In perhaps their biggest move of the day so far, Chris Drury has traded center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi, prospect center Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third round pick. The trade ends a months-long saga that began before last season’s trade deadline when the Rangers indicated they’d be interested in moving on from the affordable center.
After failing to make a deal at the trade deadline, Drury was reportedly still asking for a high price for Trocheck, and there were even reports that the Rangers hoped that Dylan Larkin would be traded first in order to open up the trade market for the next best center available. As it turns out he elected not to wait, and appears to have chosen the deal that most fits his offseason plan of strengthening the center and defensive positions with players that are either already in the NHL or close to it.
In Sean Durzi, the Rangers add a player who plays the right side as a second pair guy who can play 19+ minutes a night. Whether Sullivan can unlock more on his defensive game remains to be seen, but the addition allows the Rangers more flexibility to address their right side. Beaudoin is coming off his overage year in the OHL where he put up 88 points in just 54 games. He’s seen as a high-floor kind of player who probably has his best chance to contribute as a 3rd liner rather than a top six guy, but will bring a strong work ethic.
It’s a pretty decent return for Drury, and allows him to move on from a veteran forward who didn’t fit as well in the line-up and likely would see his offensive numbers drop with the departure of Artemi Panarin last season. It also gets the Rangers a little bit younger and clears up a bit of space in the top six for the new signings of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Pavel Dorofeyev to play in their natural positions, as well as return J.T. Miller to the center which he’s said he prefers.
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