he New York Rangers could be major sellers at the trade deadline if the team continues to slide. New York is currently sixth in the Metropolitan Division standings after a recent loss to the struggling Nashville Predators. While they are just a point out of a playoff spot, the Rangers need to turn things around quickly to salvage the season.
A potential place in the upcoming playoffs could very well affect Artemi Panarin’s future. The pending free agent is out of contract at the end of the 2025-26 season and seems unlikely to re-sign with New York. If the Rangers are out of a playoff spot at the March 6 deadline, Panarin is expected to be dealt. The winger, however, may not be the other star set to be shipped out of the Big Apple.
According to The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano, New York may also opt to trade Vincent Trocheck if “the season goes sideways.” The beat reporter claims that Rangers owner Jim Dolan wants to avoid a full rebuild. Nevertheless, GM Chris Drury could potentially convince him to make a few significant tweaks to the roster to help improve the team’s future. Being open to trading Trocheck would certainly be a major move.
Potentially trading Panarin at some point this season would seemingly make sense for the Rangers. This is, of course, assuming that the star winger does not agree to a contract extension by the deadline. After all, New York would surely not want to watch Panarin leave for nothing in the summer.
Although Panarin is widely seen as a better player than Trocheck, the Rangers would likely receive a better trade package for the center. Panarin, on one hand, is out of contract soon and will be seen as a rental for Stanley Cup contenders.
Trocheck, however, still has three more seasons under contract. The dependable center is scheduled to make a reasonable $5.6 million AAV until the end of the 2028-29 campaign. Unlike Panarin, who has a full no-trade clause, Trocheck also only currently has a 12-team no-trade list at the moment.
Rangers Would Likely Receive Huge Haul for Trocheck
If the Rangers decide to deal Trocheck, they could receive a fairly large return for the star. As Mercogliano points out, a previous deal that saw veteran center Brock Nelson move from the New York Islanders to the Colorado Avalanche could be seen as a comp. In dealing Nelson, the Islanders acquired a top-10-protected first-round pick, a third-rounder, prospect Calum Ritchie, and defenseman Oliver Kylington.
Nevertheless, New York could even receive a higher return for Trocheck. Nelson, although a somewhat similar player to the Rangers star, was out of contract at the end of that season. Potentially flipping Panarin and Trocheck would help New York get younger while also freeing up extra cap space. The Rangers are expected to have plenty of money to spend after the current campaign is over to help rejuvenate the roster.
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