It wasn’t long ago the Pittsburgh Penguins were atop the NHL standings. Two Stanley Cup Final appearances in the last two years, one yielding a Stanley Cup. Their calling card wasn’t their goalie, their defense, coach, nor even iconic owner. It was their centers: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal. The strength down the middle was cemented after GM Ray Shero inked Staal to a four year, $16 million deal the winter prior to the Cup win. With the success, the Penguins could afford to shell out to retain a third line center, especially one with 50 point production and even better defense. No, the problem wasn’t with money, it was finding time to plan all the parades.
But injuries and goaltending plagued Pittsburgh, the GM compounded the issue quickly and suddenly Staal’s contract neared its end. Shero tried to salvage the ensuing loss by trading for an imitation replacement and a pick. Really the best haul one could expect with one trade partner to choose from. Since then, the Penguins have continued to falter. Though only part of the menu of errors to choose from, Staal’s departure helped to prematurely close the window for that iteration of the Penguins–who have yet to recover.
The Panthers continue to outperform expectations and look to be headed to the promise land soon. Like the Penguins, the Panthers boast a strong and young center group. Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, and Vincent Trocheck are all under 24 years old. Barkov and Bjugstad are signed and accounted for the next five years. Dale Tallon has made it clear that Vincent Trocheck is next on his list. The 22 year old, 5’10” pivot from Pittsburgh has less size and defensive acumen as Jordan Staal but is playing a similar role.
Domenic Galamini’s (@MimicoHero) WARRIOR visualization compares the two. The comparison isn’t perfect. Trocheck plays a more finesse game due to his size, and Staal took harder minutes with more defensive assignments and focus. But each center has made the most of their opportunities on the 3rd line, as the top 2 centers part the sea, if you would, for them. In times of injury, both Trocheck and Staal were able to fill a top 6 role adequately. Enough to even start rumors that they would leave for greener pastures, knowing they had the ability to play top 6.
Clearly this feeling was enough to cripple Shero and entice Staal. Panthers GM Dale Tallon needs to be mindful of that as Vincent Trocheck looks to sign his second professional contract. Staal’s 4×4 contract he inked would be a good starting point, especially given Trocheck’s role and circumstance. The “mitigating factors” that could lead to a lower cap hit is the recent contracts of Barkov and Bjugstad, along with Trocheck’s Restricted Free Agent status. Should Trocheck resign at $4 million for four years, he would have a cap hit $100k under Bjugstad (for two years less) and be a Unrestricted Free Agent afterwards. Those are both not in Tallon’s plans. For one Tallon would like to keep the RFA status if unable to buy any–even one!–UFA years, so this probably comes out to a three or five year deal. Four seems like a last option for management. Second, seeing how Barkov slotted in $1.8 million on the cap per year above Bjugstad, it makes sense that Trocheck and Bjugstad will have a little more white space between them.
“I love it here in Florida, love the staff, love everyone in this locker room…’’ Trocheck was quoted as saying by Miami Herald’s George Richards. “…We have something special going on here, a lot of young guys. This could be a team that does well for a long time.” The quotes may be a little bit of Trocheck’s media training coming into play. What was he going to say? But if the sentiments are true, as one has reason to believe, it should help Tallon lock Trocheck up at least three more seasons.
Trocheck is a vital signing for Tallon, anecdotal evidence of Jordan Staal and the Pittsburgh Penguins aside. Aaron Ekblad’s extension next year, and Barkov and Bjugstad’s extensions this year, may be of more importance to the franchise but it is important to not undersell the impact of three strong centers. In the NHL it can mean the difference between realizing potential and promise or an early exit. In Gallant’s system, it means everything. Look at the forward usage of the Panthers for head coach Gerard Gallant’s first two years filling out the roster card.
| Player | 2015-2016 TOI Per Game (all situations) | 2014-2015 TOI Per Game (all situations) |
|---|---|---|
| Aleksander Barkov | 19:26 | 17:29 |
| Nick Bjugstad | 15:48 | 16:34 |
| Vincent Trocheck | 16:33 | 14:00 |
It has been well documented here, and over at Whyhockey.com, Gallant loves rolling all his lines and defensive pairings throughout the game. Injuries and line shuffling (Bjugstad and Trocheck have split second line duties this year) will help keep Trocheck getting the minutes and increased role he’ll need to stick around.
Whatever Tallon gets Trocheck to sign for, I’ll be breathing a sigh of relief. The next three to five years are promising. The first place Florida Panthers may be a fancy stats Cinderella candidate this year, ready to turn back into a peasant come midnight. But not next year, not the few years after should all go according to plan. Three years or five years, $3 million or $4 million, the Trocheck deal is going to get done, has to get done. The Blueprint Tallon came to Florida with mandates a strong presence down the middle. Dave Bolland isn’t going to be that final pivot. Juho Lammikko isn’t going to be that final pivot. Crouse, Rau, Grimaldi aren’t either. Tallon won’t want to make the same mistake Shero did and jettison a young, productive player for uncertainty.
