How Rangers trade deadline might be affected by specific injury concern
Though it feels pretty certain that the New York Rangers will deal Vincent Trocheck ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, there’s a recent injury that could affect where the veteran center lands, and what the return package might be.
And no, we’re not talking about Rangers captain J.T. Miller landing on IR with an upper-body injury Monday. With their playoff hopes long gone, the Rangers won’t hold on to Trocheck just because they’re thinner in the top six now without Miller.
As far as Trocheck’s trade value is concerned, it may raise or stay where it is depending on the severity of an eye injury sustained by Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly on Tuesday. O’Reilly was struck in or near the eye by the butt end of Charlie Coyle’s stick midway through the third period of Nashville’s 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He immediately left the ice bleeding, and didn’t return.
The Predators released this statement regarding O’Reilly: “For those who are concerned about Ryan O’Reilly, we expect that he is going to be OK. He is flying home with the team from Columbus tonight and will be evaluated by our medical team in Nashville. We expect to have an update on his playing status sometime on Thursday.”
That, of course, is the day before the trade deadline. And though it’s not for sure O’Reilly will be traded, there’s no doubt it’s a possibility. If the eye injury sidelines him, it’s difficult to imagine a team trading for him.
Which brings us to Trocheck and the Rangers. There are a number of centers on the trade market, but the consensus is that Trocheck is most likely to move, and right near the top of most attractive options. He becomes even more attractive if O’Reilly, his closest comp, stays put. And if O’Reilly is off the market, you’d think Rangers general manager Chris Drury has even more leverage to extract a haul in return for Trocheck.
Tale of the tape between Vincent Trocheck and Ryan O’Reilly
Trocheck and O’Reilly are similar players in the fact that each is strong on both sides of the puck and can be counted on to play a complete 200-foot game. They both average just under 21 minutes TOI per game, and are durable and reliable veterans, who play all game situations.
Looking for a big face-off win? Trocheck sits at 57.2 percent at the dot this season and was just under 60 percent last season (59.1 percent). O’Reilly is at 55.4 percent this season, right in line with his career average of 55.6 percent over 1,213 NHL games with the Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, and Colorado Avalanche.
O’Reilly leads the Predators with 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 61 games, and has 325 goals and 883 points in the NHL. He won the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward in the League in 2018-19. That’s the same season he helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Though, the 35-year-old is three years older than Trocheck (32), he has less term on his contract, just one more season after this at $4.5 million. Even at his age, O’Reilly is a bargain. Trocheck, who’s third on the Rangers with 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 46 games (he missed 14 with an upper-body injury), has three more years left on his contract, with an average annual value of $5.625 million.
A seven-time 20-goal scorer, Trocheck has 235 goals and 617 points in 847 games with the Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers. He’s yet to play in a Stanley Cup Final, though Trocheck did just help the United States capture a gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
So, the tale of the tape is pretty even here. Meaning that potential suitors looking for a top-six center likely have interest in each of these players. And if O’Reilly is injured or removed from trade consideration, the Rangers, in theory, benefit.
And though Trocheck practiced Wednesday, you must wonder if the Rangers hold him out of the lineup Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to roster management purposes, using what happened to O’Reilly as a cautionary tale.
