Of all the moves New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury has made since taking over in May 2021, his best gift to the team has been Vincent Trocheck, who turned 31 on Thursday.

After inking Trocheck to a seven-year deal with an AAV of $5.625 million, people wondered if too much money or term was given out to a player who, at the time, struggled to reach the 50-point mark on a consistent basis due to injury and other factors.

Since then, Trocheck has been one of New York’s best and most reliable forwards. In his first season as a Blueshirt, Trocheck played all 82 games, earning 64 points (22 goals, 42 assists). He followed that up by notching a career-high 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in all 82 games this past season. He also added 9 goals and 12 assists in 23 career playoff games as a Ranger. In this most recent playoff run, Trocheck was clearly New York’s best and most consistent player.

Trocheck found the perfect fit on what was easily New York’s best line, and arguably one of the top lines in the NHL. Centering Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, the trio would often carry the Rangers to wins and performed at an elite level consistently throughout the season.

Looking back at some of Drury’s past moves as Rangers GM, this one is a highlight on a list that has major successes, such as the Adam Fox extension or the Copp and Vatrano signings of 2023. It also tops a list that has some major duds, such as the Pavel Buchnevich trade or the Barclay Goodrow contract.

Trocheck doing it all for New York Rangers

Not only has Trocheck ramped up his offensive output for New York, but he contributes in other ways as well. He provides a big boost to both the power play and penalty-kill units. He contributed to a power play that was third in the league, scoring at 26.4 percent, and a penalty kill that was third in the league, with an 84.5 percent kill rate.

Additionally, Trocheck was one of the best in the league at taking face-offs this past season at a 58.7 percent win rate, good enough for sixth in the NHL. Among players who took over 1,000 face-offs, Trocheck was second, behind John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Aside from his extraordinary work on the ice, Trocheck quickly found himself in a leadership role within the Rangers’ locker room. Many are even calling for him to be the next captain of the Rangers, should Jacob Trouba get moved via a trade.

Trocheck’s leadership was on full display this season, especially in the playoffs. This was highlighted by his double-overtime goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round, as he turned to the Garden crowd to celebrate the victory. He was even the recipient of this year’s Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, given to the Ranger who “goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

In just two seasons, Trocheck has proved that he can consistently play at a high level for the Rangers, and has made his contract look like a bargain for Drury. While Trocheck celebrates his 31st birthday, it is Drury who has provided the best gift to New York in the man from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.