Rangers star forward has reportedly just rejected a blockbuster trade to the Canadiens
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Daniel Lucente
Jun 28, 2026 (11:11)
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Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The story everyone is covering is what Montreal cannot have. The more important story is what that tells every other team in the league.
Darren Dreger reported this week that the Canadiens have kicked the tires on Vincent Trocheck but believe he has them on his no-fly zone and would or possibly already did reject a trade to Montreal.
There is a note of flexibility in the report, but Dreger was careful about how far he extended it.
This is not a story about a door that cracked open for Montreal. It is a story about a door that just slammed open for twenty other franchises.
Re Canadiens: "They've more or less kicked tires on Vinny Trocheck; I believe Montreal's on his no-fly zone, I think that there's some flexibility from Trocheck's perspective."
- Darren Dreger
- Darren Dreger
Trocheck carries a 12-team no-trade list in 2025-26, meaning he is protecting 12 destinations and leaving 20 others available.
Montreal learning they are one of the 12 is news, but the real implication is that every other team in the league now knows he is reachable.
The New York Rangers have quietly signaled a trade is likely this summer. Dreger's update gave the market a very public map of where the walls are.
Why Carolina may be the obvious ending
Trocheck played for the Carolina Hurricanes from 2019 to 2022 before signing with New York.
Carolina just won the Stanley Cup, and multiple reports have already linked the Hurricanes to Trocheck as a legitimate suitor heading into the draft.
A reunion with a championship team checks every box a 33-year-old with three years left on his deal needs to check.
He wants to win, and Carolina just proved they can.
What Kent Hughes actually does next
Montreal finished 48-24-10 for 106 points last season, with Nick Suzuki putting up 101 points at the top of the lineup.
Kent Hughes is shopping from strength, not desperation.
If Trocheck has signaled he will not waive for Montreal, the smartest play is to move fast toward a center who actually wants to be there.
The rest of the league is already ahead of them on this one.
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