The Toronto Maple Leafs have checked in on the trade market for a top-six center, reaching out to the New York Rangers to get a sense of the price on Vincent Trocheck.
The report comes from Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Toronto is looking for short-term help down the middle, especially with Max Domi dealing with serious comoffseason back surgery and no clear timeline for his return.
Maple Leafs interested in Rangers' Vincent Trocheck
The New York Rangers kept Trocheck through the March trade deadline despite interest from multiple teams. Chris Drury is still believed to be holding a fairly high asking price, reportedly targeting a young NHL-ready player plus additional assets to move the veteran center.
Trocheck has three years left on his contract at a $5.625 million cap hit. He’s coming off a steady year in New York with 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games, and he was once again strong in the faceoff circle at 56.9 percent.
For the Maple Leafs, a move like this would give them a reliable middle-six option behind Auston Matthews. It would also give the coaching staff some flexibility, potentially shifting John Tavares into a lighter third-line role heading into his age-35 season.
The market for centers this summer isn’t deep, so interest in Trocheck is expected to be strong. On top of the trade cost, there’s also the no-trade protection to factor in. He has a 12-team no-trade list, and while he was open to staying on the East Coast at the deadline, it’s still unclear how he would view a move to Toronto.
In terms of cost, there have been some reports that the Rangers' asking price for Trocheck is a young, NHL-caliber player along with additional assets to part with the veteran. That could include a Nicholas Robertson, a Ben Danford, and maybe even a veteran player, as well as dradr capital.
