NY Rangers Send Veteran Forward to Sabres in Hypothetical Trade Proposal

Who did the New York Rangers send to the Buffalo Sabres in an interesting hypothetical trade proposal

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

With the offseason nearly here for the New York Rangers following the completion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team will have some important decisions to make regarding what the roster is going to look like. 

Coming off a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers will be hungry to improve this summer, but doing so will be a challenge. New York has done a nice job of creating a lot of cap space, but free agency this year isn’t looking overly strong. 

If the team is seeking to add a star, it would likely have to come in a trade, but with the Rangers not having a ton of young assets right now, that could be a challenge. Continuing to improve their prospect pool is a goal of the Rangers, and they still have a couple of veteran players that they might look to move as the retool continues. While that won’t help them win now, it could be what’s best for the franchise long-term. 

Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about a hypothetical trade proposal that sent Vincent Trocheck to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Jack Quinn, a 2026 first-round pick, and Vsevolod Komaro. 

Trocheck Could Help Replace Alex Tuch

New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

While the Sabres are coming off a great year, they do have a looming issue with their winger Alex Tuch being a free agent. This is not a strong class in free agency, and Tuch is arguably the best player that is going to be available at the forward spot. At 30 years old, he could get a long-term deal worth over $10 million per season and that simply might be too steep for the Sabres. 

Tuch is certainly a good fit for New York, and they could pursue him. However, if he does end up leaving the Sabres, a very affordable replacement could be Trocheck. With a couple of years left on his contract at just over $5 million per year, he has a very desirable deal for what he would be able to bring to a team. 

Even though he isn’t a first-line player, he could be a top-six option for Buffalo and help the team on special teams. In terms of the trade package, it would bring back some solid young assets and another first-round pick to help the Rangers continue to add to their prospect pool. Trocheck seems likely to be traded this summer and this would be a strong package.