Vincent Trocheck paused before answering, and it was obvious just how much the Panthers meant to him and his career as he began to speak.
For the second consecutive series, the Rangers forward is facing one of his old sides.
Trocheck was drafted in the third round in 2011 by the Panthers, and he spent his first six-plus seasons in the NHL with the organization.
Now, the Panthers are the Rangers’ opponent in the Eastern Conference Final, beginning Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
“A little nostalgia,” Trocheck said after practice Tuesday afternoon about his emotions facing the Panthers. “Obviously that’s where I broke into the NHL, in Florida, they gave me my first opportunity. … Going back to play against them in the playoffs is obviously a little weird.”
Trocheck, 30, broke out near the end of his Panthers tenure, and was named an All-Star in 2017. He finished that season with 75 points (31, goals, 44 assists), which was a career-high before this year.
The Rangers have helped Trocheck raise his game another level — into one of the best forwards in the NHL.
He finished the regular season this year with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) and has added 14 more points in the playoffs (six goals, eight assists).
Trocheck earned an All-Star nod this year, the second of his career. He finished last year with 64 points (22 goals, 42 assists) — the third-most of his career.
“He’s had a terrific season, really good playoffs,” Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said Tuesday. “He’s a terrific leader, he’s as competitive as they come — those of us who get to see him every day, especially in practice, to me that is one of his biggest attributes. We’re fortunate to have him.”
This feeling is certainly nothing new for Trocheck.
Last series, he faced the Hurricanes, who he played with for three seasons in between the Panthers and Rangers.
The Hurricanes acquired Trocheck from the Panthers at the deadline in 2020 in exchange for Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie.
Trocheck engaged in ample trash talk with his former Hurricanes teammates as the Rangers dispatched them in six games.
There should be far less of that this time around against the Panthers.
“I just played against my former team in Carolina, so it’s just another series we gotta get through,” Trocheck said. “The one in Carolina is a little bit more fresh. There’s a lot less guys I played with in Florida now than there were in Carolina. We just gotta find a way to get through these guys, too.”
