Welcome to an off-season segment for your New York Rangers! It ultimately did not end the way the organization wanted it to, but there was a lot of jog and excitement to say the least. It is summer time for the Rangers, but that does not mean we cannot reminisce on the season. Today we will look at a Vincent Trocheck offseason grade. Check out the other New York Rangers offseason grades.
New York Rangers Offseason Grades
Report Card: Vincent Trocheck
There is a new star on Broadway. After seeing second-line centre Ryan Strome sign with the Anaheim Ducks, the team needed reinforcements. Surely they could have promoted Filip Chytil to the second line, but management went bigger. After having successful stints with the Carolina Hurricanes, Trocheck signed a mega deal with New York. He has played under now-former coach Gerard Gallant before. Trocheck was tabbed with anchoring the second line behind Mika Zibanejad. It was a successful season. We take a dive into his New York Rangers offseason grade.
The Season
There is a lot to like about Trochecks game. He plays hard, forechecks hard, and can play in different situations. As painful as it was to lose Strome, Trocheck filled his shoes nicely. Just last season, Strome had just 33 points. This season Trocheck had nearly double with 64 points. His ability to make plays was great for the club with his 42 assists. In addition 27 of those were primary. Like his captain, Trocheck was never afraid to deliver a bone-crushing check (182 hits). In addition, his defensive awareness was noticeable. Trocheck finished fifth in takeaways with 64, and blocked 44 shots. One thing that stands out the most is his ability to win faceoffs. He was the best player in that regard on the team as he won 56.1% of his faceoffs.
Good things happened when Trocheck was on the ice. He had the second-best Corsi For (59%), and the second-best xGoals percentage (58.8%). His linemates got shuffled quite a bit, but his lines had success in both ends of the ice. The only line that was disastrous was when he was paired with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. Overall a tremendous regular season for the newcomer on Broadway. He fit into the lineup nicely and performed greatly this season.
The Playoffs
As for his regular season, that success did not translate to the playoffs. After finishing third in the division, expectations were high. A deep run last year followed by another strong trade deadline rose the expectations. It won’t hurt his New York Rangers offseason grade entirely, but it doesn’t help either. Trocheck had just one goal this postseason. Against a speedy team like New Jersey, he did bring that physical edge of his. Trocheck finished second in hits on the team behind Jacob Trouba. In addition, his performance in the faceoff circle took a dip. He finished just a 47.2% success rate for his draws. Not to mention, his CF dropped to 44% and xGoals to 39.6%. Trocheck was held in check and was not as generative in the postseason. He was not alone, as many other players had poor performances for the team.
The Verdict
This New York Rangers offseason grade is a challenge. What a great addition during the regular season for New York. Trocheck came in and embraced the big city and earned his pay raise. Fortunately, there are six more seasons of the Trocheck in New York. Like many of his teammates, a hunger to get better will be there. It is unfortunate, but he is not the only player on this roster who felt they could have done more. Overall, a great first year with the blue shirts and did exactly what the team needed him to do.
Grade: B
Main Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
