The center market has taken a few interesting twists and turns this week, primarily with Charlie Coyle choosing to stay in Columbus, and there's news today that directly involves Vincent Trocheck and the New York Rangers.
According to Darren Dreger, the Rangers are trying to move Trocheck's contract, and the Maple Leafs are among the teams that have some interest in him.
🚨 Darren Dreger says the Maple Leafs have interest in Vincent Trocheck #LeafsForever https://t.co/aXLyRRwfRo pic.twitter.com/0D8a6ZvTwf
— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) May 14, 2026
What we know about Trocheck's situation already
There are a few things to consider about the report, and the good thing for Drury is that there are reportedly multiple teams interested. In some respects Trocheck holds some of the cards because he has a 12-team no trade list which can eliminate potential landing spots.
At the deadline Trocheck was pretty direct about what he was looking for, and that gives fans a pretty good idea of what his market could look like. "I am 32 years old, and I would like to win a Stanley Cup." That was a direct quote from the Rangers' veteran center, and it is up for debate whether or not Toronto would qualify as a contender.
The other quote of note made mention to location.
Via Mollie Walker of the New York Post:
"I'm sure you're relating to the ‘I don't want to be out West’ talk on Instagram or Twitter or whatever," Trocheck said. "And, yeah, it's not a secret. They are on my no-trade clause. Family is important to me, and my family is on the East Coast."
Toronto is on the East Coast, but it is in another country which makes back and forth travel a little more involved. It wouldn't be impossible, but it is still something worth considering.
Toronto's cap situation
Trocheck has a pretty reasonable cap hit at $5.625 million for the next two seasons, and as of today the Leafs are expected to have $22,154,284 million in space without having too many free agents to deal with. Matias Macceli and Nick Robertson are the forward RFAs of note but neither will break the bank. The team is well positioned to absorb his full salary, and that should make a potential trade easy for the Rangers.
John Chayka and Mats Sundin recently joined the organization in management roles, and it is no surprise that after quite an underwhelming season that they are already looking for ways to change the mix of their current group.
One potential snag could be trade compensation, as the Rangers likely want at least a first round pick in the trade. Toronto is picking No. 1 overall this year, they have already traded their 2027 first round pick, and their 2028 first round pick has also been moved. They will likely receive a first round pick next year from Colorado to complete the Nic Roy trade, but if it were to fall in the lottery, it would slide to 2028.
Where things go from here
Trocheck ended this season with 53 points in 67 games played, an improvement from last season in which he played all 82 games and had 59 points. He was very good for Team USA at the Olympics, and after seeing how their playoffs went, you imagine a team like Minnesota will circle back and check on Trocheck's availability.
That Toronto is publicly interested, among others, should help get things moving. This is an important summer for the Rangers, and getting a good return for Trocheck would be a nice start that helps put the team on a path back to contention.
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