At age 29, Vincent Trocheck signed his seven‑year, $39.375 million dollar contract with the New York Rangers in July 2022. It was viewed as a significant step in the right direction and seemed to address many of the Blueshirts’ needs at the time. The specific reason Chris Drury targeted him, however, was Trocheck’s 52.1% faceoff percentage — an area in which the Rangers were in dire need of improvement.
Many people on Rangers Twitter believed his $5.63 million AAV was an overpay and too much term for someone they assumed would end up as the team’s third‑line center. The prevailing thought was after the Rangers’ 2021–2022 run to the Eastern Conference Final was that Filip Chytil would finally take the next step and become the everyday second‑line center. Underperformance and constant injuries derailed that pipe dream quickly.
Trocheck himself even stated that his main reasons for coming to New York were the opportunity to play with Artemi Panarin on the second line and the chance to reunite with his former Florida Panthers coach, Gerard Gallant. Looks like Trocheck knew it was only a matter of time before he became the Breadman’s center.
Fast‑forward to 2026, and we can objectively say that Drury’s signing was an absolute steal at that price point. But the fact remains: the now‑32‑year‑old Trocheck isn’t getting any younger, and the Rangers don’t appear anywhere close to sniffing a playoff spot. Naturally, that has led to the inevitable trade rumors.
Vincent Trocheck featured on NHL Insider's trade board
Nick Kypreos, an NHL Insider who also won a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994, brought Trocheck’s name up in his Sportsnet Trade Board column on January 14th. He mused that if Trocheck is going to repeatedly make negative post‑game comments about his team’s play — and honestly, what else is he supposed to say at this point? — then the looming reset for this iteration of the Broadway Blueshirts may very well include trading him.
On his latest trade board, @RealKyper covers the rebuild going on in Vancouver and who could be on the move, plus what else he's hearing from around the league. https://t.co/gT22aS7UJl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 14, 2026
Trocheck still has three years left on his seven‑year deal, and this season he holds a modified no‑trade clause limiting him to 12 teams that he can't be traded to. One can only assume those 12 are either non‑contenders or geographically undesirable for Trocheck and or his family.
But the fact remains: he can be traded. And if Drury truly tries to force Panarin out, Trocheck may welcome a move to a contender where he can play meaningful hockey again.
Make no mistake — if the Rangers trade Vincent Trocheck and eventually Artemi Panarin, they will be waving the white flag on the season from the front office, just as they seem to have done on the ice. That would put them squarely in the mix for one of the “Big Three” in this upcoming NHL Draft: Gavin McKenna, the dynamic left winger from Penn State; Ivar Stenberg, the skilled left winger from Sweden; and Keaton Verhoeff, the standout defenseman from North Dakota.
But I’m getting ahead of myself by imagining one of those franchise‑changing studs wearing a Blueshirt come late June.
If the Rangers truly entertain offers for Trocheck, what could the return be? I think it could be significant for the right team. They could realistically fetch a first‑round pick in this stacked draft and a high‑end prospect — and call it a day.
Trocheck is everything you want in a playoff performer. He could be the missing piece for a team chasing the Stanley Cup. He’s versatile enough to play anywhere in the lineup, has no ego, and can contribute on special teams or serve as a faceoff specialist if needed. He can be an agitator or a high‑end playmaking center. He really does do it all, and it would be a shame for the Rangers to move him — but that’s the reality right now.
What also makes him enticing is his contract. At $5.63 million per year, any coach or general manager could justify slotting him anywhere in a Cup‑chasing lineup.
The more I write this, the more intrigued I get — and almost selfishly, I want this to happen for both sides. Trocheck is a warrior who deserves to win, and the Rangers are a prospect‑starved team that desperately needs the kind of return he could bring.
There’s a lot that can happen between now and March 6th (and possibly sooner), but the writing is on the wall for Trocheck and several other Rangers. Maybe they can hear Vecna’s clock ticking on their Rangers tenures, and maybe they’re ready to escape the Upside Down of Madison Square Garden and return to the real world of NHL Stanley Cup contention.