- Chris Drury won’t move Vincent Trocheck unless the Rangers get the return they want
- Trocheck has three years left at a $5.625M cap hit and just switched agents to Pat Brisson
- Read below for what David Pagnotta said about New York’s lack of urgency
Chris Drury isn’t going to move Vincent Trocheck just to move him.
The Rangers general manager has shopped his second-line center since last season’s trade deadline, and nothing came together at the deadline or during the NHL Draft. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period laid out the reasoning on Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE.
Pagnotta was asked how much urgency Drury feels to get a deal done.
“There’s certainly a possibility of him sticking around because Drury and Co. have kind of held firm on what their ask is,” Pagnotta said. “If they’re not going to get it, they don’t feel there’s a point in trading him.”
Watch the full segment:
Trocheck has three years left on his deal at a $5.625 million cap hit, so Drury feels no pressure to rush. Pagnotta said the preference was to get something done this summer, ideally around now, but those talks can stretch into free agency and beyond.
New York already made a win-now move at the Draft, landing Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas and signing him to a seven-year deal. Drury held onto Trocheck and his draft capital instead of selling low.
He still brings plenty to a contender. Trocheck put up 53 points in 67 games last season, wins his share of faceoffs, and skated for the gold-medal United States team at February’s Olympics.
The 32-year-old also switched agents this offseason, moving to Pat Brisson. His 12-team no-trade list shrinks to 10 teams on July 1, which gives Drury a little more room to work. Trocheck would rather stay near the East Coast and has no interest in a Canadian team, with Montreal still on his protected list.
Montreal has been chasing him for weeks. If the right offer shows up, Trocheck gets moved. If it doesn’t, Drury sounds perfectly content to wait.
