The New York Rangers somewhat surprisingly didn't trade Vincent Trocheck ahead of the deadline earlier this month, despite general manager Chris Drury reportedly having multiple offers on the table for the star forward.
While there has been rampant speculation as to why that is — especially after the franchise got an underwhelming return for Artemi Panarin from the Los Angeles Kings — Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shed some light on the situation on Thursday.
“With the cap going up and the free-agent class shrinking, teams believe term will become even more valuable for trade targets. That’s one of the reasons the Rangers didn’t move Vincent Trocheck,” the hockey insider wrote in his latest 32 Thoughts column.
“Maybe someone wouldn’t pay the price this month, but how about this summer? That’s their bet.”
If that's the thinking for the Blueshirts' brass, it does make sense. The salary cap is set to rise steadily over the next couple of seasons, and it isn't a stacked free agent class this summer. Multiple pending UFAs could re-sign with their current teams, too, players like Alex Tuch, Evgeni Malkin and Bobby McMann, just to name a few.
Trocheck has three seasons remaining on his contract at a very reasonable $5.625 million cap hit. He's managed an excellent 47 points in 53 games in 2025-26, and was part of a Team USA penalty kill at the Winter Olympics that didn't give up a single goal en route to winning gold for the first time since 1980.
The 32-year-old is a terrific player at both ends of the rink, and with the Rangers announcing a retool earlier this season, it makes sense for player and club to move on.
Trocheck has never won a Stanley Cup, and he isn't getting any younger. He deserves a chance to chase a ring, something he didn't do last year in New York, and won't do this year either.
It'll be interesting to see if the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native does get a change of scenery over the summer — and what the return ends up being for what will be one of the top trade chips on the market.
