It didn’t take long for John Chayka and the Leafs to start getting connected to the Rangers. Darren Dreger noted the Leafs have interest in Vincent Trocheck, likely to fill a 2C hole and shift John Tavares down to 3C. The segment went into tinfoil hat scenarios that because Trocheck is American, the Leafs won’t want him, but that seemed like it was grasping at straws.
Assuming Toronto isn’t on Trocheck’s soon to be 10 team no trade list, then the issue is return. Matthew Knies is the only roster piece that is both rumored to be on the block and might fit a need for the Rangers, but it’s tough to see an analytical mind like Chayka offer up Knies for a 32 year old Trocheck. Trocheck has a ton of value given the center market and his $5.625 million cap hit for 3 more years. He’s a bargain given the market and his production, and the entire NHL knows this.
Easton Cowen, the Leafs 1st round pick in 2023, could be the target. He’d be an interesting piece as he plays that high energy, high speed game. Cowen is a burner with a lot of skill and has top six potential. He does check a bunch of boxes and Cowen’s 11-18-29 in 66 games on a bad Leafs team is solid, but it feels light straight up. At least based on rumors we’ve heard already.
The Leafs have the first overall pick this year and Colorado’s first round pick in 2027, but then don’t have another first until 2029. Perhaps there’s room to get wild here by adding Braden Schneider and a flip of the first pick with the fifth pick. Trocheck, Schneider and the 5th overall for Cowen and the 1st overall would be crazy and highly unlikely, but I think the value might actually be there. It’s just the NHL lacks creativity to pull off something like this.
Assuming we are looking at more of a “normal” trade, Ben Danford, Toronto’s 1st round pick in 2024, could be another target of Chris Drury’s. Danford is a 6’1, 190 lb solid skating right defenseman who excels in the transition game and is solid defensively. He carries a top four ceiling. Is Cowen and Danford enough for Trocheck? The Leafs might need to add a 2nd rounder, especially if the market is increasing the way we think it is. In theory, the Leafs would replace Cowen with Gavin McKenna and not miss a beat.
Given the Leafs’ need to keep Auston Matthews happy and win very soon, this could be an interesting match for Trocheck. It would be interesting to see if Chayka is willing to do this, given the state of the Leafs farm system. It depends on the direction of the Leafs and if they truly believe they can win in the next 2-3 years. It’s a bad Eastern Conference, so there’s certainly a chance.
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