Rangers at a Crossroads: Trocheck, Panarin, and the Reality of a Rebuild
The New York Rangers are staring down a familiar - and frustrating - question: if scoring depth was an issue with Artemi Panarin in the lineup, what exactly are they working with without him?
That brings us to Vincent Trocheck, the veteran center who’s often as tough to pin down as he is to play against. Trocheck’s been a reliable two-way presence, and at times, he's looked like a player capable of wearing the "C." But when Panarin’s not on the ice, the offensive burden shifts - and it’s not always clear who’s ready to carry it.
Let’s be real here: removing Panarin from the equation strips the Rangers of one of their most dynamic offensive weapons. That’s the kind of subtraction that doesn’t come with an easy fix.
You’re not just losing a point-per-game player - you’re losing a play-driver, a power-play anchor, a guy who forces defenses to adjust every time he hops over the boards. Without him, the Rangers’ attack can feel like a toy with the batteries missing.
And while the front office continues to insist this is a "retool," it’s looking more and more like a full-scale rebuild. The pieces don’t quite fit, and the cracks are starting to show.
Hockey historian and longtime Rangers observer George Grimm put it bluntly: “Drury has plenty of bottom-six forwards, but the top six is severely lacking. Even with Panarin, they never had six legitimate scoring threats.”
That’s the crux of the issue. The Rangers have depth - but not the kind that wins playoff series.
The lineup is heavy on grinders and role players, light on elite finishers beyond Panarin. And the long-term deals with "No Move" clauses?
Those are starting to look like anchors more than assets.
Grimm didn’t hold back on that front either: “No-move clauses put players in a comfort zone. They need to be playing like they’re earning their next contract - not coasting on the last one.”
It’s a tough spot for GM Chris Drury. In today’s NHL, top-tier free agents rarely sign without the security of long-term deals and no-move protections.
Agents push for them, and Drury has often obliged. Alexis Lafrenière is a prime example - still developing, still inconsistent, but locked in.
Grimm’s take? This isn’t a quick fix.
“It’s going to take time. Anyone who thinks one or two moves will turn this around is fooling themselves.
But it has to start somewhere.”
That “somewhere” is Madison Square Garden - 7th Avenue and 33rd Street - where fans are seeing through the semantics. Call it a "retool" if you want, but the writing on the wall spells R-E-B-U-I-L-D.
And that’s no short-term project. This could be a long road back to contention. Just ask fans in Buffalo - they’ve lived through a decade of promises and patience.
The Rangers still have talent. They still have pieces worth building around. But until the top six is truly dangerous and the roster is freed from the weight of immovable contracts, they’ll be stuck somewhere between what they were and what they hope to be.
And without Panarin, that gap just got a whole lot wider.