Vincent Trocheck Q&A: On free agency, the art of agitating and the Carolina Hurricanes’ sleeper status

The Carolina Hurricanes have big expectations for themselves approaching the 2021-22 Stanley Cup playoffs. A major force behind their confidence is Vincent Trocheck, their fiery second-line center.

Trocheck is a big part of the Canes’ present but, as a pending UFA, his role in their future is cloudy.

How does he feel about potentially going to market for the first time in his career? Are the Canes being slept on this season? Is agitating an artform?

He caught up with Daily Faceoff this week to tackle those topics and a lot more.

DAILY FACEOFF: The last time we spoke, you reflected on returning too early from a broken fibula a few seasons back and how last season you finally felt like yourself. How do you feel physically today, more than three years removed from the injury?

VINCENT TROCHECK: I feel great. I feel like I’m 100 percent. I’ve been able to stay healthy, luckily, this year, and everything feels good.

DFO: You’ve blown past your career high in hits this season.

TROCHECK: I didn’t know that.

DFO: You’ve got 181 hits in 77 games. Your previous career high was 164 in 82 games. Was it a conscious goal to play more of a physical game this year? You’ve always been pretty physical, though.

TROCHECK: It’s my style of play my whole career. I like to play physical. It gets me more involved in the game. It’s the way we play hockey, the style of hockey, it’s a little more aggressive, so that may have something to do with it.

DFO: Is that something baked in by coach Rod Brind’Amour?

TROCHECK: It’s just the style of play we have. Obviously Roddy created that style. It’s aggressive. It’s just the way our style forces you to play.

DFO: You and Brad Marchand made headlines earlier this season with your chirps on each other which spilled over into social media. Is it a goal of yours to try and get under teams’ skin? The fact that you guys were firing jabs at each other – is that a sign that it’s working? If guys are taking shots at you over Instagram, does that mean you’re succeeding?

TROCHECK: I don’t think away from the ice that I really care to get under guys’ skin. On the ice, yeah, there are games where I try to get under guys’ skin, get in someone’s head a bit. If I cause them to maybe take a penalty or keep them off their game a little bit, that’s a positive. I’m not trying to make guys hate me off the ice, but that’s also part of my style on the ice.

DFO: Is there an art to agitating opponents?

TROCHECK: I don’t think so. I think it’s just my personality (laughs).

DFO: Some agitators took it to the next level. Like Steve Ott for example used to learn other languages so he could chirp opponents in their own tongues. Do you have any tricks like that?

TROCHECK: I respect that. I’ve tried to learn different languages. I haven’t been able to. I tried to learn French a little bit when I was in Florida. I was trying to learn it to be able to speak to Jonathan Huberdeau. But never to chirp anybody.

DFO: This year you’ve gotten to play a lot with Andrei Svechnikov as your left winger after it was usually Nino Niederreiter last season. What has it been like to play with Svechnikov? How has it changed the way you play?

TROCHECK: He’s been great. Obviously he’s extremely talented. He’s got a ton of skill. But at the same time, he works extremely hard. He has a physical style of play like I do, too, so we have chemistry in that sense. He’s been fun to play with. I enjoy it. He’s extremely dynamic, so he makes things a little easier on me sometimes. Having him on the forecheck being physical is nice. It fits into our style.

DFO: If you look at the standings right now. You guys have been near the top of the Metro so often lately, year after year, that I wonder if people take it for granted. Do you ever feel like the league or people in general are sleeping on the Hurricanes as contenders?

TROCHECK: I think lately it seems that way. But we’re not focused on outside noise, on media and how they think we play. Every year the media have opinions and predictions on what’s going to happen. Anybody can beat anybody. So it’s all irrelevant once you get into the playoffs.

DFO: Do you have a goal in mind in terms of what’s a “successful” year for the Hurricanes? It is winning two rounds? Winning three? Winning the Cup? What’s the target?

TROCHECK: Well the target’s the Stanley Cup. I don’t think anybody’s taking a second- or third-round exit as a positive. There are no moral victories once you get to the playoffs. You’re there to win a Stanley Cup. That’s what everybody plays in the NHL for. That’s what we dream of growing up.

DFO: You’re from Pittsburgh and grew up a Penguins fan. Have you thought about the possibility of meeting them in the playoffs this year in that Metro bracket? Would it be extra special to play the Penguins?

TROCHECK: I don’t think it would be any different than playing anybody else. It’s just different matchups. For me, just being from Pittsburgh, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

DFO: So there’s no awkwardness or awareness that you’re playing your childhood team?

TROCHECK: It would be cool to have family there a lot during the playoffs on the road. But aside from that, I’ve played them probably 20 times in my career at this point, maybe more, so I’ve gotten past that original feeling of playing against my hometown team.

DFO: You’re shaping up to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in your career this summer. Is that scary? Exciting? Have you thought much about it yet?

TROCHECK: No, I haven’t thought much about it. It’s tough to look toward that when you still have the season at hand and you’re on a team that’s contending and has a chance to win the Stanley Cup. You focus all your attention on that.

DFO: Can it be a motivator, though? Since obviously this season’s results can affect what happens going forward?

TROCHECK: Yeah, it can be, but at the same time, there’s never been a season where, like, I don’t mind if I don’t score or do this or that. Every year you’re trying to score and contribute as much as you can. From a motivation standpoint that’s always the goal. Maybe a little bit more pressure (as a UFA), but other than that you just try to put it out of your mind and play hockey.

DFO: You’ve been quoted this season saying you hope to be back in Carolina. Are you willing to double down on that? Is that still where your head’s at right now, or is it too soon to comment on it?

TROCHECK: That’s still the goal, to be here. I love being a Hurricane and having a chance to win every year is where you want to be. So hopefully we can figure something out.

DFO: As we get further removed from the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns and playing in bubbles and so on: have you gotten to explore the Raleigh area more this season and get to know the community better?

TROCHECK: Yeah. Post-COVID you’ve been able to do more things, go out to dinners a little bit more and see the city. All the guys have been able to get out of the house more, which is nice.

DFO: You have two kids. How old?

TROCHECK: Three and 19 months.

DFO: What, so far, is the toughest thing about fatherhood for you?

TROCHECK: I’d say the toughest thing is getting them to listen (laughs). But on a deeper level, you want them to be a certain way, and you want them to be good people, and it’s hard. I know with my oldest, it’s hard to get him to understand that he has a younger sister and he’s supposed to protect her and do the right thing, be a good role model, not push her around and make sure he’s fair with her. He’s so young to understand all that. That’s the toughest thing for him at three years old.

DFO: What’s your favorite thing about being a dad?

TROCHECK: Everything about it has been fun for me. My son is obsessed with hockey, obsessed with the Hurricanes, and it’s non-stop for him every single day. As soon as he wakes up to the time he goes to bed, he wants to play hockey all day. Loves coming to the games, loves watching the games, talking about hockey. He knows every mascot in the NHL. Seeing him and how much he loves the game is pretty cool for me. And to have him be able to watch me while I’m still playing and on a good team winning has been a lot of fun for me.

DFO: When you can see the sport through your kid as a fan, a fan’s eyes, does it awaken another part of you where you can appreciate the game that way? The example being the mascots. Are you able to put yourself in your son’s shoes and enjoy hockey on that level?

TROCHECK: It definitely puts things into perspective a bit more. Seeing him at such a young age and how much he loves the game, it brings back memories of being a kid, when all you really cared about was playing and having fun.

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Vincent Trocheck Q&A: On free agency, the art of agitating and the Carolina Hurricanes’ sleeper status

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