Rachel Barkley
It has been suspected for a while, but it sounds like a reunion between Vincent Trocheck and the Carolina Hurricanes may be more of a possibility than we previously believed.
Sunday, one of the NHL’s most accurate insiders, Elliotte Friedman, joined the NHL on TNT crew to discuss the biggest headlines for the upcoming trade deadline on March 6th. One of those big names mentioned was that of New York Rangers’ second-line centerman, and former Hurricanes forward, Vincent Trocheck.
“I think there’s been a lot of teams that have poked around Vincent Trocheck, and he has some control over this,” Friedman said. “The one thing that Trocheck has let people know is – as much as he can – he would like to stick as close to the east as possible.
“Now, he doesn’t have complete control over it, but he has some, and he prefers the east.”
Carolina Hurricanes One of the Top Three Teams in on Vincent Trocheck
Five teams were mentioned to be in the running, though two – the Utah Mammoth and Los Angeles Kings – were noted as unlikely destinations for the right-shot centerman.
“Minnesota – not that far away, central time zone – I think they’re still in it. But, I also think teams like Carolina and Detroit have been there…The Ranger ask is high; it should be high.”
According to Friedman, he believes the Minnesota Wild have set the bar with a standing offer, and that it is up to the Rangers to decide whether to jump on board with it or look towards what they can get elsewhere.
Reportedly, the Detroit Red Wings remain a strong contender after falling to the Rangers as the runner-up when he was signed in Summer 2022, while the Hurricanes could be a big candidate due to his experience with the team.
Trocheck still has three more seasons remaining on his contract after 2025-26, with an annual cap hit of $5.625M. The Hurricanes currently have $8.83M in projected cap space and a multitude of assets to work with.
If Trocheck wishes to stay as far east as possible, Carolina is about as east as it gets.
