The New York Rangers offence has been up and down all season. Losing centre Vincent Trocheck to an upper-body injury was just the beginning of the Rangers troubles, and most likely the cause of it. Trocheck has now made his return, giving the Rangers some much-needed, new life to their offence. The question is, will it be enough to get the Rangers back in the Stanley Cup playoff hunt?
Trocheck’s Return to the Rangers Lineup
Trocheck played his first game since coming back against the Nashville Predators, a game the Rangers won 6-3. It was the most goals the team had scored since their 6-5 home overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. The Rangers then put up seven more goals to win against Tampa Bay. Trocheck scored two goals that game, as did William Cuylle. It was no coincidence, Artemi Panarin had his best game of the season, scoring four points. After that, New York beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in a shootout to win three games in a row. However, they have now lost four straight. It is wonder if anything will go right for New York.
What has Changed?
Now that Trocheck is back, the Rangers can play their lines the way they did last season. Trocheck has been the primary centre for Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière, and New York had a tough time getting a replacement for him while he was hurt. They tried some different combinations, even putting Panarin with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, but it wasn’t gelling quite like the Rangers needed. With Trocheck back, the Rangers best five-on-five line is back on the ice to control the pace of play.
Trocheck has made a return to the top line power play, replacing William Cuylle who took his place while hurt. The Rangers power play will be happy to have him back, giving them someone who can battle for pucks on the boards. Trocheck has given Panarin and Lafrenière some grit at centre, which didn’t happen much with Trocheck out. Either way, the Rangers offence has found new life, and Trocheck has been a big part of that. Only playing in nine games so far, Trocheck has seven points, a decent pace, but one that he should be able to keep up. The important part is getting Panarin his number one man back.
Watch Out for the Breadman
With Trocheck back, Panarin gets the centreman he needs to open up his offence. Trocheck plays a gritty, annoying style of play that allows Panarin to get the space he needs to be effective. Trocheck will fight the corner and puck battles while Panarin waits for the puck to come to him. Once it does, the Breadman can put his creativity, puck handling and accurate shot to use.
Bread with the shot + Troch tips it in. pic.twitter.com/zdtNC1BuVP
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 19, 2025
Whether that’s looking around to wait for other skaters to get in position, or even some fancy footwork to get a good shot off, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Trocheck gives Panarin the space to do all of the above, igniting New York’s offence. After Trocheck came back, Panarin went on a five-game point streak. He scored nine points over that span.
Where Do They Go From Here?
The Rangers can’t operate business as usual for now. The season may be young, but New York can’t rest on their laurels. The Metropolitan Division is stacked with potential playoff teams and not one team is below a .500 win percentage. The top of the division is loaded too with the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes taking the two top spots. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders have been strong teams as well, so there is plenty of competition the Rangers will have to go through.
While hope may seem to be dwindling after a tough road trip where the Rangers went 0-3, there is a silver lining. Cuylle has been on fire the past week, even seeing some time on the first line for the power play. He’s fourth on the team in points, scoring 12 in 23 games. Not mind-blowing, but he keeps it up, Cuylle could be in the 60-70 point range to end the season. Giving him more ice time while he’s hot could be a good way to ignite the rest of the team.
The Rangers can still make the postseason It’s simply a matter of if the Rangers can continue to get hot. The season is a quarter of the way done for most teams. and New York needs to prove that it can hold its own against the leagues best.
Main Photo Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
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