New York Rangers: Rating the Vincent Trocheck signing

Nazem Kadri just signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames and that means that one of the most coveted free agent centers is off the table.  Of course, the New York Rangers made their mark in the free agent marketplace when they signed Vincent Trocheck to a seven-year, $39 million contract five weeks ago.  How does the Rangers’ big move compare to the other free agent signings this year?

Here’s a list of the top unrestricted free agent centers and what they signed for.

1. Nazem Kadri, 31, Calgary Flames: 7 years, $49 million ($7mm cap hit)
2. Vincent Trocheck, 29,  New York Rangers: 7 years, $39.375 million ($5.625mm cap hit)
3. Andrew Copp, 28, Detroit Red Wings: 5 years, $28.12 million  ($5.625mm cap hit)
4. Ryan Strome, 29, Anaheim Ducks: 5 years, $25 million  ($5mm cap hit)
5. Claude Giroux, 34,  Ottawa Senators: 3 years, $19.5 million  ($6.5mm cap hit)
6. Evgeni Malkin, 36, Pittsburgh Penguins: 4 years, $24.4 million  ($6.1mm cap hit)
7. Tomas Hertl, 28, San Jose Sharks: 8 years, $65.1 million  ($8.14mm cap hit)
8. Nicholas Paul, 27, Tampa Bay Lightning: 7 years, $22.05 million ($3.15mm cap hit)
9. Calle Jarnkrok, 30, Toronto Maple Leafs: 4 years, $8.4 million  ($2.1mm cap hit)
10. Jeff Carter, 37, Pittsburgh Penguins: 2 years, $6.25 million ($3.125mm cap hit)
11. Dylan Strome, 25, Washington Capitals: 1-year, $3.5 million ($3.5mm cap hit)
12. Patrice Bergeron,37,  Boston Bruins: 1-year, $2.5 million  ($2.5mm cap hit)

For comparison, there were several RFA centers who signed extensions with their current teams:

1. Josh Norris, 23, Ottawa Senators: 8 years, $63.6 million ($7.95mm cap hit)
2. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carolina Hurricanes: 8 years, $38.56 million ($4.82mm cap hit)
3. Jared McCann, 26, Seattle Kraken: 5 years, $25 million ($5mm cap hit)
4. Nicholas Roy, 25, Vegas Golden Knights: 5 years, $15 million ($3mm cap hit)
5. Jack Roslovic, 25, Columbus Blue Jackets: 2 years, $8 million ($4mm cap hit)
6. Pierre Luc-Dubois, 24, Winnipeg Jets: 1-year, $6 million ($6mm cap hit)

Let’s get some things out of the way. In the market for a second-line center, there were eight of the 12 that the Rangers had no shot at or desire to sign, including Giroux, Malkin, Hertl, Carter, Jarnkrok, Paul,  Dylan Strome, or Bergeron.

That means the only contenders were Kadri, Trocheck, Copp, and Ryan Strome. That’s a pretty limited selection and it’s one reason why Drury moved so quickly, inking Trocheck on day one of Free Agent Frenzy.

Here are some of the reasons he was the best choice.

Why Trocheck was the best choice

There are a number of reasons that signing Vincent Trocheck made the most sense.  What he brings to the table is exactly what the Rangers need next season as the only major addition to the team that made it to Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Of course, in an era when rosters are mostly determined by the salary cap, it’s just a fact that Kadri was out of the Rangers’ budget (thank goodness).  Some were surprised that Strome and Copp signed for a shorter term and less money than anticipated.  The bottom line is that Copp’s cap hit is exactly the same as Trocheck and Strome came in $625k cheaper.   For the additional two years on Trocheck’s contract, the Rangers are on the hook for about the same money that Copp and Strome will be making.

With Kadri costing more and Strome and Copp coming in at the same, here’s why Trocheck was by far the best choice.

Reason #1:   Offensive production

Vincent Trocheck has been a consistent goal and point producer his entire career.  In his best season with Florida, he scored 31 goals and 75 points (2017-18).  His career average over 82 games is 21 goals and 55 points.

Kadri had a career year this season with 28 goals and 87 points,   his career average over 82 games has been 25 goals and 57 points. His 59 assists this season almost doubled his career high of 30 assists in 2013-14.

Ryan Strome’s career averages don’t compare to Trocheck or Kadri, with 17 goals and 46 points per 82 games.  Similarly, Andrew Copp doesn’t compare to the top two with an average of 15 goals and 38 points per 82 games.

Keep in mind that both Strome and Copp were the beneficiaries of playing with Artemi Panarin and we have to expect that Trocheck will see a similar improvement in his offensive stats.  We have to see how Strome and Copp will do without the Breadman on their wing.

Reason #2: Faceoffs

If the Rangers had one glaring area of weakness this season, it was on the faceoff dots.  The Blueshirts finished 24th overall with a winning percentage of 48.1%.  Among the 16 playoff teams, that was better than only the Avalanche, Wild, and Capitals.

Mika Zibanejad led the way with 52.3%, the only center north of 50%.   Where it really hurt was on defensive zone draws with Ryan Strome leading the team with a 49.6% rating.  Zibanejad and Barclay Goodrow took the most defensive zone draws and Zibanejad was at 47.7% with Goodrow at 46.7%.

Vincent Trocheck won 54.6% of his draws but was the go-to guy for the Hurricanes in their own zone where he took the most draws of anyone on the team (514) and won 56% of them.

Kadri doesn’t compare at 49.7% overall and 46.1% on defensive zone draws while Copp won 49.6% of his draws, but only 43.2% in his own zone.

In fact, of the 17 skaters who took over 500 defensive zone draws, only Patrice Bergeron of Boston (59.3%) and the Devils’ Michael McLeod  (59.7%) had a better winning percentage than Trocheck’s 56%.

Finally, the Rangers have a center that they can count on to win important faceoffs.

Reason #3: Power play

Vincent Trocheck finished with six power-play goals and 12 power play points, playing for the Hurricanes who finished 13th overall with a 22% conversion rate.  He averages 2:53 minutes on the power play per game.  He has never had to rely on the man advantage to pad his offensive numbers.

Nazem Kadri had an excellent season on the power play, with eight goals and 29 points while playing almost four minutes per game with the man advantage.

Ryan Strome was ensconced on the first power play unit and finished with five goals and 14 points while averaging 2:47 power-play minutes per game.

Andrew Copp didn’t see much top power play time, finishing with one measly assist while averaging 1:53 per game with the man advantage.

There’s another reason that Trocheck will fit in well. He shoots righthanded just like Strome whereas Copp and Kadri are lefthanded shots. We all saw how the Rangers’ power play was out of kilter with Strome out and replaced by Copp.

So, we know that Trocheck is an offensive asset, but there are a few other things to consider.

Reason #7: Intangibles

There are a few other reasons that Trocheck was the right choice.  He had his best seasons under Gerard Gallant in Florida.  Trocheck is coming off an excellent playoff with six goals and 10 points in 14 games.  By signing Trocheck, the Rangers strengthened themselves while weakening a Metropolitan Division arch-rival.   While the Hurricanes appeared to make up for the loss by acquiring Max Pacioretty, their newest import will now miss the next six months recovering from Achilles tendon surgery.

Drury clearly had other options besides going the free agent route.  He could have looked for a trade.   Sean Monahan was sent from Calgary to Montreal.  The Blackhawks traded Kirby Dach to the Canadiens. He could have tried to pry some of the pending UFA’s like J.T. Miller or RFA’s like Pierre Luc-Dubois. Anthony Cirelli, Robert Thomas, and Jared McCann were away from their teams, but by signing Trocheck, he kept the crown jewels of their development system.

Some Blueshirts faithful are upset that the team let Copp escape after 36 games in a Rangers uniform at the cost of first and second-round picks and Morgan Barron. Signing Copp may have made that expense sting a little less.

But no matter that cost, they still rode Copp’s contributions to a second-place Met Division finish and got within a game of making it to the Stanley Cup Final.

No matter how you look at it, the signing of Vincent Trocheck should be a win-win for the Blueshirts.   With limited options and a glaring hole at the center, Chris Drury made a decisive move and came up with the best choice.  Now, it’s up to Trocheck to live up to the expectations.