Could New York Rangers Retool Provide Oilers the Perfect Center Target?

Almost 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 retooling the roster, with long-tenured, popular players likely to be at the forefront of that movement.

In the aftermath of the statement, pending UFA superstar winger Artemi Panarin has been the number-one talking point—and for good reason. That said, he’s always been the most obvious candidate to be moved. What the letter has really opened up is the possibility of other core veterans with term being dealt, and that could very much include Vincent Trocheck.

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Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild have already been reported to have major interest in Trocheck, though the list of suitors likely won’t stop there, and one team that should absolutely be in the mix is the Edmonton Oilers, who have been searching 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) across 35 games played thus far. He’s in year four of the seven-year, $39.375 million contract signed to join the Rangers in free agency of 2022.

Vincent Trocheck’s Fit with the Oilers

There aren’t many, if any, teams around the NHL where Trocheck wouldn’t be a good fit. That said, he feels like an especially perfect fit for Edmonton given their needs.

Trocheck brings a bit of everything to the table with a style of play built for playoff hockey. He’s a hard-nosed, responsible, yet skilled center who can play in all situations: power play, penalty kill, or any late-game scenario. That’s without even mentioning his faceoff prowess, having been one of the league’s best in the circle for years.

Slot him on the third line behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and the Oilers would boast the best 1-2-3 punch down the middle in hockey. And if Kris Knoblauch decides to load up 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 come by in today’s game, which is why he’ll undoubtedly be highly coveted as the March 6 trade deadline approaches.

What Would Vincent Trocheck Cost Edmonton?

The biggest hurdle in the Oilers’ targeting Trocheck is the acquisition cost, along with the reality that other teams may be able to beat GM Stan Bowman out in a bidding war.

Edmonton is far from 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 Trocheck could be.

Salary cap space will always be an obstacle, but $5.625 million is a number they could realistically find a way to 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 one more contract, would need to be moved to make it work, or perhaps Drury could retain some salary to net a better return.

It won’t come cheap, and it won’t be easy to fit under the cap, but of all the third-line center options floated in recent weeks, very few can match the impact Trocheck would have for the Oilers.

Next: Are the Oilers’ Post-Jarry Goaltending Numbers Being Cherry-Picked?