Vincent Trocheck is the Biggest Riser for 2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Season

The Rangers center has scored five goals and 12 points in eight games heading into Game 5.

Nothing can turn a player into a cult hero like the NHL playoffs. 

Vincent Trocheck had an excellent regular season, finishing fourth on the Rangers with 25 goals and set career highs in both assists (52) and points (77). 

But he's elevated his performance to new heights in the playoffs, with Game 2 against the Hurricanes serving as the high-water mark: Two points, both scored on the power play, including the overtime game winner to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the series, and an astonishing 35:21 TOI to lead all skaters. Peak Trocheck has arrived. 

It is the fourth-highest single-game total in Rangers history in the cap era, and he became just the second Rangers forward to play over 30 minutes and score an overtime game winner in 12 years after Marian Gaborik's triple-overtime winner in the 2012 playoffs.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72F989qsRak[/embed]

Heading into Game 5, Trocheck trails only Adam Fox in ice time per game on the Rangers, and his 12 points trails only Mika Zibanejad's 13. 

The biggest benefit to the Rangers' isn't necessarily that Trocheck has elevated his play throughout the 2023-24 season, which he certainly has, but it's also because he plays such a different style to Zibanejad that it makes it difficult for opponents to game plan and defend. 

It's like fighting a boxer that relies on guile and deception in one round and then on power and aggressiveness in the next, and now imagine going 20 rounds of that.  

From a fantasy point of view, both Zibanejad and Trocheck emerged as top-tier options, but Zibanejad's ADP of 26.2 in Yahoo leagues outpaced Trocheck's 146.8. 

I reckon that gap will be a lot tighter next season. 

There isn't a ton of evidence to suggest Trocheck's numbers will fall off next season; his shooting percentage is close to his career average and his usage will remain high. I daresay that Zibanejad's 91-point season in 2022-23 is more likely the outlier to Trocheck's career season in 2023-24, if only because Zibanejad's totals was buoyed by a tough-to-replicate 20-power-play-goal season. 

Zibanejad was still the main trigger man for the Rangers on the power play during the season, leading the team once again in individual shot attempts, but his shooting percentage dipped from 20.4 percent to 15.1 percent. 

(This is also how Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went from 104 points to 67 points, highlighted by a dip from 15 PPG to just four PPG this season.)

Where it gets really interesting for Trocheck's fantasy value is in banger leagues. With close to 200 hits for three straight seasons, nearly 100 blocked shots and the potential to finish top-five in faceoff wins, Trocheck has immense value – more so than Zibanejad. In leagues that count faceoff wins, blocks and hits, Trocheck was a top-20 player compared to Zibanejad, who likely ranked between 20-50. 

In most leagues, however, Zibanejad will likely get taken off the board first; fantasy managers usually hunt for offensive potential first, and certainly Zibanejad possesses better vision and playmaking ability. 

But don't forget that Artemi Panarin usually plays with Trocheck, not Zibanejad, who's saddled with role players (albeit really good ones) such as Chris Kreider rather than a bona fide offense-generating machine like Panarin.

If the Rangers head into the 2024-25 season with a similar lineup, and with Alexis Lafreniere really developing into a potent top-six player, I wouldn't be so quick to grab Zibanejad over Trocheck. 

Peter Laviolette clearly loves the way Trocheck plays, and will likely prioritize him in both scoring situations with Panarin and in head-to-head matchups against the opposition's top centers.

Depending on your league settings, Trocheck could be a great pick who can provide first-round value while still being available outside the top three rounds. Zibanejad, on the other hand, offers offensive potential that can be difficult to realize if he doesn't have an elite finisher by his side.