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New York Rangers star center Vincent Trocheck had some terrible health issues early in the season.
Trocheck, 32, revealed to reporters that his 14-game absence at the start of the season was due to a bacterial infection in his lungs.
“I had some viral bacteria that got into my lungs and I wasn’t sure what it was. It happened, I think, before the first game of the year. I thought I just had back spasms, and then I played the first game,” Trocheck said.
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New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on April 5, 2026. (Danny Wild/Imagn Images)
“It’s a little worse. I played in Buffalo. I had a cross-check right in that area, and whatever fluid was there, it’s like bubbles, and I guess the bubble burst and spread. So it got a lot worse. I had a lot of fluid around my lungs, so I had to have surgery to get the fluid out.”
The two-time All-Star said he had a chest tube put in and was in the hospital for about a week. He found it odd and wouldn’t call it an injury.
“It was very scary. I thought I was dying,” Trocheck said.
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New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on April 5, 2026. (Danny Wild/Imagn Images)
Trocheck, who played shorthanded for the U.S. team during the Olympics and its run to the gold medal, said no one knows how the liquid emerged.
The Pittsburgh native played in 67 games this season, scoring 16 goals and adding 37 assists for 53 points. Trocheck found himself in the middle of trade talks as the deadline approached, but ultimately didn’t make a move.
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New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on April 5, 2026. (Danny Wild/Imagn Images)
Although Trocheck was not traded at the deadline, he still could be this offseason as the Rangers look to retool after finishing last in the Eastern Conference.
Trocheck just finished his fourth season with the Rangers and has three seasons remaining on a seven-year contract worth $39.375 million.
