The Winter Olympics are officially over and on Thursday, the New York Rangers officially return to action when they take on the rival Philadelphia Flyers. The clock is officially ticking for the Rangers and General Manager Chris Drury, as they take the next steps of their retool.
After trading Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy, the next domino expected to fall is center Vincent Trocheck, who is fresh off of winning an Olympic gold medal. For Trocheck, he is considered by many NHL insiders and reporters as the top player available at the March 6 trade deadline. As it turns out, the pressure has increased for Drury.
The Athletic's Chris Johnston said on his latest edition of his NHL trade board that the Rangers' trade of Trocheck will likely set the market for centers at the trade deadline.
"...there’s a sense leading into this trade deadline that the Rangers will likely establish the going rate for a center with their return in a Trocheck deal. Of note: The player’s contract includes a 12-team no-trade list," writes Johnston
Pressure is mounting for Chris Drury to get Vincent Trocheck trade right
That's a ton of pressure being placed on Drury, and understandably so. Trocheck is considered to be the best player available at the deadline and could very well be the next domino to fall. Center is a premium position of need, especially for playoff contenders. Other centers like Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames are all listed as the top centers available.
Trocheck may not be an incredibly productive center in terms of scoring, but he makes up for it in other ways. Trocheck is one of the top face-off centers in the game, as evidenced by his 56.5 face-off win percentage through 43 games this season. Trocheck increased his value in the Winter Olympics, primarily on the penalty kill. In the entire tournament, the United States was a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill, and Trocheck and fellow Ranger J.T. Miller received plenty of credit for it. So, that only showed how much more valuable Trocheck can be for their playoff push.
Drury needs to ensure he gets the most value back imaginable for the Rangers. In the Soucy trade with the Islanders, they only received a 2026 third-round pick. Then there was the Panarin trade with the Los Angeles Kings. Since Panarin had a full no-trade clause, Drury didn't have much leverage. In return, the Kings sent over prospect Liam Greentree and a conditional 2026 third-round pick.
The Rangers need to restock their farm system, which isn't in great shape considering the fact that the Hartford Wolf Pack are among the worst teams in the AHL. Prospects that were called up by the Rangers haven't made the impact they were expected to.
With Trocheck, they can get some draft capital and prospects to try and build toward their future. That's all well and good. But for Drury and the Rangers, they need to ensure they hit a home run in trades. In terms of prospects, the Rangers must improve their developmental plan to ensure these players reach their potential.
Considering the rest of the league is looking at the Rangers to see what the going rate for a top center can be, Drury better ensure he gets a huge, premium return. The stakes are high.