The New York Rangers are in the midst of their second-consecutive disappointing season despite getting excellent goaltending. Last season, they acquired some players at the 2025 Trade Deadline even though they were not in a playoff position, but this season, they need to be sellers. Artemi Panarin has a no-movement clause, but is a candidate to be traded if he approves a trade. Additionally, general manager Chris Drury should consider trading other key players, including Vincent Trocheck and Carson Soucy.
Vincent Trocheck
After getting disappointing returns in trades for key players Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, Drury needs to learn from his mistakes and trade players while their value is still high, rather than trading them when they are struggling. Trocheck is still playing at a high level and could be a difference-maker for a contender.
Trocheck is in the fourth season of a seven-season, $39.375 million contract, and he has proven to be one of the Rangers’ top players since signing with them as a free agent ahead of the 2022-23 season. He plays with physicality, is excellent on faceoffs, drives to the front of the net, consistently produces offensively, and defends well.
Trocheck played in all 82 games in his first three seasons with the Rangers, finishing with 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points in 2022-23, 25 goals and 52 assists for 77 points in 2023-24, and 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points last season. This season, he missed some time with an injury, but still has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 25 games. He has also won 57.9 percent of his faceoffs during his four seasons with New York.
In addition to his consistently strong play in the regular season, Trocheck stepped up for the Rangers in the playoffs in 2023-24. He was excellent on both the penalty kill and power play and scored clutch goals, including the overtime-winner in double overtime of a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of their second-round matchup. He had eight goals and 12 assists in 16 games and helped New York reach the Eastern Conference Final.
Though Trocheck is 32 years old, he has continued to play at a high level and has yet to show signs of declining. However, the Rangers have veteran centers J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad both signed through 2029-30, and they both have no-movement clauses. Both have shown signs of declining, and it would make sense for Drury to sign Trocheck while he is still playing at a high level.
Carson Soucy
The Rangers acquired Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks last season in exchange for an early third-round pick. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound blueliner had developed into a reliable defensive defenseman with the Minnesota Wild, and then had his best offensive season with the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22, finishing with 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 64 games, before joining the Canucks in 2023-24.
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Soucy had three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 59 games with the Canucks last season. He spent most of his time as a second or third-pair defenseman; however, he got a chance to play alongside Adam Fox on the Rangers’ top pair last season. Though he scored a goal and helped on the penalty kill, he also made some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes and giveaways. He had one goal and two assists in 16 games with his new team.
This season, Soucy has played very well on the Rangers’ second defense pair alongside Will Borgen. He has been excellent defensively, clearing the front of the net and avoiding making turnovers, and he is team-leading plus-9. He has even chipped in offensively and has three goals and three assists for six points in 35 games.
Soucy is 31 years old and in the final season of his contract. His strong defensive play could help a contender, and the Rangers should be able to acquire a draft pick or prospect for him.
The Rangers Need to Consider Trading Key Veterans
After making the playoffs for three-consecutive campaigns, the Rangers missed the playoffs last season and are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings this season. They have a lot of veterans signed to long-term contracts who will be difficult to move, and they need to consider trading Trocheck while he is still playing at a high level and Soucy since he is set to become a free agent after this season.
