There’s a pretty big bias among Rangers fans right now that may be exposed in our Vincent Trocheck report card. While Mika Zibanejad got plenty of deserved criticism, it felt like Trocheck flew under the radar. Yet when you dig a little deeper, Zibanejad actually outperformed Trocheck in many facets of the game, including overall scoring and play driving. Given both played somewhat similar roles last year and both are considered locker room leaders, it’s something worth exploring.
In a primarily offensive role mostly with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, Trocheck put up a solid 26-33-59 over 82 games, including 5-7-12 on the powerplay and a whopping six shorthanded goals. At even strength, Trocheck’s line was 15-25-40, again respectable. Like every other Ranger, Trocheck’s numbers took a hit last year, though it was more pronounced with Trocheck due to the powerplay ineptitude last year.
What’s interesting is Trocheck’s play away from the puck, which took a significant downturn. He put up the points, but his play driving was subpar, especially in generating quality chances, suggesting he was a bit more of a passenger last season alongside Panarin and Lafreniere. His on-ice production outpaced his expected metrics, which means unless there’s a bounce back, we could see his numbers slide. Especially if he’s removed from PP1 and/or there’s a more even TOI split between the two units.
Trocheck is still solid, don’t get me wrong. His microstats are good, excelling in most offensive categories. But he struggles with exiting the defensive zone, which probably plays a significant role in his rough defensive numbers last year. This would also play a role in his play driving decline. It’s not a cause for concern just yet, but it’s something to note about his season. He was fine, but there was a step back.
While Trocheck didn’t have an ‘A’ on his sweater, he was most certainly part of the leadership core. As a veteran who has “been there before,” he could have stepped in and provided a boost to morale and help guide the team when it was clear Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider were lame duck leaders. The opportunity was there, especially when JT Miller was acquired six weeks after the Trouba trade.
Trocheck is expected to be a leader this year, complete with an ‘A’ at a bare minimum. We can explain away his role in the locker room last year, but it’s still there and for some reason without criticism.
Recent Comments