What Kind Of Impact Would Vincent Trocheck Make On the Wild?

The Minnesota Wild are expressing interest in hard-nosed, two-way New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. 

Last summer, I wrote about Trocheck being a good fit for the Wild. Now it looks like general manager Bill Guerin wants to trade for him. 

Let's face it, the Wild aren't getting a franchise center anytime soon. They could target Elias Pettersson, but he isn't on good terms with former teammate Quinn Hughes. Not to mention, he has injury issues and experienced a drop in production. 

Hughes demanded a trade because of Vancouver’s toxic culture, allowing the Guerin to add the league’s second-best center. Let's enjoy the fact that the Wild have two top-5 players in Kirill Kaprizov and Hughes. Matt Boldy’s arguably already a top-10 winger. Brock Faber’s one of the league’s best defensemen under 24. 

For now, the Wild have their own Mount Rushmore in Kaprizov (George Washington), Hughes (Abraham Lincoln), Boldy (Theodore Roosevelt), and Faber (Thomas Jefferson): 

Kaprizov: The founder who drives the Wild’s offense and identity.

Hughes: The modernizer who defines the future of elite defense.

Faber: The architect who provides structure and reliability.

Boldy: The stabilizer who brings an all-around game and scoring.

These players are the team's cornerstones. While Faber isn't on the tier of Kaprizov, Hughes, and Boldy, he's the team's future captain. Once captain Jared Spurgeon retires, Faber will most likely be the next captain. He fits the profile to be Spurgeon's successor as captain. He has a bit more offensive upside than Spurgeon, so he gets to join the Wild’s Rushmore. 

Minnesota’s core needs a top faceoff center for all situations, who can contribute offensively and play well defensively. Trocheck checks all the boxes, including being a playoff performer. Can he be an unsung hero to help defensive anchor Joel Eriksson Ek? 

Trocheck by the numbers (all-situations)

29th in NHL in hits (115) 

Ahead of Tom Wilson, Brayden Schenn, Casey Cizikas, Brandon Duhaime, Sam Bennett, Dylan Holloway, Alex Ovechkin, J.T. Miller, Boldy, Matt Rempe, Eriksson Ek, Brett Howden, Nick Foligno, and Gabriel Landeskog. 

Trocheck’s physicality highlights that his lack of size isn't an issue. He's active physically, a forechecker who isn't afraid to mix it up.

Trocheck plays with an edge like Ryan Hartman. Still, he’s more disciplined, can win faceoffs, and is more skilled with the puck. Adding Trocheck moves Hartman to a permanent bottom-six role as a center or wing. 

T-78th in goals above expected (2.4) 

Ahead of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nikita Kucherov, Mika Zibanejad, David Pastrnak, Sam Reinhart, Pavel Dorofeyev, Mitch Marner, Kevin Fiala, Mikko Rantanen, and Patrick Kane. 

Nobody's saying that Trocheck is a better center than McDavid. You'd take Kucherov, Pastrnak, Reinhart, Marner, Fiala, or Rantanen over Trocheck regardless of position. You'd also easily pick Kane's career over Trocheck's. Trochek has shown to be someone who's going to perform better than expected. It doesn't necessarily mean he's as good as the league's elites, but he can match up with them as a pest with clutch offense. 

106th in assists per 60 (1.47) 

Ahead of Bennett, Ovechkin, Eriksson Ek, Boldy, Reinhart, Mason McTavish, Dylan Guenther, Miller, Quinton Byfield, Filip Forsberg, Pettersson, Dylan Larkin, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Kyrou, and Fiala.

Trocheck's strengths will come through playmaking. He's shown to produce more A/60 than Ovechkin, Boldy, Reinhart, Byfield, Pettersson, Jarvis, and Fiala. That shows that he's capable of being Kaprizov’s playmaking center. Think of Mats Zuccarello (5-foot-8) as a center, but Trochek (5-foot-11) is three inches taller. Trocheck also brings more edge than Zuccarello. 

116th in points per 60 (2.37)

Ahead of J.J. Peterka, Mathew Barzal, Tyler Seguin, McTavish, Fiala, Pettersson, Kyrou, Byfield, Andrei Kuzmenko, Matt Duchene, and Pavel Buchnevich.

Trocheck doesn’t have elite point production, but you can count on him to produce with some pretty good company. Trocheck is still a better top-six producer than Fiala, Pettersson, and Byfield, who aren't playing their best hockey this year. That shows that he can take his game to the next level in the playoffs. 

T-74th in blocked shots (29) 

Ahead of Anthony Cirelli, Macklin Celebrini, Tage Thompson, Jake Guentzel, Sean Couturier, Reinhart, Larkin, Jordan Staal, Adam Lowry, Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Eichel, McTavish, Byfield, Rantanen, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond.

Here's where Trocheck is showing his value as a two-way center. He's shown to be more reliable defensively than Celebrini, Thompson, Reinhart, Larkin, Staal, MacKinnon, and Eichel. 

That shows that he should be the starting center on the penalty kill. Trocheck's faceoff percentage (FO%) is 55.6, which is tied for 62nd in the league. However, those are for all forward positions. For centers, he's 39th in the league. He's over 55,% which is a difficult number to maintain. 

Known for playoff redemption 

Trocheck has proven he can redeem himself by scoring in the playoffs. He had 10 points in 14 games in the 2021-22 playoffs. In the two seasons before that (2019-20 and 2020-21), he struggled, scoring only 5 points. He bounced back in the 2023-24 playoffs with a big performance by scoring 20 points in 16 games. That was a huge improvement from the 2022-23 playoffs, in which he had just one point in seven games.

Danila Yurov vs. Charlie Stramel: Who does Guerin trade? 

The Wild might use Yurov or Stramel as a centerpiece in a Trocheck trade. The Wild would have to consider parting ways with another first-round pick. Trocheck's cap hit is $5.625 million, and the Wild have more than $5.3 million in projected deadline cap space. So they don't need to sacrifice depth. 

Yurov is skilled, versatile, and will likely become Kaprizov’s linemate long-term. He can play center or wing and brings offensive upside that is harder to replace. Think of Vegas Golden Knights’ forward Pavel Dorofeyev. 

Stramel is big, physical, and strong defensively, like Eriksson Ek. He's developing into Eriksson Ek's clone. Players like Boone Jenner, Scott Laughton, or former Wild center Charlie Coyle could fill that role. Still, they would cost money and term to back up Eriksson Ek. 

Trade

To New York: Charlie Stramel and 2028 1st round pick 

To Minnesota: Vincent Trocheck 

Playoff lines

Forwards

• Yurov - Trocheck - Kaprizov 
• Zuccarello - Eriksson Ek - Boldy 
• Marcus Johansson - Hartman - Vladimir Tarasenko
• Marcus Foligno - Nico Sturm - Yakov Trenin 

Defensemen

• Hughes - Faber
• Jonas Brodin - Spurgeon 
• Jake Middleton - Zach Bogosian 
• Daemon Hunt 

Goalies

• Filip Gustavsson 
• Jesper Wallstedt 

OR 

Forwards

• Zuccarello - Trocheck - Kaprizov 
• Boldy - Eriksson Ek - Johansson 
• Tarasenko - Yurov - Trenin 
• Foligno - Sturm - Hartman

Defensemen

• Hughes - Faber 
• Brodin - Bogosian 
• Middleton - Spurgeon
• Hunt

Goalies

• Gustavsson 
• Wallstedt 

Power play

• PP1: Zuccarello - Eriksson Ek - Kaprizov; Boldy - Hughes 
• PP2: Hartman - Yurov - Tarasenko; Trochek - Faber 

Penalty kill

• PK1: Trocheck - Trenin; Brodin - Faber 
• PK2: Sturm - Foligno; Middleton - Spurgeon

What about Ryan O'Reilly? 

Trocheck is a smaller, cheaper version of O’Reilly who offers strong leadership. He plays hard, excels on both ends, and can be trusted in important moments. Trocheck wins faceoffs, plays physical for his size, and helps score while still doing the small things right. A Trocheck-Kaprizov pairing would be similar to the O’Reilly-Tarasenko duo during the St. Louis Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup run, where a strong two-way center helped unlock an elite goal scorer. 

So how much can Trocheck help the Wild? A lot. He won’t turn them into a dynasty, but he raises their ceiling. Trocheck brings edge, accountability, and playoff edge, which are traits the Wild have been missing when games get tougher. He wins faceoffs, hits, blocks shots, and still finds a way to score. That matters in April.

Trocheck fits this core perfectly. Kaprizov gets a center who can take hits and keep plays alive. Eriksson Ek finally gets help instead of carrying the load alone. While Kaprizov, Hughes, Boldy, and Faber drive the team, Trocheck is the glue that makes it all work, much like how Eriksson Ek is the team's glue guy. They need another player like him. 

The Wild shouldn’t be chasing a superstar. They already did that by trading for Hughes. They need to win playoff games. Trocheck plays angry, smart, and delivers when it counts. If the Rangers make him available, then the Wild shouldn’t hesitate. Trocheck doesn’t just help the Wild, but he makes them a better playoff threat, especially against the Colorado Avalanche.