not a right wing. That leaves him in the enviable position of having Trocheck, Zibanejad and J.T. Miller down the middle to center the top three lines, with Sam Carrick in the middle of the fourth line.
Miller will most definitely center one of the top two lines. When then-coach Peter Laviolette juggled line combinations this season, Trocheck remained a staple on the top two lines; it was Zibanejad who either moved to right wing next to Miller or down to the third line.
But if Zibanejad remains in the middle, it says here he’s best suited to play on one of the first two line combinations. That is, of course, if he buys in on the new coach and leaves the Mopey Mika we saw most of this season in the past. When engaged, Zibanejad remains a top-tier offensive talent, capable of being a solid two-way center. Manning an identity line in the bottom six isn’t the optimal spot for Zibanejad.
That leaves Trocheck to center the third line, which isn’t a bad thing.
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Moving Vincent Trocheck to 3rd line would lengthen Rangers lineup
You may remember that Trocheck was slated to be the 3C in 2023-24. Zibanejad and Filip Chytil began that season centering the top two lines. Trocheck moved between Panarin and Lafreniere, whom he had played with a bit the previous season, only after Chytil sustained a head injury in November.
The rest was history. Trocheck, Panarin and Lafreniere each took off on a magical run and helped the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy. Trocheck was probably New York’s best and most consistent forward in the 2024 postseason, when the Rangers eventually lost in six games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
It can be argued that Laviolette was fortunate in a way that Chytil’s injury forced his hand with Trocheck. However, think of how deep the Rangers would’ve been if Chytil hadn’t been injured and missed the rest of the regular season, — and Trocheck helped create a real identity line on the third line.
That opportunity is there for the Rangers now, again, assuming no major changes are made in the forward group and Sullivan wants Zibanejad to play center. Let’s say Chris Kreider isn’t traded. How about a third line of Kreider, Trocheck, and Brennan Othmann? Part skill, speed, strong forecheck, attitude. Trocheck is such a leader, how about him mentoring Othmann and Gabe Perreault on the same line? It’s a bit of a different dynamic with the cerebral and highly-skilled youngster Perreault on the wing, but it’s intriguing nonetheless, especially with Othmann and Trocheck opening up ice for him with their puck pursuit.
Maybe Sullivan spreads the wealth even more so, and Will Cuylle is Trocheck’s linemate. Doubt many teams would love facing Cuylle, Trocheck, and Othmann. The point here being that the third line would not be a throwaway extra line, a catch-all if you will, or even one dimensional. No line with the multi-faceted Trocheck should be one dimensional. So, minutes could be spread throughout the lineup, like what we see from the Panthers. You can do that with a third line you trust. And you can trust any line centered by Trocheck.
Remember, this isn’t meant in any way as a demotion. Trocheck, who could very well be the Rangers next captain, is a massively important piece to the puzzle, at even strength, yes, but on the power play and penalty kill, too. He may not average 21 minutes a game any more in this scenario; but perhaps shaving two minutes off that average will be better in the long haul for Trocheck, who turns 32 this summer.
The thing is, because of Trocheck’s skill set and successful history in the top of the lineup, Sullivan could always move him up if there’s injury or perhaps the coach changes his mind and wants to move Zibanejad back to the wing with Miller. Starting Trocheck on the third line provides the Rangers the most flexibility, though, yes, that means Panarin and Lafreniere must find chemistry with a new center or completely new linemates.
Whether this is really part of Sullivan’s plan next season, well, no one knows. He answered very few specific questions at his introductory press conference in early May. And, to be honest, much can change with the Rangers roster between now and training camp.
But if this plan isn’t already an option Sullivan’s considering, it should be.
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