Rangers' Vincent Trocheck breaks silence on trade rumors, reveals preference

Vincent Trocheck knows what's coming.

The New York Rangers are rebuilding, and the 32-year old center doesn't make sense to keep around. The NHL trade deadline is Friday, and it'd be logical to expect Trocheck to get moved this week.

"It's not secret," Trocheck told The Athletic's Vince Z. Mercogliano.

Trocheck also revealed that he prefers to stay east, and that "(West teams) are on my no-trade list."

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That does have fans asking one key question in the replies: How about Minnesota?

The Wild are in the Western Conference, but GM Bill Guerin's connection to the Olympic team has many wondering if Minnesota would be a landing spot for Trocheck.

On that front, it'll apparently just be something that reveals itself more as the week goes along.

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Trocheck, coming off a Team USA gold medal, would be a great addition for a contending team.

This season, he has played in 45 games for the Rangers. He has 12 goals and 26 assists (38 points). He also has 137 hits and 34 blocked shots.

Trocheck isn't a first-line center, but teams wouldn't be trading for him to be one.

He's a gritty guy to slot into your middle-six and know he'll get the job done while bringing a physicality to the ice, as well.

Trocheck is averaging 20 minutes and 53 seconds of ice time this season for the Rangers, so he can be plugged into any role a new team needs.

And evidently, he won't be surprised by a deal.

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• It'll be complicated to trade for Steven Stamkos
• Alex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plans
• Evgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future