The New York Rangers may hold one of the most valuable assets of any NHL team this offseason. And that is veteran two-way center Vincent Trocheck .
Expected to be a hot commodity on the trade market, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported Wednesday that there's already a "ton of interest" in Trocheck.
Walker pointed out that general manager Chris Drury and the Rangers are "being rewarded" for not moving Trocheck ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline. With more teams clamoring for a solid top-six center, the salary-cap rising to $104 million in 2026-27, and Trocheck's no-trade list falling to 10 teams (from 12) on July 1, there's a robust market for the 33-year-old.
That Trocheck is under contract for three more years at an affordable annual salary of $5.625 million , only makes the seven-time 20-goal scorer and face-off demon that more attractive.
It's not that Trocheck wasn't attractive before the trade deadline, of course. There was interest in him; but Drury opted not to trade him when offers failed to meet his high expectations. So, despite being scratched for roster management reasons right before the deadline and publicly proclaiming his desire to be traded to a true Stanley Cup contender , Trocheck instead finished the 2025-26 season with the Rangers.
At the time, Drury said that if Trocheck is traded, this summer should provide more and better options for the Rangers. Walker reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs already reached out to the Rangers to discuss Trocheck, after complications following offseason back surgery put Max Domi's season in doubt in 2026-27.
There are reports connecting the Rangers and Canadiens in trade talks for Trocheck, though Walker cited League sources stating that is not the case.
A Montreal source told Forever Blueshirts that "The Habs looked at him pre-deadline, also had interest in other forwards (Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas). They want to improve the lineup, but rather avoid older players. … They'd probably have to move some money around, too."
Walker added that neither the Minnesota Wild nor Detroit Red Wings "has followed up yet" after being in on Trocheck in March. So, outside of the Maple Leafs, we don't know exactly which other teams are engaging with Drury in talks about the 2026 Olympic gold medalist. But there's certainly reason to believe Trocheck's going to be a hot commodity this summer, especially after star centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel re-upped with their teams and came off the free-agent market, and even Charlie Coyle re-signed on a six-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Drury can let the market come to him this offseason. And there's no set in stone deadline to worry about either, though all teams want to know what their roster's going to look like at least by by mid-July or so.
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