Florida Panthers: Vincent Trocheck’s 2017-18 Season Recap

 It was nothing short of a rockstar season for the Florida Panthers’ number 21, as Vincent Trocheck put up 75 points in a career-season, with other teams careful they weren’t gunned down when facing him.

He yet again lived up to his bank account of $4.75M, and his trigger fingers, sorry, trigger hands, were some of the best in the NHL, with his first 30-goal season.

Vincent Trocheck was able to put up more points than notable stars such as St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom, while being on the Panthers’ second line, as well as on a much smaller contract. That stat is even more impressive when considering that Trocheck has easily faced the most adversity when it came to working with new talent on the team:

Trocheck wound up playing with another new winger after that chart was released, playing alongside former Boston Bruins forward Frank Vatrano near the end of the season. That’s 12 linemates all in one season, and was still just seven points shy of point-per-game. In comparison, first line center Aleksander Barkov played with just four players the entire season: Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad, Evgeni Dadonov, and Colton Sceviour.

What Trocheck brings is an unbelievable brand of hockey, able to use his build to make him into one of the faster and most clinical players on the team, which is what was needed when looking into his situation. Trocheck’s Corsi for percentage (CF%) at even-strength was under 50% for the first time in his career, meaning that the Panthers actually had less of the puck when Trocheck was on the ice than not. He also started roughly 58% of his face-offs in the defensive zone.

Trocheck was exposed to the defensive side of the puck for the first time under Bob Boughner, who was determined to make good special teams usage of the Pittsburgh native. Working well with Colton Sceviour, Trocheck’s offensive blend helped the Panthers’ penalty kill score the most shorthanded goals throughout the entire league this season, with Vinnie chipping in three of them, including a bullet vs. St. Louis in early October:

On the other side of special teams, the Cats’ lethargic power play from last year definitely stepped up a notch with Bob Boughner’s strategies, and Trocheck’s urgent style of play definitely helped. The Panthers scored 35 power play goals with #21 on the ice, with Trocheck scoring 13 power play goals this season, which was more than his previous 4 seasons combined. He also totaled 14 assists on the man advantage, setting a career-high in that category.

Vinnie was also one of the most reliable players in challenging scenarios for the Florida Panthers. For instance, Trocheck scored 20 points against Eastern Conference playoff teams in 27 games, showing that he’s almost always there to contribute to a goal-per-game against some of the best competition the Cats had to play against.

The goals Trocheck scores aren’t only consolation or insurance goals, as Trocheck potted five game winners this season to go along with the numerous times that he saved the Cats.

This game (above) against the Arizona Coyotes was a perfect example of how much Trocheck put into the Panthers. This isn’t a game winner, but at this point, when the New Jersey Devils were leading Tampa Bay trying to pull away from the Panthers once and for all for the final wild card spot, it was Trocheck who restored hope by throwing the Panthers a lifeline at 7:13 in the third, and then equalizing three minutes later.

On a night where the top line was missing and the game lacked a lot of class, it was Trocheck who broke through to help guide the Cats like a lighthouse to a 4-2 win at home over Arizona. Boughner spoke nothing but positives for Trocheck after the Arizona game, which he was voted second star of the night:

"“We needed somebody to step up, and for Trocheck to get his thirtieth out there is a statement… The first goal was a big goal and it got us going. That’s what he’s been all year, I call him the engine of our team, when he’s going, we’re going.”"

This season definitely put Vincent Trocheck on the map as one of the all-star forwards in the Eastern Conference. Trocheck’s numbers were surreal for a second line centerman, and his impact through his fearlessness and desire to score has turned him into a versatile weapon for the Florida Panthers.

At 18th across the Eastern Conference for points at just 24 years of age, the best of Vincent Trocheck is still to come.