Perhaps this is grasping at straws, but with the news that Vincent Trocheck changed his agent to Pat Brisson, it’s easy to speculate that a trade may be imminent. Trocheck’s old agent, Matthew Oates, apparently does not have the same relationship with other general managers that Brisson does, this Trocheck agent change should help Chris Drury navigate a trade quickly. Trocheck has been expecting to be traded for about six months now, and I can’t imagine he wants this to drag on any longer.
Trocheck has a 12-team no trade clause that switches to a 10-team no trade clause on July 1. Assuming the Rangers want this done before the draft, then the 12-team list is more important. Trocheck has been adamant about staying in the Eastern Conference, and given Drury’s overcorrection in making players happy, he’s likely to oblige.
If I’m Trocheck, my no-trade list would be limited to contenders in the Western Conference, as non-contenders have no reason to trade for him. That means Utah, Colorado, Vegas, Dallas, Edmonton, Anaheim, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Nashville, and San Jose. That’s 10 teams. Minnesota is rumored to be a team Trocheck will accept a trade to, and if he’s willing to go to Minnesota, then I wonder if geography doesn’t necessarily matter for Nashville too, but for now let’s assume Nashville would be on his list.
The other two teams would be bad teams in the Eastern Conference, and since it’s safe to assume Drury won’t be dealing with the Islanders or Devils, let’s go with Toronto and Columbus. It’s also unlikely Florida or Carolina make plays for Trocheck. It does limit Drury’s ability to trade Trocheck, hence the Trocheck agent change.
Trocheck is probably the first major domino to fall on the trade market.