NY Rangers star reportedly leaves door open on trade to NY Islanders amid rumors

Vincent Trocheck is drawing in all the eyes in Manhattan and across the NHL. After the New York Rangers traded Artemi Panarin, the 32-year-old American became the number one trade candidate in town. With the way the 2025-26 season has gone for the Blueshirts, a move might happen sooner rather than later.

Where to? Much like Panarin’s situation, that question has several possible answers. However, Trocheck’s 12-team no-trade list means the options narrow down, and the New York Islanders may well be among the teams in the race for the veteran center. According to a recent report around the NHL, Trocheck made his intentions clear to the Rangers regarding where he’d like to play next.

“At this point in time, [Trocheck] would like to stay East,” Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast. “So I don’t know that you could consider him a solution for the Kings or anyone else on [the Western Conference].”

Rangers have final say

However, the Blueshirts aren’t required to meet Trocheck’s wishes. Legally, New York is only obliged to respect the 12-team no-trade list. All other 19 options are still on the table. Whether the Isles are on Trocheck’s vetoed list or not, that remains unanswered. Thus, as long as the uncertainty prevails, the Rangers will continue to face a trade threat from the Islanders.

Vincent Trocheck at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Needless to say, the Islanders seem to be a suitor the Rangers won’t be too excited to deal with, even though GM Chris Drury and the front office did complete the fourth trade in NHL history between the two New York-based organizations.

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After Panarin was traded, some fans believed the drama would quiet down. They were wrong. Now, the noise surrounds Trocheck and his future. However, yet another star departure could lead to an uprising within the locker room, with more talent wanting out of the chaotic situation in Manhattan.

Meanwhile, Trocheck is with Mike Sullivan and Team USA in Milan, where he was recently involved in a curious situation in the Winter Olympics with Rangers teammate J.T. Miller. Away from all the noise and speculation roaming through the streets of New York City. Still—sooner or later—Trocheck will have to face the music.

Chasing the USA’s third gold medal in ice hockey history (1960 and 1980) means Trocheck, Sullivan, and Miller will be competing in their most meaningful games of the year. Given how the 2025–26 season has gone, neither of the Rangers will be playing for any silverware when they return to North America. Well, Trocheck may find a loophole, as his name continues to surface in trade rumors around the NHL.