Vincent Trocheck has a market taking shape, and Vincent Mercogliano just named the teams circling the Rangers center.
The list is real. Per Mercogliano, the suitors talked about are Minnesota, Carolina, Boston and Pittsburgh, plus Detroit, though he noted Detroit is complicated now.
Five teams kicking tires is a healthy market for a veteran pivot. And it makes sense why he's available.
Trocheck is 32, on a $5.625 million deal, coming off a 53-point season on a Rangers team that finished 29th overall. New York is retooling, and a veteran center is a logical piece to move.
His value is the two-way, physical game teams want down the middle, even with a rough minus-16 on a losing club.
Mercogliano's rundown lays out exactly where the interest sits.
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Detroit's interest is complicated by the Larkin saga
Start with the cleaner fits. Minnesota needs help down the middle, the same need that's made them a Dylan Larkin frontrunner. Trocheck could be a cheaper fallback if the Larkin chase stalls.
Carolina just won the Cup and always tinkers. Boston and Pittsburgh are both reshaping their cores and could use a center. The interest tracks across the board.
Then there's Detroit, and Mercogliano's word was deliberate. Complicated.
The reason is obvious. The Red Wings are trying to trade Larkin, their own captain and top center. You don't easily shop for a pivot while shopping one of the best ones in the league.
The sequencing is the problem. Detroit likely has to resolve the Larkin situation before it can think about adding a Trocheck. One domino has to fall first.
Here's my read: Trocheck is a useful piece for a contender needing center depth, and Minnesota or Carolina make far more sense than a Detroit tangled in its own center drama.
The bigger point is how connected this all is. The Rangers' retool and the Larkin dominoes are feeding the same center market.
Where Trocheck lands may depend on how the Larkin chase shakes out first. The biggest name on the board tends to set the price for everyone behind him.
Which team is the best fit for Vincent Trocheck?
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