New York Rangers’ 2025-26 Report Cards: Vincent Trocheck – The Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

The New York Rangers entered this season with high expectations, but they never reached their potential and finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. One of their most reliable players over the previous three seasons was Vincent Trocheck, but the center had a bit of a down campaign after dealing with an injury and trade rumors.

Trocheck’s Play This Season

Though Trocheck played all 82 games in each of his first three seasons with the Rangers, he missed time early this season with an upper-body injury, and the team struggled without him. Despite playing better defensively than last season, New York did not score enough to consistently win games despite getting excellent goaltending from Igor Shesterkin.

After returning from his injury, Trocheck got off to a strong start offensively, and he had five goals and six assists in 12 games. In addition to his offensive production, he showed no lingering signs of his injury as he played with physicality and used his speed to get in on the forecheck. He was also one of the Rangers’ top forwards defensively, playing on the penalty kill and backchecking.

Trocheck played on a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere for most of the first half of the season, and they played well, just as they did last season, but they were not a dominant line like they were in 2023-24. Trocheck had 77 points in 2023-24, and in that postseason, he played at an elite level and had eight goals and 12 assists in 16 games.

The Rangers traded Panarin just before the Winter Olympic break, and there were rumors that they were considering trading Trocheck, but they held on to him. He played well at the Olympics and helped the United States win gold, but his production decreased late in the season and he had just one goal and four assists in his last 13 games.

Trocheck finished the season with 16 goals, 37 assists, and 193 hits in 67 games, while winning 56.9 percent of his faceoffs. He did a nice job on special teams and finished with two goals and 14 assists on the power play, and he scored two shorthanded goals.

Keeping Trocheck at the Trade Deadline Was a Risky Move

The Rangers could have gotten a big haul in return for Trocheck if they decided to trade him this season. He is excellent on faceoffs, physical, and he has had success in the postseason. In 56 career playoff games, he has 17 goals, 20 assists, 160 hits, and has won 54.2 percent of his faceoffs.

In addition to Trocheck’s strong play, he is signed to a team-friendly, seven-season, $39.375 million contract that runs through 2028-29. If the Rangers are going to rebuild, it might still make sense to trade him, as he is 32 years old and his value is high right now. New York also has a few other veteran centers in Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, who both have full no-movement clauses.

If the Rangers do keep Trocheck, the hope is that he will continue to play with the same intensity and commitment to backchecking while also producing offensively, even though he will no longer play with Panarin. At his best, he is one of the team’s top players, and even when he slumps offensively, he contributes in other ways.

Trocheck’s Grade: B

Though this was not Trocheck’s best season, he did contribute in a lot of areas and gets a B for his play in 2025-26. His numbers were down a little offensively, but as always, he played with physicality, won faceoffs, forechecked, backchecked, and contributed on special teams. If he is not traded this offseason, he will be a key player for New York next season.