The New York Rangers had an eventful offseason, where they made a variety of big moves to both get younger and improve their roster. One of the top items on their checklist was to trade center Vincent Trocheck, who they held onto past the March trade deadline. With the addition of Dylan Larkin on the trade market, there was some doubts as to whether or not the Rangers could get a quality return.
All it took was for the Utah Mammoth to offer defenseman Sean Durzi, forward prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a 2027 third-round pick for Trocheck. The Rangers accepted the deal, and Trocheck's time in New York is officially over. While Trocheck getting traded felt like a formality this offseason, that doesn't mean the Rangers didn't have second thoughts.
During the final episode of the season for the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Rangers did consider keeping Trocheck on the roster. Ultimately though, Friedman said that the Rangers felt like it was time to make a trade.
Elliotte Friedman reveals Rangers considered keep Vincent Trocheck for upcoming season before Utah trade
“I was a little surprised that they did not keep Trocheck when they traded for [Pavel] Dorofeyev. I just think, like, Dorofeyev is a talented guy, and he can score, but, you know, he's a killer on the power play, and in Vegas, he had guys setting him up. And, you know, they still have some talent there, [Mika] Zibanejad, obviously, [J.T.] Miller, obviously, but Trochek really could have helped that. And I actually heard that the Rangers thought about it, but I just think it was, it was time. I think for Trochek, it was time. And we'll talk more about him in the Utah section, but even though I think the Rangers kind of thought about keeping him, I just think everybody had been too far gone, it was time," said Friedman.
Considering the way the offseason was transpiring for the Rangers, especially when swinging and missing for the likes of Larkin and Brady Tkachuk, it was worth wondering if was worth just keeping Trocheck on the roster heading into the 2026-27 season. As Friedman brings up, the Rangers pulled off a stunning draft night trade for Pavel Dorofeyev, bringing them a much-needed, legitimate young scorer to their top six. Considering that, keeping Trocheck would have only made their forward group stronger.
But, as Friedman says, it felt as though both sides needed to move on. The Mammoth gave the Rangers an offer they simply couldn't refuse.
Durzi fills the role the Rangers were seeking this offseason in the form of a puck-moving defenseman. That, and he will slot into the top four of their defense, which will feature himself, Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Marcus Pettersson. Heading into the offseason, defense was a question mark, and now, it looks like a strength for the Rangers on paper.
As for Beaudoin, he is a welcome additon to their prospect pipeline. If there has been one complaint about the Rangers, it's the lack of NHL-ready forward prospects in the AHL. In Beaudoin, they are getting a powerful center who just put up 88 points in 54 games in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. He slots in as a potential middle six forward in the pros, and could potentially land a spot on the Rangers' roster with a strong training camp.
For the Rangers, they were considering their options. Ultimately, the Mammoth were offering just what they needed, and decided that Trocheck was worth parting ways with. As is the case with all of general manager Chris Drury's moves, they will be under the proverbial microscope to see if his decision was correct or wrong.
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