Rangers Make Final Call on Vincent Trocheck at Deadline

The New York Rangers have officially decided not to trade away Vincent Trocheck. The 3:0 p.m. EST March 6, 2026 NHL trade deadline has now passed.

Trocheck was not on the ice for Rangers' practice the morning of March 6. Per insider Elliotte Friedman, the New York Rangers and President/General Manager Chris Drury indicated that morning that they were prepared to keep Trocheck if they did not receive what they needed in a trade. In other words they told teams they were not just trading away Trocheck for the sake of making a trade.

The Rangers did trade away forward Sam Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick and sixth-round pick. Per Rangers beat reporter Mollie Walker, a trade surrounding Trocheck did not come to fruition as the price point was not met.

#NYR did not move Vincent Trocheck before the deadline. Team didn’t want to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. Price point they set wasn’t met.

To the org, this was always a possibility.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) March 6, 2026

Reports have surfaced that a trade between the Minnesota Wild and Rangers surrounding Trocheck was potentially in the cards, but obviously did not come about now that the deadline has passed.

Trocheck was originally signed by the Rangers as a free agent back in July of 2022. The center was originally drafted in the third round by the Florida Panthers in 2011.

Vincent Trocheck to Remain a Blueshirt

A Pittsburgh native, Trocheck serves as a veteran presence and has 617 points on his career across 847 games played. This year he has tallied 12 goals and 27 assists. He was also a member of Team USA in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics under head coach Mike Sullivan.

Nov 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) talks with left wing Will Cuylle (50) and right wing Reilly Smith (91) during a break against the New York Islanders during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Drury has previously announced the team is in a "retool" as the Rangers are currently at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with 56 points (24-29-8 overall record). The New York franchise has had an unfortunate year and are poised to miss the playoffs.

Prior to the day of the deadline, Drury and the Rangers had already traded away star player Artemi Panarin and defenseman Carson Soucy this season.

According to his teammates, Trocheck remaining in the Rangers' locker room is a good thing.

“He was the one who took me under his wing. And, yeah, he’s been great to me my whole career here," teammate Will Cuylle previously said on Trocheck in an emotional manner to the media. "Just tough to see him go, if he goes.”

While the Rangers are in a retool, keeping Trocheck on the roster was the right move. At 32, he brings years of experience to a franchise with many younger faces (Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba, Matt Rempe). In addition, the aforementioned trade of Panarin means offensive adjustments will be frequent, so having the familiarity of Trocheck will be paramount.

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