Per Daily Faceoff, the Vincent Trocheck trade rumors are heating up, and one team that is heavily involved is the Minnesota Wild. Trocheck and Wild GM Bill Guerin have a connection, as Trocheck will play for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Guerin has also been trying to land a center since this past offseason, adding fuel to the fire. Acquiring Quinn Hughes cost them Marco Rossi, another center, so there’s a strong need for a center and it’s a good fit.

Trocheck is a solid 2C that can put up 60 points and has another three years at $5.625 million. He’s a bargain at that dollar amount, even when factoring in his age. The Wild need bargains with Kirill Kaprizov’s massive $17 million cap hit on the books starting next season. The Trocheck trade rumors pass the sniff test here, though the trade return gives me pause.

The Rangers are in a retool, not a rebuild. That eliminates the possibility of futures like draft picks and prospects. Minnesota has two forwards under 25 years old that could be considered realistic trade targets: Danila Yurov and Hunter Haight. What’s interesting is Minnesota recalled Haight on Friday, after Chris Drury announced the retool. Could be a coincidence, could be something more.

Yurov, a 21 year old left wing, was Minnesota’s 1st round pick in 2022. He’s stuck with the Wild this year, with 7 goals and 17 points in 41 games this year. Haight, Minnesota’s 2nd round pick in 2022, has just two NHL games under his belt and has underwhelming numbers in the AHL as a teenager. Haight fills a big need at center, but Yurov has the higher ceiling and plays with more of an edge.

On defense, the only interesting player is David Spacek, a 22 year old RD who has a high ceiling as a two-way defenseman who is strong in his own and and can put up points in the right situation.

Without us truly knowing what else is on the table, Drury could do far worse than Trocheck for Yurov and Spacek as a framework. The Trocheck trade rumors to Minnesota do make sense, but it depends on what else is out there.

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