2025 Rangers Season Previews: Vincent Trocheck

This article is part of an ongoing series of Rangers Season Previews, taking a close look at what we can, and should, expect from each member of the 2025-26 New York Rangers. To read other articles in this series, go here.

While many fingers have been pointed for the New York Rangers' poor play last season, not enough were in the direction of Vincent Trocheck. After losing to the Florida Panthers during the 2024 playoffs, numerous fans expected Trocheck to step up and become the next captain of the team—a distinction that instead went to his close friend J.T. Miller—but it does not seem like that same player we saw two seasons ago was there last year.

Does Vincent Trocheck have enough gas in the tank to help propel the Rangers back to the playoffs?

Previous Performance

Last season was a down year for many on the team, and Trocheck was no exception to that. By the end of the season, he had tallied 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points, 18 fewer points than he recorded the season before and his fewest as a Ranger. Over the course of the season, Trocheck primarily played on a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière. Even though the three had experienced success, that same spark wasn't apparent last year.

In five-on-five situations, Trocheck's game took massive steps back. Of his 26 goals, 14 of them came in five-on-five play, along with 21 assists. Trocheck's xGF% dipped under 50 percent for the first time since the 2019-20 season, and he also allowed 2.8 goals per 60 minutes. While the Rangers have not been outstanding in five-on-five situations the past few seasons, Trocheck was part of a very underwhelming group. You would expect playing on a line with Panarin would help boost Trocheck's statistics, but even the Breadman couldn't save him this year.

Trocheck also spent plenty of time on the team's first power play unit and served as a key penalty killer. On the power play, Trocheck netted five goals and seven assists. This was the fewest points he has recorded on the power play during his three-year tenure with the team. According to Evolving Hockey, Trocheck's GF/60 dropped down to 6.92 goals after being 11.68 only a season before. Many of the Rangers' failures last season could be blamed on the team's regression on the power play, and Trocheck was at the forefront of it.

Trocheck did not do much better on the penalty kill, a spot he usually flourishes in. While he did lead the league in shorthanded goals with six, that statistic downplays his struggles. When looking at advanced metrics, Trocheck allowed 9.38 xGA/60 via Evolving Hockey.

This number is by far the highest it has been during his time with the Rangers. A large reason why Trocheck earned a seven-year deal with the Rangers was because he excelled when it came to killing penalties, and now there is less confidence in his ability to do so.

In short, Trocheck regressed in every aspect of his game last season. If you are looking for a spot where he did excel, Trocheck won 59.6 percent of his faceoffs, the highest of his career. Aside from that, he did not look like the player he was only a season ago.

Expectations

The expectation for Trocheck heading into the season should not be for him to be a second line center. Going into the 2023-24 season, Trocheck looked like he would serve as the team's third line center. It was only when Filip Chytil suffered a yet another concussion during the 2023-24 season that Trocheck became the team's second line center.

At age 32, it is time for Trocheck to slide back down to the third line. With both Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller on the roster, the depth is there for Trocheck to take on a reduced role. In this scenario, Trocheck would see fewer minutes, which would allow him to maximize his time on the ice and see better matchups.

Over the past two seasons, Trocheck has recorded two of the three highest average time on ice in his career. The other came during the 2017-18 season with the Florida Panthers when he was 24. After last season, it is hard to expect him to perform better with more time on the ice.

Trocheck's skill set would serve the Blueshirts well on the third line. It would be hard to find a third line center in the league better than Trocheck, which the Rangers could use to their advantage. He would also be able to make the most of his opportunities in both even-strength scenarios and while helping kill off penalties. This would also provide the Rangers with good center depth and allow Trocheck to step up in the event Miller or Zibanejad got injured.

Predictions

Based on new head coach Mike Sullivan's comments, it seems very likely Trocheck starts the year as the team's second line center on a line with Panarin and Lafrenière. As previously stated, we have seen this line perform exceptionally well, especially during the 2023-24 season. At the same time, we did see them struggle last season. The big question will be if they can return to form.

Even though there is an open spot on the first power play unit, it seems likely that spot will be filled by Lafrenière and Trocheck will be on the second unit. A large part of Trocheck's value on the power play came from his duties in the faceoff circle, which have since been taken over by J.T. Miller.

Despite losing time on the power play, Trocheck will likely maintain his spot on the team's penalty killing unit. Even after last season, he remains one of the team's top options when the team is short-handed.

Although it does not seem like Trocheck will be playing in much of a reduced role, I still think he will improve from last season. Numerous Rangers underperformed last season under former head coach Peter Laviolette, and with improved coaching, the players should see an improvement in their game.

Taking this into consideration, I believe that Trocheck will record 21 goals and 43 assists for 64 points. This would be very similar to what he put up in his first year with the team. While I think it is unlikely he gets back to the numbers he recorded in the 2023-24 season, I do think he will take a step back in that direction.