The New York Rangers have until 3:00 p.m. ET Friday to make some trades to help with their roster retool. The best chance the Rangers have at getting a premium return is by trading away center Vincent Trocheck. While, yes, it does make the Rangers roster worse off, he can fetch them some top prospects and draft capital, given that he is a center, a position that's highly in demand at the trade deadline.
It's known that the Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, and Carolina Hurricanes are all linked to a Trocheck trade. For Rangers fans, they are hoping that a bidding war ensues so the trade returns could get much more lucrative. The St. Louis Blues may have helped with that.
Blues' high asking price for Robert Thomas might have just helped out Chris Drury in Vincent Trocheck trade talks
On Tuesday, TSN NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that talks between the Blues and Buffalo Sabres regarding center Robert Thomas were "heating up." The Athletic's Chris Johnston also reported that the Sabres were offering the "equivalent of multiple first rounders" for Thomas. So, it felt as though the Sabres were making serious gains to acquire Thomas.
That all changed on Wednesday morning. Dreger followed up on his report, saying that the Blues are not budging on their ask of prospects, a player, and a first-round pick for Thomas. Dreger says that the Sabres "aren't willing to part with the necessary pieces." Now, it appears that talks are dead between the two teams regarding a Thomas trade.
Update: It’s believed St Louis/Buffalo went the distance on Thomas trade talks. Sounds like the Sabres aren’t willing to part with the necessary pieces. (Prospects, Player, 1st). Still teams nibbling, but the Blues are firm in what the return needs to be for the young center.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 4, 2026
It's understandable why the Blues have a high asking price for Thomas. He is 26 years old, shown to be a consistent 80 point scorer the previous two seasons, and is under contract through the 2030-31 season. They are open to trading him, but only if they get a premium in return.
This latest update should make Drury happy. Realistically, the Sabres were the most serious in their pursuit of Thomas. Now, they have seemingly backed out of talks due to the Blues' exorbitant asking price. That should help Trocheck's market with one of the top centers in Thomas seemingly off the market.
It's already known that the Wild and General Manager Bill Guerin is serious about acquiring Trocheck. After all, he did name Trocheck to the United States' Olympic roster despite taking legitimate heat for doing so. Yet Trocheck played his role as gritty penalty killer and face-off winner tremendously, and they won a gold medal. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reports that the Wild have already made an offer for Trocheck, which is believed to center around prospect Charlie Stramel and a 2027 first-round pick.
Rangers fans are hoping for a bidding war to ensure a better offer is made. The Red Wings have a deep pool of prospects that could help the Rangers build a stronger team in the future. As for the Hurricanes, the Rangers have done business with them before, but it's unknown how much they are willing to offer. But if recent seasons have showed us anything, it's that they are not afraid to throw around prospects and draft picks to bring in a top player for a Stanley Cup push.
The clock is ticking, and maybe, just maybe, teams become a bit more desperate to land a center and offer more than they initially anticipated. Drury and Rangers fans sure are hoping that happens, because this team needs as many top prospects as possible.