The Montreal Canadiens are expected to be active heading into the trade deadline as they try to add to a team that is squarely in the playoff race. They will need to trade some players out to create the cap space, like Patrik Laine, but once that is done, they could be looking to add to their Top 6.
One of the popular trade targets for the Canadiens has been Calgary Flames' Nazem Kadri, but New York Rangers' center Vincent Trocheck would also be a great fit in this forward group. That is why it wasn't overly surprising to see James Mirtle of The Athletic pick the Canadiens as the team the Rangers could trade him to.
"The Canadiens’ biggest hole all season has been down the middle, and it’s going to be a battle at the deadline for the limited options who can fill the 2C role on a contender. Even at 32, Trocheck certainly fits that description, and the fact he comes with some term at a reasonable cap hit will help the Habs bridge the gap as their youth movement progresses."
The last point is one that could be important to the Canadiens, as Trocheck is under contract through the 2029 season with an AAV of only $5.625 million. While he is 32 years old, he is someone who still has plenty of good hockey ahead of him.
This season, he has 12 goals and 24 assists through 43 games, and Bill Guerin believes he has enough left to help Team USA in their quest for gold at the 2026 Olympics. Another area that Trocheck could help is in the faceoff circle. The Canadiens currently rank 13th in the NHL, and Trocheck has a career faceoff win percentage of 54.2% that could help them improve that ranking.
Would Vincent Trocheck waive his no-movement clause to join the Montreal Canadiens?
If the Canadiens and Rangers were able to agree on a trade, there would be one big hurdle: whether or not Trocheck would waive his no-movement clause. As seen in the Artemi Panarin trade, this gives players incredible leverage and essentially allows them to pick the team they want to go to if they would even consider a trade.
However, the Canadiens should be an attractive situation for a player like Trocheck, as Montreal is a young team on the rise. This is a group that looks to only get better and, in the coming years, find themselves in contention for a Stanley Cup.
While nothing is guaranteed, it would be tough to find a better situation for a veteran like Trocheck who wants to compete in the playoffs consistently at this point in their career.