The NHL Trade Deadline is exactly three weeks from today, and while the Carolina Hurricanes are at the top of the Metropolitan Division with 78 points, they are looking to acquire talent to help them take the next step, namely a second-line center, preferably a right-handed shot.
The Hurricanes’ best option is to bring back a familiar name who knows the system well. He was also the best second-line center they’ve in the Rod Brind’Amour era: Vincent Trocheck.
Trocheck Reuniting with Hurricanes
The Hurricanes rarely bring back former players, unless it’s Justin Williams, because it’s Justin Williams. Trocheck left as a free agent and signed with the New York Rangers before the 2022-23 season. He is now in the fourth year of a seven-year, $39.38 million deal, worth $5.625 million annually. He will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after the 2028-29 season at the age of 35.
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The 32-year-old Pittsburgh, PA native has 12 goals and 36 points in 43 games this season. While those numbers aren’t great, especially when he’s a minus-16, the Rangers sit dead last in the Metropolitan Division, and the whole team is having a down season.
In that sense, Trocheck is having an okay season, and the Hurricanes would benefit from a reunion with their former 2C. In three seasons in Raleigh, he scored 39 goals and 96 points in 135 games, spanning from 2019-20 to 2021-22. In his last season with the Hurricanes, he scored 21 goals and 51 points in 81 games. He followed that up with six goals and 10 points in 14 playoff games.
Adding Trocheck back to the lineup, with three more years left on his deal, gives them the solid right-handed 2C who could take the team to the next level. Nothing against Logan Stankoven, who has been manning the fort in his first full season in Carolina, with 10 goals and 25 points in 57 games, but he has a 44.4% faceoff success rate in a role he hasn’t had full-time since he was in Junior in Kamloops.
Trocheck has a success rate of 56.5%, going 405-312 in the dot. Since the 2016-17 season, he has never been below 50%. For a team that’s built on puck possession, having him as the 2C at 5v5 and on the power play would be a huge boost to the lineup. He also plays a physical game, getting under his opponents’ skin. Since 2015-16, Trocheck has had over 100 hits a season, including 200 for the first time in 2024-25 (214).
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Trochek ticks all the boxes of what the Hurricanes are looking for. Right-handed shot? Check. Familiar with the system? Check. Age? Check, only 32. Still producing at a high level? Check. Affordable contract? Also check. There is a ton of upside in bringing Trocheck back to Carolina.
He does have a 12-team, no-trade clause in his deal (M-MTC), but it’s doubtful that the Hurricanes are on that list, given how much his teammates loved him in his time in Raleigh. His M-NTC does go down to 10 teams in 2026-27, then down to six teams for 2027-28 and 2028-29.
What would the Rangers want for Trocheck? They traded Artemi Panarin earlier this month for a conditional third-round pick and prospect Liam Greentree. If that is what they got for Panarin, a pending unrestricted free agent, the ask for Trocheck shouldn’t be that much higher.
The Hurricanes need an upgrade at 2C, and Trocheck fits the bill. He knows the system well, and he was beloved in the locker room. He’s also a right-handed shot who plays with physicality and can win faceoffs, along with the thump to get through the playoffs. If management has circled anyone on their trade target big board, it should be Trocheck, and they have three weeks to make it happen.
