Nearly eight years after the infamous rebuild letter, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury released his own version on Friday, stating that the team will begin restructuring its roster, with popular, long-tenured players likely to be at the forefront of that move.
In the wake of the statement, soon-to-be UFA superstar winger Artemi Panarin was the main topic of conversation – and for good reason. That said, he has always been the most obvious candidate to be moved. What the letter really opened up is the possibility of other core veterans being treated with term limits, and that could very well include Vincent Trocheck.
There has already been mention of Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild have great interest in Trocheck, although the list of suitors likely doesn’t stop there, and one team that should definitely be in the mix is the Edmonton Oilers, who are looking for secondary scoring — and more specifically, a potential third-line center.
The 32-year-old Trocheck is having another productive season, with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 35 games played so far. He is in year four of the seven-year, $39.375 million contract signed to join the Rangers in 2022 free agency.
Vincent Trochecks Fit with the Oilers
There aren’t many, if any, teams in the NHL where Trocheck wouldn’t be a good fit. That said, he feels like a particularly perfect fit for Edmonton given their needs.
Trocheck brings a little bit of everything to the table with a playing style built for playoff hockey. He is a tough, responsible, yet skilled center who can play in all situations: power play, penalty kill or any late-game scenario. Not to mention his face-off skills, as he has been one of the best in the league for years.
Place him on the third line behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and the Oilers could boast the best 1-2-3 punch up the middle in hockey. And if Kris Knoblauch decides to load McDavid and Draisaitl together, Trocheck could slide into a second-line role without any significant drop-off in secondary scoring.
Players like Trocheck are hard to find these days, which is why he will undoubtedly be highly sought after as the March 6 trade deadline approaches.
What would Vincent Trocheck cost Edmonton?
The biggest obstacle to the Oilers targeting Trocheck is the acquisition cost, along with the reality that other teams could potentially beat GM Stan Bowman in a bidding war.
Edmonton is far from being loaded with draft picks and prospects, though they do have some assets — particularly future first-round picks — available to use on the right player, which could be Trocheck.
Salary cap space will always be an obstacle, but $5.625 million is a figure they could realistically stomach — and an average annual value that will only look better as the cap continues to rise. Andrew Mangiapane’s $3.6 million contract, and likely another, would have to be moved to make it work, otherwise Drury might be able to keep some salary to get a better return.
It won’t be cheap, and it won’t be easy to fit under the cap, but of all the third-line center options brought up in recent weeks, very few can match the impact Trocheck would have for the Oilers.
Next: Are the Oilers’ goaltending numbers after Jarry the icing on the cake?
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