Why The Rangers Didn't Bite On Trades for Vincent Trocheck
General Manager Chris Drury of the New York Rangers had a chance to maximize his cache of assets this deadline by trading center Vincent Trocheck.
A reliable two-way forward who hasn affordable contract, compared to other centers in the league who have been demoted to the third-line (Elias Lindholm).
Nevertheless, Trocheck wasn't moved by this deadline, in a perplexing fashion, as the Rangers opted to keep him around. It's not until free agency in July that the team could find a buyer for Trocheck who wants to stay in the Eastern Conference.
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The 32 Thoughts Podcast's Elliotte Friedman gave us an idea of what happened and why GM Drury kept their reliable center.
With the cap going up and the free-agent class shrinking, teams believe term will become even more valuable for trade targets. That’s one of the reasons the Rangers didn’t move Vincent Trocheck,” the hockey insider wrote in his latest 32 Thoughts column.
“Maybe someone wouldn’t pay the price this month, but how about this summer? That’s their bet.
With the salary cap rising in the summer and the potential of multiple unrestricted free agents being signed in July, Trocheck could be one of the top free agents left.
If that's the thinking for the Blueshirts' brass, it does make sense. The salary cap is set to rise steadily over the next couple of seasons, and it isn't a stacked free agent class this summer. Multiple pending UFAs could re-sign with their current teams, too, players like Alex Tuch, Evgeni Malkin and Bobby McMann, just to name a few.
The Rangers could utilize a tight free agent pool in July, and a rising salary cap to maximize the return for Trocheck, a former 70-point scorer, who makes $5.625 million average annual value (AAV).
Trocheck could find himself on a contender again, after the Rangers have begun their retool trading away Artemi Panarin before the deadline to the Los Angeles Kings.
The asking price for Trocheck, according to The Athletic, was a 1st-round pick and a top prospect. Maybe this time around, Drury can turn his wishes into reality with this 2026 Gold Medal-winning center in July.
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