GREENBURGH, NY — Vincent Trocheque is willing to have the New York Rangers trade him before the NHL trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, but has made it clear he won’t agree to a deal that sends him to the West Coast.
The 32-year-old center has three seasons remaining on a seven-year contract worth $39.375 million ($5.625 million average annual value) which he signed with the Rangers on July 13, 2022.
Trocheck, who won the gold medal with Team USA at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, has 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 45 games this season.
He confirmed he had a no-trade list of 12 teams, that West Coast teams were on that list and that Rangers general manager Chris Drury had been transparent with him about the possibility of being moved.
Trocheck also said he has talked with his family about the possibility of a trade, including difficult conversations with his son Leo, 7, and daughter Lennon, 5.
“They hear a lot of things at school, so it’s just about managing their emotions about everything and trying to prepare them,” Trocheck said. “So I have to tell my son, ‘Hey, there’s a chance we won’t be there.’ It takes time to talk to him about it and get him used to this feeling. But other than that, for me, on a daily basis, I’ve been doing this my whole life, right? If I get traded, everything is fine. I’m not worried about myself. I worry more about my family. That’s the only thing I have to worry about.”
Coach Mike Sullivan said after Monday’s morning skate that he had not been informed a trade was imminent. Trocheck had an assist in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers (23-29-8) are last in the Eastern Conference.
“He’s a player that’s so impactful on both sides of the puck with the way he plays,” said Sullivan, who was the coach of the U.S. team at the Olympics. “You saw what he did in Milan with the Olympic team. You see what he does here for our team in New York. He’s a good player. He’s a great person. Sometimes the game is tough, and this is part of it.”
Trocheck said his desire is to be traded to a team that is able to contend for the Stanley Cup this season. He acknowledged that it was partly within his control with the 12-team no-trade clause in his contract.
“Well, I want to be part of a good team,” he said. “If I have to be traded and it’s to a team that’s in the same situation as us, then I don’t want to move. It seems miserable in a new city. And I’m 32 years old. I’d like to win a Stanley Cup. So if I have to be traded, I’d like to go to a team that wins or has a chance of winning. I have a no-trade clause for 12 teams, so the teams that are in that are obviously teams that I don’t want to go there.”
Although he confirmed that West Coast teams were on his no-trade list, he did not name specific teams.
“Yeah, it’s no secret they’re honoring my no-trade clause,” Trocheck said. “Family is important to me. My family is on the East Coast.”
Trocheck has been prepared for the possibility of being traded since Drury released a letter to Rangers fans on Jan. 16 saying the team would reorganize the roster to make it younger, acknowledging that players who played significant roles in previous success would be leaving.
