Vincent Trocheck Was Rangers’ First Round MVP

With a chip on his shoulder, he entered the 2023-24 season and played the best hockey of his career, scoring 25 goals and tallying 77 points in 82 games. When the playoffs began, his game did not slow down as he was the Rangers’ best player in their first-round series sweep of the Washington Capitals. His offensive and defensive play were at all-time highs and if he continues to play at this level and the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, he will have a great chance of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Trochek’s Key Offensive Plays

Trocheck was second on the team in points in the first round, with three goals and six points in four games. He was only behind Mika Zibanejad, who had one goal and seven points in four games, and he made some key offensive plays. When the Capitals scored first in the first period of Game 2, he tied the game just 2:47 later. In Game 3, he scored a power-play goal in the second period to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead – that score held up, and the team went up 3-0 in the series. In Game 4, he scored another power-play goal late in the first period to give the team a 2-1 lead.

Trocheck came through with the big goals when he needed to and provided the spark the Rangers needed. He either gave them a bigger lead, tied the game, or got them back in it. As of this writing, he is tied with three players for second with two postseason power-play goals. His linemate, Artemi Panarin, is tied with three players for first in the league with two game-winning goals, and that line, with Alexis Lafreniere, was effective all series – Lafreniere had four assists and Panarin had three points, including two in the series-clinching game.

Trochek’s Strong Defensive Game

Trochek’s defensive performance in the series was even more impressive than his offensive output. He dominated the faceoff dot and won every important draw, whether it was in the offensive or defensive zone. Of the players who have taken 70 or more faceoffs in the playoffs, he ranks first in the league with a 71.2% success rate in 73 faceoffs. This is an incredible stat – in the regular season, he took 1,500 face-offs and won 58.7% of them, which is the highest winning percentage of players who took 1,500 face-offs or more. He has carried his regular season success into the playoffs.

Trocheck was also a key penalty-killer, and the Capitals only scored two goals on the man advantage in 17 tries. Both goals were scored in Game 2, which the Capitals lost 4-3. He also set up Barclay Goodrow’s game-winning short-handed goal in Game 3. His style of play radiated throughout the entire team and their ability to shutdown the Capitals’ top players was due to the fact they played similar to Trocheck’s style his game. He can make key offensive plays, while also being the best defensive forward on the team.

Rangers Looking Forward to Round 2

As the Rangers await the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes/New York Islanders series, Trocheck has a chance to rest. If they do face the Hurricanes, which seems likely as of this writing, he will be key to their success. He played for Carolina for two-and-a-half seasons before signing with the Rangers, and they never replaced him, still looking for their second-line center. If the Islanders manage to come back and win the series, they have some good offensive players Trocheck will need to shut down. Whoever wins, Trocheck will have to continue his outstanding play to give his team a boost.

While everyone knew Trocheck was good, his first-round performance on both sides of the puck showed how important he will be if the Rangers want to win the Stanley Cup. He was the Rangers’ first-round MVP and might be one of the more underrated players in the NHL.