Rangers star opens up on trade rumors: ‘I want to win Stanley Cup’
Vincent Trocheck understands the business of hockey. So, if the New York Rangers move him ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, the veteran center is good with it. But that doesn’t mean he wants to go just anywhere.
Trocheck said Monday that he only wants to play for a contender, not a team in a rebuild, or retool, phase like the Rangers.
“I am 32 years old. I want to win a Stanley Cup,” Trocheck told reporters.
He came close with the Rangers in 2024, when they fell two wins short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in six games during the Eastern Conference Final.
His desire to win likely is further fueled by helping the United States capture the gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.
Trocheck has a 12-team no-trade clause in his contract, so he has some say as to where he ends up. He confirmed that west coast teams are on his no-trade list, so there won’t be any reunion with former linemate Artemi Panarin in Los Angeles. The Rangers traded Panarin to the Kings to kickstart their retool back on Feb. 4.
“It’s not a secret. They (west coast teams) are on my no trade cause family is important to me and my family is on the east coast,” he explained.
By the sounds of it, there are no surprises here. Trocheck and Rangers general manager Chris Drury thoroughly discussed the trade possibility
“He’s been very open and honest with me, and transparent,” Trocheck said about the much-maligned GM.
‘Rangers’ ask is high’ regarding possible Vincent Trocheck trade
Of course, just because Drury had these talks with Trocheck doesn’t mean the Rangers will simply trade the stalwart two-way center away for pennies on the dollar. This isn’t similar to the Panarin scenario, when the Rangers had almost no leverage with the star player on an expiring contract, holding a complete no-movement clause, dictating exactly where he could and could end up.
Trocheck has three more years on his deal, at an affordable $5.625 million annual salary. It certainly behooves the Rangers to trade him now, though, before his play might deteriorate in coming seasons.
“The Rangers ask is high, it should be high,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said Sunday on TNT.
Friedman added that the Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, and Carolina Hurricanes — for whom Trocheck played previously — are in on the Rangers alternate captain. And that the Wild are the frontrunners to land Trocheck.
“I think the Rangers know exactly what Trocheck is going to cost, what Minnesota is willing to do for Trocheck,” Friedman reported. “And I just think they’re looking around there and saying ‘Alright, do we take that deal, or do we find another deal elsewhere that beats it’?
“Most people tend to believe that Minnesota has a standing offer for him. And we’ll just see what the Rangers decide to do.”
The Rangers reportedly are seeking young NHL talent, or prospects on the verge of playing in the NHL, along with draft capital. That’s what they did in the Panarin trade bringing back 20-year-old forward Liam Greentree, L.A.’s top prospect at the time, who’s expected to turn pro next season.
Trocheck is third on the Rangers with 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists), though he missed 14 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury. He’s also won 57.4 percent of his face-offs, has seven seasons with 20+ goals on his resume, and played a key role as a top penalty killer for the U.S. at the Winter Olympics, where he also contributed three assists in six games.
