Media Bytes: Finding Clarity in the Post-Deadline Debris
Trocheck remains a Ranger—for now. In this week’s Media Bytes, we unpack the deadline decisions, Carrick’s exit, Othmann’s fresh start, and why the real fireworks may be coming this summer.
Welcome back to Media Bytes, a weekly column from Blueshirt Banter. Every Sunday, we’ll help you start the week right with a quick catch-up on the latest stories and developments around the New York Rangers and the broader NHL media landscape.
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Tro Does Not Go... Yet
1. Friday's NHL Trade Deadline came and went, and despite weeks of speculation — and expectations a deal would get done — Vincent Trocheck remains a New York Ranger … for now.
Mollie Walker and Brian Boyle discussed the situation and the fallout from the Rangers holding onto Trocheck on the Up in the Blueseats podcast that released shortly after the 3pm deadline.
"I don't know why moving him was of urgency," Boyle said to kick off the conversation. "If you get your doors blown off with a deal, fine. But he's a great player and I think he's a great teammate. You hear how genuinely his teammates adore this guy. Hanging onto that—and not giving it away for cents on the dollar—was the right move."
Walker agreed, telling listeners the Rangers likely set a high asking price for Trocheck in part to compensate for what they weren't able to get in the Artemi Panarin deal, noting his trade protection "handcuffed" the organization. She also believes—as general manager Chris Drury later confirmed in his post-deadline press conference—that the Rangers were never going to make a move just for the sake of making one.
"I think this was always a possibility they were prepared for," Walker said. "That being said, I do think it could make for an interesting situation. We've seen what happens when a player who's been told the organization wants to move on from him walks back into the locker room. It can create a difficult dynamic for players trying to stay fully committed to what’s going on."
Walker added that she has no reason to believe Trocheck wouldn't give the team 100 percent, saying she believes Trocheck will handle this situation better than former captain Jacob Trouba did. Still, she admitted she views the decision to send him back into the Rangers' dressing room after weeks of trade speculation as "a bit of a risk."
2. On the emergency edition of Blueshirt Bandwidth released Friday evening, Eric Kohn also weighed in on the decision not to trade Vincent Trocheck. While he expected a deal to get done at the deadline, he doesn't believe holding onto Trocheck will hurt the Rangers' ability to revisit talks in the months ahead.
"I think Trocheck is the kind of guy general managers love," Kohn said. "And I think the floor on his value is pretty high." In his view, that floor should remain intact even into next season.
"Even if you start next season with Trocheck and the Rangers aren't very good, I don't know how much that really drives down the value for someone like him," Kohn added.
In other words, the Rangers may have missed the deadline window—but not necessarily the market.
