The Prospect That Stopped a Major Trade: Why The Trocheck Deal To Wild Never Happened

The Minnesota Wild could’ve really used another center to add to their depth when playing against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. Vincent Trocheck might not have made that much of a difference on the outcome for a Wild team that lost 4-1 in the series, but a trade for him might’ve gotten them just a little bit closer to their desired outcome.

Trocheck was a name the Wild and the New York Rangers discussed during the trade deadline, but the deal never crossed the finish line. Arthur Staple said via the Rangers Reacon podcast that the one thing holding the deal up was Minnesota’s prospect Danila Yurov, who Bill Guerin didn’t want to part ways with.

There is no shade aimed at Ryan Hartman for this analysis, but having him center the team’s second line was never going to work against the Avalanche. The Wild made it through the Dallas Stars with Hartman slotted into that position, but the Avalanche are a different animal, as the Vegas Golden Knights are about to learn.

Does Bill Guerin Regret His Vincent Trocheck Decision?

If Guerin had it back, would he have softened on his stance and traded Yurov in the deal? You only get so many seasons with the roster that the general manager built, especially without knowing the future of Quinn Hughes. The Wild are undoubtedly going to go looking for another center in the offseason, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Guerin dangles Yurov in front of Chris Drury this time.

It might be a little too late for Guerin, as it’s impossible to predict what the Wild will look like next season. They’ll return some of the same team, but they do have six UFA forwards and two UFA defensemen. It gives the GM plenty of room to make a move to improve the team, but it could disrupt the chemistry Minnesota seemed to have this season.

Guerin will need to prove to Hughes over the next 12 months that the Wild are worthy of him signing a contract extension to stay there. Guerin will have to give him a better top six up front if he wants that to happen.