Red Wings Pursuing Robert Thomas, Vincent Trocheck
Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet published this evening’s Trade Deadline Thoughts, where he noted that the Detroit Red Wings are in the mix on the market’s top two centers: Robert Thomas of St. Louis and the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck.
Thomas, 26, is the bigger fish and likely the #1 overall player available before tomorrow’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. If GM Steve Yzerman would be able to pull it off, the 26-year-old could be the final piece to the puzzle up front after years of building. The center, an 80+ point getter over the last two seasons, is locked up through 2030-31 at a $8.125MM cap hit, reasonable considering that it will take him through the prime of his career.
Detroit has missed the playoffs for nine straight years, and patience was wearing thin. Making it 10 was simply not an option, and sure enough, the team is well on their way to end the drought. Even just making it is half the battle, but if the Wings could win more than one round, it would be the first time since 2009, when they came just short of back-to-back Stanley Cups.
A center such as Thomas or Trocheck could make Detroit a real dark horse contender. Current 2C Andrew Copp has played well this season, already reaching his second best point total as a Red Wing in 62 games, but he’d be better off as a third line middleman. Cheaper options exist, such as Nashville’s Erik Haula, but looking at their lineup it’s really all or nothing in terms of what could actually push the Wings over the top.
Suffice to say, there’s a reason for Yzerman to be aggressive. Years of patience have assembled a nucleus of young talent which few teams can rival in trade offers. For Thomas, it has been reported that the Blues are seeking multiple first-round picks or equivalent pieces, as Buffalo and Utah have made a push. As for Detroit, it’s not clear who may be in discussion, but St. Louis would have a variety of assets to choose from.
Standout NCAA goaltending prospect Trey Augustine could especially appeal to the Blues as they could move on from Jordan Binnington. Also, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Carter Bear are both wingers selected in the first round over the last two years. They’d allow Yzerman to march on without touching his current group.
On the other hand, Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper would be assets appealing to St. Louis, or maybe even New York as they could jump right into the lineup. Both top 10 selections, their NHL production has hit a bit of a snag, possibly enough that Yzerman could move on.
If St. Louis was to add defense to their Thomas trade wish list, youngsters Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Albert Johansson emerge, although both are current contributors to the Wings lineup, which is already thin in depth. Especially if Yzerman were to part with the uber-talented Sandin-Pellikka, it may require a bigger deal where someone like Justin Faulk also came along.
Detroit stands out as a suitor as even after all seven of those players listed, there are still several other noteworthy candidates, not to mention their draft capital. Yzerman holds all of the team’s selections besides one second rounder in 2027.
The Red Wings have all the pieces to put together a blockbuster, and it may simply come down to the Aurora, Ontario native’s preferences, as he holds a no trade clause.
Even if Thomas is not meant to be, Trocheck would still be a tremendous fit in Detroit. The 32-year-old already had ties to the area, playing in the Little Caesars program as a youth, and his OHL Hockey in Saginaw. He has already been linked to Detroit for such reasons. Older, and signed through 2028-29 at a reasonable $5.625MM, he would naturally bring less in return than Thomas. However, there’s still plenty to offer that would have the Rangers salivating as they move forward on their youth movement.
New York fans can likely forget about the Wings’ absolute top assets, but a first rounder in either of the next two seasons along with some serious second tier options would be adequate. Rangers GM Chris Drury is not forced to move Trocheck now, as he could hold off until the summer, but the Blueshirts completing their lost season with all three 32-year-old centers still in the fold doesn’t seem favorable.
Whether it could be Thomas in a blockbuster, or Trocheck in what would still be one of the bigger deals of the deadline, time will tell. Yzerman will remain disciplined against high demands. Yet there’s enough reason from Detroit to swing a trade for Thomas or Trocheck, and pushing for more than simply returning to the playoffs this spring.
Image Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images (Thomas)
Image Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images (Trocheck)
Wild Notes: Trocheck, O’Reilly, Coyle
General Manager Bill Guerin is no stranger to bold moves, and that has continued into deadline season. Throughout the past few weeks, the Minnesota Wild have been heavily linked to New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck, but that interest appears to be waning.
A few days ago, Trocheck himself shared that he would prefer to stay in the Eastern Conference, but there was no indication on whether he would block a trade to Minnesota. It turns out, the Wild are pulling away from Trocheck for different reasons entirely. According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, Minnesota simply isn’t comfortable meeting the Rangers’ asking price.
There isn’t much detailed information available about what exactly the Rangers are requesting. Still, after effectively trading four first-round picks for Quinn Hughes earlier this year, the Wild may not have the assets to acquire another top player.
Additional Wild notes:
- Regardless of evaporating interest in Trocheck, the team is still trying to acquire a top-six center. In the same report, Russo and Smith suggested that the Wild could target veteran center Ryan O’Reilly from the Nashville Predators. The two teams recently got together on a trade that sent Michael McCarron to Minnesota, so there wouldn’t be any anti-divisional bias from either side. Unfortunately, despite not having any trade protection, the Predators have a handshake agreement with O’Reilly to only send him to a location where he would be willing to play.
- Furthermore, the pair of reporters brought up the fact that the Wild have been interested in Charlie Coyle of the Columbus Blue Jackets for much of the season. Still, things look a lot different in Columbus recently, and the team has openly suggested they’d rather extend Coyle than trade him for future assets at the deadline. At any rate, if the Wild are intent on adding a top-six middleman, the pool of talent is quickly shrinking.
Latest On Vincent Trocheck
Heading into Friday’s trade deadline, there is growing confidence that Vincent Trocheck will be traded from the New York Rangers. However, if you’re a fan of a Western Conference team, don’t expect Trocheck to be joining your club.
According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, Trocheck confirmed that he prefers to stay in the Eastern Conference. Mercogliano quoted Trocheck, saying, “It’s no secret. (West teams) are on my no-trade list.”
Trocheck’s comments indicate that every team on his 12-team no-trade clause is in the Western Conference. That theoretically leaves the possibility for four Western Conference teams to pursue Trocheck, as well as the entire Eastern Conference. Given that he’s also committed to winning, that could leave the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild as potential options, as they’re both in the Central Time Zone.
Any team interested in Trocheck will know exactly what they’re getting. He’s been remarkably consistent and healthy throughout his career, particularly during his tenure with the Rangers. Since signing a seven-year, $39.83MM ($5.63MM AAV) contract with New York in 2022, Trocheck has scored 85 goals and 238 points in 291 games, averaging 20:40 of ice time. Additionally, even though his cap hit will remain $5.63MM through the 2028-29 season, Trocheck will only have $14.5MM ($4.83MM/yr) remaining on the last three years of his contract.
There is nothing in Trocheck’s game that has suffered a steep fall off since entering his 30s. He remains physical, a quality performer in the faceoff dot, and defensively sound. For any playoff-bound team, there are few options better than Trocheck built for the postseason.
The two notable Eastern Conference teams that have been heavily linked to Trocheck are the Carolina Hurricanes and the Detroit Red Wings. Trocheck should be comfortable with either club, given that both are competitive this season and he has ties to both. He played two and a half years with the Hurricanes before ultimately signing as a free agent with the Rangers.
Additionally, despite being born in Pittsburgh, Trocheck spent his amateur hockey days with the Detroit-based Little Caesars hockey program before joining the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. Furthermore, Trocheck’s wife, Hillary, grew up in the Saginaw, MI area.
Wild Emerging As Frontrunner In Vincent Trocheck Trade Talks
As the Wild gear up for an all-in trade deadline following their earlier acquisition of Quinn Hughes, they’re now the league-wide favorite to acquire center Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Minnesota’s interest in Trocheck dates back several weeks but was surely fueled by Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic’s report earlier this month that the Rangers had essentially resigned themselves to moving him by the deadline, as compared to making it a summer deal. For a team that lost a top-six center in Marco Rossi in the Hughes deal, adding another one – a clear-cut upgrade, no less – is a natural next step for general manager Bill Guerin as he aims to guide the Wild out of a cutthroat Central Division picture in the playoffs.
While salary cap considerations have kept the Wild out of major trade conversations in recent years, that’s no longer the case. Even after the Hughes deal, they project to have $12.3MM in cap space on deadline day, per PuckPedia. That’s more than enough to take on Trocheck’s deal, which runs at a cap hit of $5.625MM through 2028-29, with no retention and without subtracting a roster player from the mix.
Minnesota has depleted a good portion of its valuable young talent, shipping off Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium alongside Rossi in the Hughes trade, but has more to spare. As Mercogliano writes, 2022 first-rounder Danila Yurov is likely a non-starter. The rookie has eight goals and 22 points in 52 outings this season and is now Minnesota’s clear-cut top “prospect,” depending on your definition of the word. Mercogliano relays word from his Minnesota-based colleague, Michael Russo, that he “would be very difficult to pry away,” even for a talent like Trocheck with 37 points in 44 games on an offensively stagnant Rangers club.
Aside from that roadblock, there are still plenty of other names the Wild could leverage for the Rangers to consider. Center Charlie Stramel, the Wild’s first-rounder in 2023, has recovered nicely from a tough start to his college career and is now a standout 21-year-old senior at Michigan State, posting a 19-21–40 scoring line in 30 games with a +30 rating that leads forwards nationally. Right-shot defenseman David Jiricek, drafted sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2022, hasn’t demonstrated much forward progress since his acquisition last season, and it stands to reason they’d be comfortable flipping him as a result.
Trocheck does have some say in where he ends up with a 12-team no-trade list. The 32-year-old is reportedly open to a move to the Twin Cities but would otherwise prefer to stay in the Eastern Conference. Pagnotta reports that the Kings, Jets, Mammoth, and Avalanche have expressed some level of interest as well, but those could all end up being non-starters based on his M-NTC.
Rangers Likely To Move Vincent Trocheck
When Rangers GM Chris Drury released a letter to the fans last month announcing a retool, he noted that this process could “mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.” We’ve already seen one of those players on the move with last week’s trade that saw Artemi Panarin get moved to Los Angeles.
But retools don’t often stop at one core player being on the move. Meanwhile, with the market having few defined sellers at this point and a lot of teams still being in the playoff picture, those who are willing to move out some talent appear to be poised to capitalize on a strong trade market.
To that end, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic recently noted on Edmonton Sports Talk (video link) that it seems likely that center Vincent Trocheck will be on the move before the March 6th trade deadline.
There aren’t many Rangers who have lived up to expectations offensively this season but Trocheck may very well be one of those who have. After a quieter performance in 2024-25 that saw him collect 26 goals and 33 assists in 82 games (compared to 77 points the year before), the 32-year-old has bounced back a bit this season, notching 36 points in 43 games (a 69-point pace over a full 82-game campaign).
On top of that, Trocheck remains one of the better players at the faceoff dot, winning 56.5% of his draws this season. He’s also logging more than two minutes per night on both the power play and penalty kill and close to 21 minutes per contest overall. Suffice it to say, he’s about as complete of a player as you’re going to find on the trade market.
His two-way skillset is what led the Rangers to sign him to a seven-year, $39.375MM contract back in 2022, a deal that still has three years remaining on it after that one. With a $5.625MM AAV that is already now below-average for a second center, Trocheck is an option that more teams should be able to afford, meaning that New York shouldn’t necessarily have to use one of its salary retention slots to get a deal done.
It’s worth noting that Trocheck does have some trade protection in his deal. Although he no longer has a full no-move clause, he can still block a trade to a dozen teams. That would give him a chance to affect his own trade talks, though nowhere close to the extent that Panarin ultimately did to ensure he landed with the Kings.
At this point, the list of potential suitors for Trocheck would probably be longer than the list of teams that wouldn’t show interest in him. Accordingly, if Drury decides to pull the trigger and move out a longer-term core piece, he will be in a much stronger position than he had with Panarin to elicit a top-end return that moves their retooling process along. Once the trade freeze ends (on February 22nd at 10:59 PM CT), the Rangers will have just 12 days before the trade deadline to try to find a suitable trade for Trocheck.
Rangers Activate Vincent Trocheck
11:43 a.m.: Trocheck has been formally activated from LTIR, and Rempe has been shifted there in the corresponding move, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
9:51 a.m.: Rangers center Vincent Trocheck is expected to come off long-term injured reserve and return to New York’s top six when they face the Predators tonight, according to this morning’s line rushes (via Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic). The Blueshirts are currently using about $100,000 of Trocheck’s $3.768MM LTIR pool after recalling top prospect Gabriel Perreault yesterday, so they’ll need to make a corresponding transaction. That could easily mean shifting Matt Rempe from IR to LTIR, since he has already missed 18 days and seven games of the 24 and 10 required, and he remains out indefinitely.
Rempe notwithstanding, Trocheck’s activation gives the Rangers a healthy forward group for the first time since their second game of the season. Trocheck left that contest against the Sabres early and was quickly labeled week-to-week.
His absence was essentially a death knell for the Rangers, whose limited bottom-six scoring depth made it imperative that their first and second lines operated at maximum capacity. He’d started the first game-and-a-half as their top-line center between Alexis Lafrenière and Artemi Panarin, a role filled by Mika Zibanejad shifting back to center after starting the year on the wing. That domino effect led to training camp tryout success story Conor Sheary being immediately overtaxed in second-line duties alongside J.T. Miller and William Cuylle.
The results have been disastrous. The Rangers have been shut out five times in seven home games and are scoring just 2.19 per game overall, second-worst in the league ahead of only the Flames. Only Panarin has produced at more than a 41-point pace with 10 in 16 appearances. They’re hoping a new-look offense, fueled by Trocheck and Perreault’s season debut, can help reverse that trend starting tonight.
Trocheck will reprise his role between Panarin and Lafrenière. At the same time, Perreault bumps Sheary back down to the bottom six, according to Mercogliano – the latter slots in on the left wing with Zibanejad and Miller.
Only now will Trocheck get his season started in earnest. He’s looking for a rebound after a semi-underwhelming offensive showing in 2025-26. He finished top 20 in Selke Trophy voting for the second year in a row, but his 59 points in 82 games were his lowest total since signing his seven-year, $39.375MM contract with the Rangers in free agency in 2022.
Metro Injury Notes: Capitals, Rangers, Hurricanes
The Washington Capitals took the ice for practice this morning, and there were a few takeaways on the injury front. A report from Sammi Silber of The Hockey News indicated that forward Ethen Frank had returned to skating in a non-contact jersey, while defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been fully cleared for contact.
Additionally, Silber shared that center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who’s considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, did not join the team for practice. All around, it’s mostly positive news for the Capitals, given that Frank and Sandin are the only two currently on the team’s injured reserve.
Since he hasn’t played since October 21st, Sandin has missed the most time of the trio. He’s tallied two assists in seven games for Washington this year, averaging 19:24 of ice time per contest. Meanwhile, Frank hasn’t played since the Capitals’ game on October 28th against the Dallas Stars after being reverse-hit by Mikko Rantanen. Despite the play looking relatively scary, it appears that Frank is on track to return sooner rather than later.
Other injury notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Peter Baugh of The Athletic provided updates on a pair of injured New York Rangers. Baugh reported that defenseman Urho Vaakanainen is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and wasn’t on the ice for practice this morning. However, in a positive update, Baugh shared that Vincent Trocheck has returned wearing a non-contact jersey. Although Baugh didn’t comment on a potential return for Trocheck, it at least shows that a return is on the horizon. He’s currently on the team’s long-term injured reserve and hasn’t played since October 9th.
- The injury news isn’t as positive for the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, defensemen Jaccob Slavin and K’Andre Miller have yet to return to practice for the Hurricanes. It’s another blow to a defensive core that’s been devastated by injuries to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Still, despite the unlikelihood of Miller playing in Carolina’s next game, he’s not expected to miss much more time.
Rangers’ Matt Rempe Out Long-Term, Vincent Trocheck Nearing Return
New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe is going to be out “longer-term” after sustaining an upper-body injury in a fight with San Jose Sharks’ winger Ryan Reaves, head coach Mike Sullivan told Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic. Mercogliano later specified that Rempe’s injury isn’t expected to be season-ending, but could span multiple weeks, if not a few months.
Rempe was filling slightly larger shoes than last season through New York’s first nine games. He notched one goal and seven penalty minutes, while averaging a career-high 9:48 in ice time each game. He also recorded 30 hits – putting him on pace to register over 220 hits across a full 82 games.
New York awarded top prospect Brennan Othmann with his season debut in Rempe’s absence. He recorded no points and a minus-one in the outing, and now could be headed for a healthy scratch in favor of Jonny Brodzinski, per Mercogliano. Brodzinski has already played in two games this season, with no scoring and one shot on net.
The Rangers shouldn’t have to spar between depth wingers for too much longer. Top-six centerman Vincent Trocheck returned to skating on Monday, marking a big step in his return from an upper-body injury sustained on October 9th. Trocheck was placed on long-term injured reserve on October 11th, and won’t be eligible to be activated until November 1st. The injury ended an ironman streak that spanned the last three seasons (and all but one game of 2021-22). Trocheck spent all three years of that streak with New York, racking up 200 points in 246 games over the stretch. That’s the fourth-most of any Ranger since 2022. He even managed a career-year in that mix, posting a career-best 77 points in the 2023-24 season.
Trocheck should return to his second-line center role as soon as he’s back from injury. He began the year between wingers Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière, though New York has since broken up that duo in favor of icing Panarin with captain J.T. Miller. No matter who he’s centering, Trocheck should find a quick path back to high-impact minutes within the coming weeks.
Metro Notes: Hurricanes, Rempe, Trocheck
The Carolina Hurricanes issued several injury updates yesterday, via team reporter Walt Ruff. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated that injured defenseman K’Andre Miller is considered “more day-to-day” than out long-term, while injured forwards Eric Robinson and William Carrier “won’t be coming back anytime soon.” Miller and Carrier are managing lower-body injuries, while Robinson is dealing with an upper-body ailment. Miller last played Oct. 20 against the Vegas Golden Knights, while both Carrier and Robinson last played Oct. 23.
The Hurricanes have gotten off to an exceptional start to their 2025-26 campaign, but these injuries threaten their significant positive momentum. Carolina dropped yesterday’s contest against the Stars by a 3-2 score. The loss of the aforementioned trio of players, combined with other injuries to Shayne Gostisbehere, Jaccob Slavin, and Pyotr Kochetkov, has tested Carolina’s depth to an extreme degree very early into this season. As a result of these absences, the Hurricanes have been forced to rely on players with little NHL experience to fill roles in their lineup: call-ups Joel Nystrom, Bradly Nadeau, and Charles-Alexis Legault had just three games of NHL experience combined before the start of 2025-26.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Injured New York Rangers pivot Vincent Trocheck isn’t a candidate to return any time soon, head coach Mike Sullivan told the media (including the New York Post’s Mollie Walker) yesterday. Trocheck remains on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) with an upper-body injury, isn’t skating yet, and Sullivan directly said his return to play “isn’t imminent.” The Rangers have shifted veteran Mika Zibanejad back to his natural center position in response to Trocheck’s absence, and Zibanejad has started to heat up, scoring two goals and four points in his last three games. For the Rangers to make a serious push to gain ground in the Metropolitan Division early this season, Zibanejad, 32, will need to continue to produce and prove that he can handle some of the responsibilities left behind by Trocheck.
- Physical forward Matt Rempe will not travel to his hometown of Calgary for the Rangers’ upcoming game as he is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Colin Stephenson. Rempe appeared to suffer the injury in the process or aftermath of fighting Ryan Reaves during the Rangers’ Oct. 23 loss to the San Jose Sharks. The 6’9″, 261-pounder had played a steady fourth-line role in all of the Rangers’ nine games so far this season, and in response to his injury, the club called up 2021 first-rounder Brennan Othmann, who himself has been the subject of recent trade buzz.
East Notes: Rangers, Mikkola, Malenstyn
Earlier today, Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan told Mollie Walker of the New York Post that Vincent Trocheck is still not skating. Although they sit in the middle of the pack at .500, it has not been the smoothest of starts for New York, in a year where the group faces real pressure to turn the corner from a turbulent 2024-25.
Trocheck appeared in the Rangers’ first two games before being injured vs Buffalo. Earlier it had been announced that the forward is week-to-week. Despite now being 32, Trocheck has been very reliable, being an 82-game player in his first three seasons in New York. Now the team hopes to have their vital center back soon.
More injury news has come out of New York, as Colin Stephenson of Newsday confirmed that Noah Laba left tonight’s game vs Minnesota after taking a puck to the face. The rookie forward was helped off the ice, however, Stephenson went on to update that Laba has returned to the game.
Elsewhere across the league:
- David Dwork of The Hockey News noted earlier today that Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola has returned to practice. Mikkola left Saturday’s game in Buffalo with an upper-body injury. The wear-and-tear of back to back Stanley Cups is certainly a possibility this year, for a Panthers group which has lost four straight games, already sorely missing Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Thankfully Mikkola appears ready to help the team get back on track.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced today that forward Beck Malenstyn will be absent for the next few days due to a personal matter. The team did not elaborate, however, Head Coach Lindy Ruff’s comments suggest it is likely due to paternity leave. 26-year-old Josh Dunne, an organizational depth forward, has drawn into the Sabres lineup in place of Malenstyn.