The New York Rangers had a big bounce-back shutout victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, but an injury update for Vincent Trocheck after the game left fans with a negative takeaway. Trocheck is an integral part of the Rangers both at even strength and on special teams, and any extended absence will leave them with a massive hole.
Mollie Walker reported postgame that Trocheck was still under evaluation for the upper-body injury he suffered, and Mike Sullivan had no other updates at that time.
Trocheck had 59 points in 82 games last season, a year after he helped lead the Rangers to the President's Trophy with a career-high 77 points. He has been a reliable player over the past few seasons, playing in the majority of the team's games and playing massive minutes each night.
The Rangers moved Mika Zibanejad to the wing in hopes of rediscovering his form after he struggled last season. If Trocheck is out of the lineup for an extended time, they might have to explore moving Zibanejad back to the middle. Depending on whether Sullivan believes he can handle the added responsibility, he might try moving Noah Laba up in the lineup after the rookie made the team out of training camp.
Trocheck's line had a quiet night in their shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, but the center had the primary assist on Alexis Lafreniere's first goal Thursday night. The trio of Trocheck, Lafreniere, and Artemi Panarin had an impressive first period, but Trocheck left the bench in the second period and didn't return.
The Rangers are starting to look a little thin down the middle as J.T. Miller also looks unhealthy after suffering a lower-body injury in training camp. While New York's new captain is trying to battle through and stay in the lineup, an added responsibility with Vincent Trocheck out won't aid in his recovery.
