Insider Elliotte Friedman Reveals Trade Status of Potential Toronto Maple Leafs Target
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported in his latest '32 Thoughts' that New York's Vincent Trocheck is potentially in play and teams are going hard for him.
Given how much the team has struggled as of late, it's no surprise that the New York Rangers have already made some pretty big changes. Trading captain Jacob Trouba as well as former 2nd overall pick Kaapo Kakko, the team is undergoing an identity change thanks to GM Chris Drury.
Several other names are in play such as Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck.
Regarding the latter, Elliotte Friedman reports that if Trocheck were to become available given the Rangers' awful downfall, it's going to be a bloodbath to try and acquire him.
Vincent Trocheck Would Fit Perfectly Within Toronto's System
About a month ago, Friedman reported that with how the Rangers were struggling initially, Trocheck may be in play.
Now that the team has completely fallen off, they need to get rid of some of their veterans and focus on the future.
There's a reason there will be no shortage of suitors for Trocheck either.
A reliable and consistent two-way forward, in his career he averages 23 goals, 59 points and 167 hits while maintaining a 53.8% faceoff percentage.
His ability to not only bring defense, scoring, hockey IQ, and special teams is invaluable.
Adding Trocheck into the fold would be the perfect fit for Craig Berube.
He may not be the biggest guy however his grit, ability to play defense, kill penalties and be a complete player means more to the head coach than height and weight alone.
Primarily a center, Trocheck can slide in on the wing if Toronto wanted to use him on the powerplay with Auston Matthews and company, or they could have him lead his own unit and try to spark some offense there.
The issue with Trocheck is price.
He costs $5.625M for the next four seasons and New York will no doubt be looking for high-end prospects and picks to make a deal happen. Toronto doesn't have a 2025 first-rounder, and their cap space is tight so a lot of work will need to be done to complete it.
The Maple Leafs are in the market for a center with a lot of term left on their contract. Vincent Trocheck fits that criteria and then some. The only question that remains is: Will the cost be too much?
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 31 | 724 ANSWERS Insider Elliotte Friedman Reveals Trade Status of Potential Toronto Maple Leafs Target Should Toronto make a trade for Vincent Trocheck? | ||
| Yes | 408 | 56.4 % |
| No | 316 | 43.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
