Massive Rangers makeover includes Vincent Trocheck trade to Utah
A dizzying offseason reshaping of the New York Rangers roster now includes the long-awaited trade of Vincent Trocheck, though not necessarily to an expected destination. The Rangers sent the veteran center to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday for forward prospect Cole Beaudoin, defenseman Sean Durzi, and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Utah was a surprise destination for Trocheck, who had a 10-team no-trade clause and a stated preference not to move out west.
Then again, not much of what happened in Rangers-land Wednesday was expected. In fact, you can take that back to this past Friday, when the Rangers rocked the League by acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev in a blockbuster draft-day trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
They followed that up by wheeling and dealing at the start of NHL free agency Wednesday, though the biggest moves were trades, not opening up their checkbook for a depleted free-agent class. The Rangers did sign free-agent forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno to one-year contracts, and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo to a two-way deal.
However, fresh off the Dorofeyev trade, general manager Chris Drury swung four more deals Wednesday, acquiring defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Durzi in separate moves, backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins, and moving out defenseman Will Borgen in a second trade with the Bruins.
The Trocheck trade was the biggest of the day for New York, because of who was dealt away, and what he helped the Rangers bring back in return.
Rangers will miss heart-and-soul leader Vincent Trocheck
It’s hard to calculate exactly how much Trocheck meant to the Rangers since he signed with them as a free agent on July 13, 2022. Very few free agents these days outplay their contracts, but Trocheck is one who did. That $5.625 million AAV over the next three years was particularly attractive to the many suitors out there, especially after Trocheck’s outstanding two-way play for the Rangers the previous four seasons.
Trocheck scored 20+ goals three times with the Rangers, including 26 in 2024-25. That was one year after he established a career-high with 77 points, played in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, and helped lead the Rangers to within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final, before losing in the Eastern Conference Final to the Florida Panthers.
A respected team leader, who was an alternate captain this past season, Trocheck is among the better two-way centers in the League, and certainly one of the absolute best face-off men. He averaged around 21 minutes TOI over four seasons in New York, playing in every possible important game situation.
A popular heart-and-soul Blueshirt, Trocheck fittingly won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award as voted by the fans in 2023-24.
Even though he’ll be 33 next season, the Rangers will miss Trocheck, and the Mammoth are lucky to get him. But a trade felt inevitable, and even fair to Trocheck, after Drury came close to dealing him ahead of the trade deadline in March, but held out for a potentially better return package this summer. When Trocheck hired super agent Pat Brisson recently to represent his best interests, a trade appeared the only end result.
Cole Beaudoin, Sean Durzi highlight return package for Rangers in Vincent Trocheck trade
The return package is solid, if not overwhelming. Durzi is a solid puck-moving defenseman, who slots in on the right side of the second pair, likely with Pettersson. The 27-year-old battled injuries the past two seasons, combining for 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) and 69 penalty minutes in 90 games with Utah. Prior to that he recorded 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) in 76 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, and 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 72 games for the Los Angeles Kings in 2022-23.
He’s not the best defensive d-man, but then again coach Mike Sullivan said in April that the Rangers needed to exit their own end in more efficient manner, and Durzi will help in that regard. Durzi is under contract for two more seasons with a $6 million cap hit.
Beaudoin is an intriguing prospect, a physical force who’s got some skill, as evidenced by his 33 goals and 88 points over 54 games with Barrie in the OHL last season. He’s a solid two-way forward, loaded with intangibles whom the Mammoth traded back into the first round to select No. 24 overall in 2024.
The 20-year-old, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 209 pounds, plays center and on the wing, and helped Canada win the bronze medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship, when he totaled seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games.
He’s turning pro this coming season, along with fellow OHL standouts and current Rangers prospects Liam Greentree, Nathan Aspinall, and Jacob Battaglia. Drury added three of those players via trades since February, a solid rebuilding of a shallow prospect pool.
But don’t be mistaken. Beaudoin was not Utah’s top prospect, and not even in their top-5 on most rankings. He’s a high character, hard-working, who should be a winning player in the NHL, albeit projecting to be a middle-six force and not a top-line star.
