Rangers’ Trocheck says he wants to stay in the East if traded

Vincent Trocheck could be one of the more sought-after names moved at this week’s NHL trade deadline, and now the New York Rangers centre has revealed more about his goals for a possible move.

Trocheck met with reporters in New York on Monday and said he wants to stay in the Eastern Conference but is hoping to go to a contender. Trocheck has a 12-team no-trade list and he is using it to stay as close to family as possible.

“It’s not a secret. (West Coast teams) are on my no-trade cause, family is important to me and my family is on the East Coast,” he said, according to Mollie Walker of The New York Post.

He added that he doesn’t want to uproot his family, including his two young kids, to be traded to a team near the bottom of the standings like the Rangers.

“If I’m gonna get traded to a team that’s in the same situation as us, then I don’t want to move,” he said, according to Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic. “That sounds miserable in a new city. I am 32 years old. I would like to win a Stanley Cup, so if I am going to get traded, I would like to go to a team that’s winning, or has a chance to win.”

His comments match reporting from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who said on Monday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that Utah and Los Angeles had expressed interest in Trocheck, but were told a deal won’t happen.

Friedman added that the Wild, Red Wings and Hurricanes could be candidates for Trocheck.

“Someone did say to me that (when) they thought of the centres, Trocheck may go first,” Friedman said. “I think he’s the one most likely to go” of a foursome that also features Robert Thomas, Ryan O’Reilly and Nazem Kadri, added Friedman.

Trocheck, 32, has 12 goals and 38 points in 44 games for the Rangers this season while playing in all situations. The 13-year veteran further boosted his value ahead of the deadline by playing a lock-down depth role for gold-medal-winning Team USA at the Winter Olympics.

He is in the fourth year of a seven-year contract that carries a $5.625-mllion cap hit.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said there are no plans to withhold Trocheck from the lineup before Friday’s deadline. The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference with 53 points and have home games against the Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs before the trade deadline.