NY Rangers' Forward Still Wisely Seen as a Likely Trade Candidate

Will the New York Rangers trade one of their veteran players?

Nov 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; General view of a flag being waved by New York Rangers staff during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are getting set for free agency to start up, and they figure to be major players with a good amount of cap space. However, they still have some players whom they might look to move as well. 

As the Rangers look to continue to build some momentum, free agency will present the team with a great opportunity to continue to improve. During the NHL Draft, New York seemingly made some good decisions, and the team looks much better on paper and also has a bit of direction. 

The decision to trade for Pavel Dorofeyev was certainly a good one. The 25-year-old gives the team a true scorer and one that is coming off an impressive 37-goal campaign. Furthermore, they also selected defenseman Albert Smits with the fifth overall pick, providing some much-needed talent for the team on the blue line. 

While the Rangers did make a couple of trades, they didn’t move the two players that they were widely expected to. However, that can still happen and should be a goal of the team. 

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN recently wrote about some of the top trade candidates with free agency coming up. For the Rangers, center Vincent Trocheck remained as one of the top in the league. 

New York Should Still Deal Trocheck 

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

While the Rangers have improved quite a bit over the last week, this is a team that is retooling and should be looking to move their veteran center. At 32 years old with a very affordable number for being a potential top six center, New York figures to be able to get a strong return for him. 

However, with a 12-team no-trade list that drops to 10 on July 1st, moving him could be a bit tricky. Furthermore, due to Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings requesting a trade and being the best center on the market now, the Rangers might have to wait to see what happens with him before being able to move their talented center. 

If the Rangers are able to get a first-round pick and a player or prospect for Trocheck, that would be an ideal return. Even if things go really well for New York, being a playoff contender might be the best-case scenario for this coming campaign. 

With that being said, there will be no better time to deal Trocheck and get a strong return this offseason, and it is a move that should still be done.