This falls right in line with trading for guys like Copp, Vatrano and Motte. It's not the sexiest, but it might be a good fit for the team.
While he has a pretty decent shot, Trocheck actually scores most of his goals from close to the net. Deflections, rebounds. He actually played netfront on the Canes PP. At 5'10", that says A LOT about the kind of player he is.
Will he mesh with Panarin? That's the big question. To this point, I have to say Drury has done a very good job finding guys that FIT. But we'll see. Trocheck is more gritty and far less perimeter than Strome. This could be a huge help because maybe, just maybe the other winger on that line won't be forced to do all the hard work. Again, time will tell, but Strome was far too perimeter too often. As much as he meshed with Panarin during the regular season, their pairing was not great in the postseason.
That said, the one thing I really liked with Strome's game was his skating. When he was most effective with Panarin he was using his wheels to create space and havoc. I don't know if that will be lost with Trocheck. Time will tell.
But in theory, I do like the potential flexibility of adding Trocheck. And as with guys like Motte, Berard, Sykora --- players with a high motor are really important to the build of this team and something sorely lacking -- still. VT likely could mesh well with most of our wingers and move around in the lineup as needed. And Zibby really needs another center who can win a big faceoff. It can't just be him.
The term is long, but as the salary cap goes up, having a 2nd line C option at 5.6 may quickly turn into a luxury.
