Vincent Trocheck hitting the trade block just made Nick Robertson the most valuable Maple Leafs asset

The New York Rangers are expected to go through a swath of changes this offseason, and they already got a pretty good head start with the trading of Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, with many more veterans like Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider also dealt away.

The team does still have some mainstays like Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck, not to mention Adam Fox still running things from the back end. But it's Trocheck who has gotten a lot of attention as a potential trade target, which stretches back to the trade deadline.

Well, the team is still more than willing to listen to offers and it sounds like they have one specific return in mind.

Vincent Mercogliano of The Athletic espoused a bit of insider information regarding trocheck, noting that the Rangers definitely want to move him, so long as they get a younger player who is NHL-ready:

Trocheck, 32, had 53 points in 67 games and has averaged 18 goals along with 48.5 points over his career. He's never one who blows you away but is as consistent and reliable as can be, and just won an Olympic gold medal during the Milano Cortina Olympics.

He has three years left on his deal at $5.625-million, which isn't too terrible a price to pay for someone you know is going to give you 50-60 points. He's also a physical beast and loves to hit, and is one of the best centremen in the game.

He would also give Auston Matthews someone who he is extremely familiar with, and he would be the perfect replacement for John Tavares, as both men are sound face-off artists and still offensively potent. A three-headed monster of Matthews, Trocheck, and Tavares is a pretty great group down the middle, and you can build around their strengths.

But the question now becomes — who could the Maple Leafs deal away? The Rangers would love an NHL player with youth and upside who is just waiting for a chance to prove himself in a top role.

That sets the stage for one man only: Nick Robertson.

Robertson, 24, is someone who just had a career year with the Maple Leafs and is looking for not only a bigger payday, but a much bigger role. With the new management team coming in, there's a curiosity about where he'll fit in the picture; and he might be expendable.

Right now, he's a restricted free agent and costs $1.825-million, and will no doubt want an increase into the $2.5-3-million range. While he's a good hand, he's never really been given a chance to prove he's top-six material and may be blocked by bigger names.

Even Easton Cowan earned more top-six time than Robertson, and while Cowan is a bonafide star, you can't sleep on Robertson's talent either. Every year he's gotten better despite not being featured, and he's taken everything in stride.

But he is someone who the Rangers would love because he is a) young, b) is obviously NHL-ready, and c) could be a great building block along with Alexis Lafreniere.

Plus, New York is already pretty thin in cap space as is, and if the team is looking to make changes and perhaps open up some flexibility then Toronto should be more than willing to take on his deal.

Robertson is a great player in spurts, and he's always been someone on the outside looking in when it comes to a steady and featured role.

So it's time to open up the door to New York and let Vincent Trocheck come in and give the Maple Leafs exactly what they need — because right now it's not Robertson — it's reliability and consistency.

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