.jpg)
1 hour ago
3
The New York Rangers made a bold call with Vincent Trocheck before the NHL trade deadline in March.
Despite trading away Artemi Panarin, the Rangers didn't follow through on all the Trocheck trade conversations.
They had good reason -- they thought the offers could be better.
"The veteran center spent most of the season at or near the top of our trade board and remains there now," The Athletic's Chris Johnston wrote this week. "After scratching Trocheck for roster management purposes prior to the trade deadline in March, the Rangers opted to hold on to him in anticipation of stronger offers in the summer."
MORE: Mitch Marner can't quite escape the haters
The Rangers have now reached the point in the calendar where they hope that decision to hold Trocheck pays off.
There's always a chance they don't get an offer they like now, either, and that could make things a little bit confusing.
But on paper, Trocheck is the kind of player a lot of teams should be interested in.
"Trocheck is an appealing target for teams looking to get stronger down the middle as a solid faceoff man and penalty killer who can handle heavy, difficult minutes," Johnston writes. "He’s one of the few impact players at that position who appears to be truly available right now."
A number of teams will likely be after Dylan Larkin, but his Olympic teammate Trocheck would be a solid alternative.
The center market in free agency is really weak, so any team looking to make a big splash at that spot likely needs to consider making a trade.
Trocheck won't come cheap, given that the Rangers have been waiting a while to actually go through with such a trade. They could hold onto him, too, with three more seasons under contract, so this could still take some more twists.
English (US)