The New York Rangers have committed to a rebuild and have already traded away Artemi Panarin. The next player to go is likely to be Vincent Trocheck, and there have been rumors that Trocheck has a strong preference to stay on the East Coast if he is traded.
Now, Trocheck is confirming those rumors, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
“I'm sure you're relating to the ‘I don't want to be out West’ talk on Instagram or Twitter or whatever. And, yeah, it's not a secret. They are on my no trade cause, family is important to me and my family is on the east coast,” the Rangers forward told the media.
Trocheck is in the fourth year of a seven-year deal he signed with the Rangers ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He has a modified no-trade clause on his contract that allows him to make a 12-team no-trade list. While it would be impossible for him to eliminate all West Coast teams within the 12, he could eliminate almost every contending team that would be interested in his services. Further, he would like to stay in the East with a contending team.
“And I am 32 years old, I would like to win a Stanley Cup,” Trochek added.
The American-born player has spent most of his life on the East Coast. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and played his junior hockey in Saginaw, Michigan. He was then the sixth overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers, and played with the franchise from 2013-14 until being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019-20. Trocheck spent two more seasons in Carolina before joining the Rangers ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
At 23-29-7, the Rangers are in last place in the Eastern Conference. As Trochek awaits for a possible trade, the team takes the ice again on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
