The Rangers’ offseason reset is already taking shape, but Chris Drury’s biggest swing may be turning into his biggest test.
New York came out of the NHL Draft in Buffalo with a clear direction. The team spent multiple high draft picks on left-handed defensemen, including fifth overall selection Alberts Smits. Then the Rangers went after offense, dealing multiple draft picks to the Vegas Golden Knights for Pavel Dorofeyev and signing him to a seven-year, $77 million contract extension.
That gives Drury a strong opening move heading into free agency on July 1. It also leaves one of the roster’s trickiest questions hanging in the air: Vincent Trocheck.
The Rangers explored moving Trocheck at the March deadline, but kept him through the rest of the season with the idea of revisiting his market this summer. That approach was supposed to create leverage. Instead, the situation around the center market has made it tougher to cash in.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that New York’s price on Trocheck has only gone up.
"I heard the Rangers still have a very high ask there, if not higher than the deadline," said Friedman, "...but I heard the Rangers ask on Trocheck was very high. Very high."
At one point, Trocheck looked like the premier center available. That changed when Dylan Larkin asked the Detroit Red Wings for a trade. Larkin is younger and more prominent, and that immediately pushed Trocheck down the list.
The problem for the Rangers is that Larkin’s situation has not moved quickly. He gave Detroit a short three-team list of preferred destinations: the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Golden Knights.
But the Panthers are effectively out after acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman also asked Larkin to widen his list of options.
Then after the draft, Yzerman said he does not have to trade Larkin unless the return is strong enough.
That has made Trocheck’s market even less certain.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently questioned Drury’s choice not to move Trocheck at the deadline, and said the Rangers are waiting for Larkin to be dealt so they can try to control the center market. That was always a gamble. Raising the asking price on top of it only makes the bet riskier.
Friedman also raised the possibility that the Rangers could simply keep Trocheck, especially after adding Dorofeyev.
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What makes the move especially notable is the commitment behind it, with Pettersson locked in for five more seasons at a $5.5 million cap hit. The kind of trade return New York sent out suggests this was not a short-term patch, but a sign the front office is trying to keep the club in the fight while addressing a need that has lingered on the back end. [Read more 🡒]