Vincent Trocheck’s First Month as a Ranger: A Successful Start

When the Rangers signed Vincent Trocheck to a seven-year contract to become their second-line center, fans were asking many questions. Will he be able to play well with Artemi Panarin the way Ryan Strome did? Is he going to be able to find chemistry with the other top players and be able to fit in on the top power-play unit, which was the top five in the league? Over a month into the season, and so far, Vincent Trocheck has lived up to exceptions.

In 11 games, Trocheck has put up 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points. His linemates for the majority of the season have been Alexis Lafreniere on the right wing and Artemi Panarin on the left wing. They have been one of the most deadly lines on the team so far and have created so many offensive chances and while many of them have not gone into the net, it is only a matter of time.

Before the season, I wrote a piece about whether or not Trocheck and Panarin could find chemistry fast enough as they did not look good in the couple of pre-season games they played. After 11 games, It is safe to say that Trocheck is getting more comfortable playing with Panarin each game.  They are finding each other on passes and Trocheck is going to the areas where Strome would not have gone and Panarin is finding him with incredible passes. Some may even say that Trocheck is a better fit than Strome, but that debate should be settled after at least one full season of the Panarin-Trocheck connection.

For Trocheck, his defensive game has also been very important to the Rangers. He has been a key fixture on the penalty kill and has even had some short-handed chances to start the year. His ability to win face-offs has also been a key element that the Rangers have been missing for many years. Both his offensive and defensive game have greatly helped the Rangers to start the year.

As the season goes along, Vinny is only going to get more comfortable playing for the team and his chemistry with Artemi Panarin is going to get even stronger. The addition of Vincent Trocheck has been a positive one and fans and the team can only hope that it gets even better from here.