Besides extending defenseman Quinn Hughes' contract, the Minnesota Wild's main priority will be finding a top line center. The team was without Joel Eriksson Ek for their entire second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, and it hurt their chances. Even before Eriksson Ek's injury, the Wild were in the market for a top center at the trade deadline. The one they were linked to quite heavily was Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers.
Leading up to the trade deadline, it was essentially the league's worst-kept secret that general manager Bill Guerin was looking to acquire Trocheck. Guerin has a relationship with Chris Drury, who served as his assistant general manager for Team USA in the Winter Olympics. Not to mention, Guerin picked Trocheck for the team over the likes of young NHL stars Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield. The Rangers ultimately kept Trocheck for the remainder of the season.
The Wild were given a bit of a gift on Thursday once Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that center Dylan Larkin requested a trade off of the Detroit Red Wings. Larkin makes immediate sense for the Wild, but what if he gets traded elsewhere? That could bring the Wild back to Trocheck.
For the Wild, if they want to land Trocheck, they may have to pay at a premium. That could very well mean giving up forward Danila Yurov to land Trocheck.
It may take Danila Yurov if Wild want any chance of acquiring Vincent Trocheck
The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano and Peter Baugh mentioned potential buy-low trade targets for the Rangers this offseason, and Yurov was one of them. The two Rangers reporters say that considering the Wild's playoff exit and the lack of top talent available, it might be possible Yurov is included in a Trocheck deal.
"The Wild held firm on the 2022 first-rounder at the deadline, but could their second-round playoff exit and the lack of available high-level talent convince them to reconsider offering him for Rangers center Vincent Trocheck? The odds remain somewhat long, but it’s worth circling back on if you’re Drury."
The trade market is Minnesota's best bet to land a top center, and behind Larkin, Trocheck is the most feasible center to acquire. The thing is, it won't come cheap.
One team has already decided to put in a word to the Rangers that they are interested, and that's the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to the New York Post's Mollie Walker, the Maple Leafs contacted the Rangers about a Trocheck trade. Walker also notes that the Wild and Detroit Red Wings have yet to contact the Rangers about Trocheck.
There is still so much time in the offseason, and it's not necessarily a given that Trocheck will be traded by the start of free agency on July 1. Drury is going to be patient and listen to offers until he gets one that he deems too good to pass up.
Wild fans should know this by now — their path to the Stanley Cup is always going to be difficult, especially with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche near the top of the Central Division. There's also the Utah Mammoth, who could be a problem, especially as they also made the playoffs. So, Guerin will need to continue to be aggressive if he wants to bring the franchise their first Stanley Cup.
Trocheck does provide the grit factor that the Wild could use, while being a pro at faceoffs, and is tremendous on the penalty kill (which Guerin knows all about based on the center's help during the Winter Olympics). For Yurov, the team obviously had high expectations as a first-round draft pick. In his first year, he had 12 goals and 17 assists through 73 regular season games. As of now, Yurov slots in as a bottom six forward for them.
If Guerin truly wants Trocheck, he may have to cave into Drury's demands, especially if Larkin doesn't end up in Minnesota. There is still time to tell if a bidding war will actually take place. Until then, fans should prepare for the possibility of Yurov being dealt.
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