The Rangers had a lot of selling points when it came to free-agent center Vincent Trocheck, who signed a seven year, $39.375 million contract with the club after the NHL free-agency window opened Wednesday.
For starters, it was an opportunity to reunite with head coach Gerard Gallant, under whom Trocheck blossomed during their three seasons together with the Panthers from 2014-17. But the Rangers were also upfront in sharing their vision of Trocheck stepping in as the No. 2 center and playing next to star winger Artemi Panarin.
“We talked briefly about what my role might be, slotting in as a second-line center and potentially playing with Artemi is something that we talked about — and that’s obviously extremely appealing,” Trocheck said on a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday.
“The chance to play with [Panarin] is something that everyone would dream of. He’s obviously a special talent, and getting to watch him over the years has been fun. Having a chance to play with a guy like that is something I’ve never really had in my career, so it’s something to really look forward to. I’m really excited.”
Trocheck, who turned 29 earlier this week, is a consistent point producer who has some snarl to his game, which the Rangers saw firsthand during their second-round series against Carolina in the 2021-22 playoffs. He pieced together his most productive season in five years this past season with the Hurricanes, scoring 21 goals and dishing 30 assists in 81 regular-season games before racking up 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 14 playoff games.
Plus, Trocheck was one of just four players in the NHL last season with 50 or more points and 180 or more hits (along with Tom Wilson, Brady Tkachuk and Andrei Svechnikov).
The 5-foot-10, 183-pounder, who spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career with Florida, played some of the best hockey of his career under Gallant. Trocheck noted that Gallant being in New York had a lot to do with his decision to sign with the Rangers. His best campaign was 2017-18, when he posted 31 goals and 44 assists for 75 points.
“I had a really good relationship with him down there,” he said. “He’s one of my favorite coaches that I’ve ever had, so having him in New York was another huge draw.”
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said he was comfortable committing long-term to Trocheck. Drury said he expects Trocheck to be a good player for a long time. The fact that the deal’s average annual value came out to $5.625 million certainly helped as well.
Notably, Trocheck is a career 52.1 percent faceoff winner. The Rangers, who finished 24th in faceoff win percentage (48.1) last season, have been in need of some help in that category. Considering his versatility was another enticing factor, Trocheck is expected to contribute on special teams.
“Obviously a great team, really young, a ton of potential to be a good team for a lot of years to come,” Trocheck said of why the Rangers are a good fit for him. “The opportunity to play with guys like Mika [Zibanejad], [Chris Kreider], Panarin. … It’s kind of been a rivalry of mine almost. Seeing how good they’ve been the last couple years and how they’re trending upward is something that drew us towards it.”