The New York Rangers fanbase got a glimpse of what general manager Chris Drury had in mind when it came to the team's roster retool. One of the main dominoes to fall since the NHL Draft was the team finally trading center Vincent Trocheck after being on the block for months. On July 1, the official start of free agency, the Rangers dealt Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi, forward prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a 2027 third-round draft pick.
On paper, it didn't seem like the grand return that fans were expecting and what Drury was reportedly looking for. But when looking at it, they have a new puck-moving defenseman that head coach Mike Sullivan was seeking in Durzi and a much-needed young center prospect in Beaudoin, who is coming off of an 88-point performance in the OHL this past season.
This all comes with Trocheck getting usurped by Dylan Larkin as the top center on the trade market. With that, it was expected Trocheck would be pushed to the side as every team went to pursue Larkin. Luckily for the Rangers, the Larkin market basically stalled out due to the Red Wings captain's limited trade wishlist. This all comes as reports indicated that Drury was more than willing to wait for Larkin to get traded so he could control the center market with Trocheck.
New reporting suggests that the Rangers were wise to strike with the Mammoth trade offer.
Rangers were correct to strike on Vincent Trocheck trade with Dylan Larkin's market at standstill
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press recently noted that Larkin has not expanded his trade wishlist, which only included the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights. St. James says that neither of those three teams have made an offer strong enough to get Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman to approve of a trade.
Does this sound like a situation that is going to resolve any time soon? The answer is an overwhelming no.
The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported shortly after Larkin's trade request that Yzerman asked his agent, Pat Brisson, to expand his trade list. Now, weeks later, it's been revealed that Larkin hasn't done that. Plus, Yzerman said after the draft that he doesn't necessarily have to fulfill Larkin's trade request. So, there is a standstill.
LeBrun mentioned separately that he heard around the league that the Rangers preferred waiting for Larkin to get traded before they considered dealing Trocheck, so they would be able to control the center market. If that was their decision, it very well could have been disastrous, especially when considering the new reporting surrounding Larkin. The Red Wings want a lot in return, and neither of the teams Larkin wants to get traded to have even tempted the team. Based on this, this trade saga might extend into the regular season. So playing the waiting game could have resulted in the Rangers missing out on enticing returns from other teams for Trocheck.
Luckily for Drury and the Rangers, they got an offer they simply couldn't refuse from the Mammoth, as it addressed two areas of need. Who knows if that offer would have been available weeks and months down the line if the Rangers were going to wait on Larkin to get moved before trading Trocheck.
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