In dissecting the New York Rangers on the most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman pointed to one specific player other teams would have the most interest in trading for. However, the respected NHL Insider admitted it’s highly unlikely the Rangers would try and move this player no matter what the return would be.
That player is Vincent Trocheck.
“I’ll say this, if there as one guy who was available — and I don’t see it — that teams would be climbing up buildings to get, it would be Trocheck,” Friedman stated. “If he was available, teams would be killing themselves to get him.”
It’s a solid take because Trocheck is New York’s best two-way forward, especially with the stunning decline of Mika Zibanejad. Trocheck plays every game situation as the top-line center, is on PP1 and a key penalty killer. The 31-year-old leads Rangers forwards with 21:33 TOI and is fourth among all Blueshirts with 10 goals and 22 points. He is also again among the League leaders, winning 61.5 percent of his face-offs.
Like many Rangers, Trocheck’s offensive production is down — he had an NHL career-high 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) last season — but his effort and passion never wavers. He and teammate Will Cuylle are among seven NHL players with at least 10 goals and 100 hits this season.
So, yeah, there’s a lot to love about Trocheck. And if the Rangers are looking to really remake this team, they could get a haul in return for the center.
But you’d have to believe there’s pretty much zero chance the Rangers will move him, first because of all the reasons listed above. Trocheck is a valuable — perhaps invaluable — member of this team, and quite possibly its next captain. He’s stepped up and become the Rangers vocal leader since the previous captain, Jacob Trouba, was traded a few weeks ago.
Then there’s his contract. Trocheck has a full no-move clause through the end of this season. It’s almost impossible to envision why the Rangers would ask him to waive that in order to move him. Talk about a needless messy situation!
No, there’s zero reason to move Trocheck, who has another three years at a modest $5.625 million AAV to go on his current deal, even with his no-move clause being replaced by a limited no-trade one beginning in 2025-26. And Friedman knows it.
“He has control and I’m not convinced they would want to do that,” he said.
Rangers ‘far from finished with major changes,’ NHL Insider believes
However, Friedman does believe big moves are still on the way for the Rangers. He cited Larry Brooks’ column in the New York Post this past weekend blasting the players as part of his confidence in stating that there’s more to come following the trades of Trouba and Kaapo Kakko earlier this month.
“That column says to me because of who wrote it and how connected (he is) in that organization that we are far from finished with major change for the Rangers,” Friedman said.
Friedman reiterated a prior stated belief that the Rangers could make things so uncomfortable for Zibanejad that the 31-year-old center would waive his no-trade clause for a move out of New York. Zibanejad was just removed from the top power-play unit. And previously he was dropped to the third line and had his minutes cut drastically.
Zibanejad was back between his usual linemates Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. He was held without a point for the seventh straight game and fell to minus-21 on the season. He has six goals in 35 games.
So, that, coupled with the Rangers (16-18-1) stunning fall into last place in the Metropolitan Division amid a miserable 4-14-0 stretch, makes Zibanejad a target, for sure.
Friedman also touched on coach Peter Laviolette possibly taking the fall for this disastrous season to date.
“Peter Laviolette is caught in the middle of all this,” he explained. “He’s been around a long time. He knows this is a results-oriented business. But Peter Laviolette has to be sitting here thinking, just like the rest of us, just what on earth happened? How did we end up where we are? I’m sure he’s at as much of a loss for words as everyone else is.”
It’s a shocking turn of events. From Presidents’ Trophy winner last season and being just two wins from the Stanley Cup Final to … this. The Rangers are just one point out of last place in the 16-team Eastern Conference.
This is the new reality. Let’s see what’s next for the Rangers.
