NHL Rumors: 3 Teams Linked to Vincent Trocheck

Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck is expected to become a free agent on Wednesday and he's been categorized as a 'Plan B' option for a number of teams this summer. With some big names in Evgeni Malkin, Nazem Kadri and Johnny Gaudreau available, the teams who swing and miss on those big names, will be calling Trocheck once the dust settles.

The Hurricanes center would be smart to be patient this summer and see where the chips fall. He's coming off another solid season, putting up 21 goals and 51 points in 81 games. He's a 200-foot player who isn't afraid to throw his body around and essentially he loves playing a playoff-style of hockey at any point and time during the regular season. He's a gamer and someone who will be on a number of team's radars later this week.

Trocheck has been linked to the Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, where he's from, and the Detroit Red Wings. All three teams have different levels of interest and will be very interested should their own free agents skip town.

Hockey insider Chris Johnston had this to say recently on Trocheck's availability:

He’s at the top of the second-tier free agents available in this class. Teams that fall short on Kadri or Malkin will quickly pivot to Trocheck – with Detroit, Colorado and Pittsburgh among the possibilities. Trocheck is a steady 50-point performer when healthy and a solid No. 2 centre option.