What is going on with Vincent Trocheck?

Chris Drury has made plenty of confusing moves since taking over as the General Manager of the New York Rangers. Drury has shipped away plenty of fan favorites, brought in plenty of players that have drawn the ire of the Rangers faithful, and has failed to explain his moves along the way. Drury is usually pretty predictable: He loves a gritty player, he can make a good trade but often eliminates most leverage he may have. Which brings us to the main question of the offseason: What is going on with Vincent Trocheck?

Drury signed Trocheck to a deal that many didn’t think would work out too great going into the 2023 season. Quickly it became clear that Trocheck’s deal was a steal thanks to the rising salary cap. For a team that’s struggled to maintain their top talent, that’s been great for the Rangers.

Unfortunately, following the 2024 trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers have completely fallen apart as an organization. During that time, however, Trocheck’s closest friend in the NHL, JT Miller, returned to the Rangers and became Captain.

So surely Trocheck is a long-term Ranger, right?

So what is going on with Vincent Trocheck?

Who knows! It’s never that simple when it comes to Chris Drury’s tenure running the Rangers, we should all know that by now! Drury has made it clear he does not understand how to navigate transactions with any semblance of clarity.

Chris Drury has not secretly been shopping Trocheck as a way to gain assets thanks to Trocheck’s team-friendly contract, as well as a way for the Rangers to get younger. This isn’t necessarily the wrong approach, though it would be wiser for the Rangers to do it with some form of leverage.

Once everyone believed Trocheck was getting traded at the trade deadline, the Rangers instead held onto him. Now in the offseason, the Rangers are suddenly making moves to win now. So with that, why would the Rangers trade their second-line center? Let’s not forget that Trocheck is not a pending free agent or anything like that.

So what is going on with Vincent Trocheck? Does Drury even know what to do? He has rightfully tested the market when the Rangers were flailing, but he did so too publicly, and now everyone (including Trocheck) has no idea where he stands with the organization.

In the end, Drury will likely move Trocheck mostly because he’s painted himself into a corner. It’s an unfortunate ending to what’s been a solid Rangers career. Maybe Drury can pull a rabbit out of a hat and make a great deal, or he could put all the rumors to rest suddenly. More likely, Trocheck will get moved, because Chris Drury never really has a plan.