Must Rangers ‘follow through this summer’ and trade Vincent Trocheck?
It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the New York Rangers will trade Vincent Trocheck during the summer, after holding on to the veteran center ahead the March 6 NHL deadline this season.
You may remember that general manager Chris Drury was all in on moving Trocheck before the trade deadline, even sitting him out for a game for roster management, expecting a deal to take place. Even Trocheck spoke openly about being moved and wanting to go to a Stanley Cup contender.
Drury stuck to his guns, though, about not trading his most valuable tradeable asset if other teams didn’t meet his steep asking price.
But is there any chance at all that Trocheck, 33 next season, remains with the Rangers through this offseason?
Former Rangers goalie and current NHL television and radio analyst Martin Biron believes it’s not out of the question.
“I don’t know if you need to follow through this summer on Vincent Trocheck, because you have to have a plan for your team,” Biron told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “Does he fit the plan? Are you a better team with Trocheck in, or with Trocheck out? Well, it depends on what you can get in return. Are you a good team with players like Trocheck, [Alexis] Lafreniere, or even Adam Fox? Are you a playoff team? Are you a competitive team?”
Those are all valid points and questions raised by Biron. They come even more into play if Drury’s asking price is not met again this offseason. If the Rangers can’t land a couple young NHL players, or NHL-ready talent, are they better off holding on to Trocheck?
Let’s be honest, with Mika Zibanejad, Trocheck, J.T. Miller, and Noah Laba down the middle, the Rangers stack up with any other team at the center position. Though, keep in mind that three of those four players will be 33 years old next season, and two of them — Zibanejad and Miller — have no-move clauses in their contracts.
But if the Rangers fancy a quick turnaround with their retool, well, perhaps you do keep Trocheck, who’s currently fourth on the Rangers with 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 61 games.
“I think this year, when you look at the Rangers, everyone had high hopes, and it didn’t happen. So, that’s a warning, saying ‘Hey, we thought we were good and it didn’t happen. How do we fix that next year?,” offered Biron.
“You have to be careful the direction you go because it’s the the NHL, every year you can get back on it. I know everybody talks about rebuild and retool, but you can turn it — or it can be turned the other way, too. You have to be able to turn it to the right side of you’re Chris Drury.”
In other words, Drury better get this retool right. That’s not only with the Trocheck decision, but proper evaluation and development with all players in the system, not to mention nailing the draft to restock the talent pool.
But following the Artemi Panarin trade, which needed to be done considering his contract status, the next major decision affecting the current roster is what to do with Trocheck.
