Eric Bolte-Imagn ImagesThere has been some mixed reporting regarding trade negotiations between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens for Vincent Trocheck.
Leading up to the Mar. 6 NHL Trade Deadline, Trocheck was the subject of trade rumors, as it almost felt like a certainty he would be dealt, so much so that the Rangers held him out of the lineup on Mar. 5 due to roster management-related reasons.
Despite Trocheck ultimately not being traded, speculation about how close the Rangers were to completing a deal is now surfacing.
According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the Rangers may have been in negotiations with the Canadiens, and Trocheck was the centerpiece of a potential deal.
“The talk in league circles is that [Montreal GM Kent Hughes] and Jeff Gorton, the Habs’ vice-president of hockey operations, may have been in talks with the New York Rangers for a trade that would have included centre Vincent Trocheck in return,” Garrioch wrote.
A quote from Canadiens general manager Ken Hughes revealing that the Habs were close to completing a trade that he could revisit during the summer, which would “depend on the other team”, has brought even more speculation to these Trocheck rumors.
However, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels clarified that the Rangers and Canadiens were actually not on the precipice of a Trocheck trade.
“The Canadiens never had a deal in place for Vincent Trocheck, nor did anything get particularly close in that dossier. That said, interest in good, competitive, intense players who happen to play centre has been stated by management at different points. Don’t think that’s waned…” Engels wrote.
Some other teams that have been linked to be interested in Trocheck include the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs.