Panthers veteran Trocheck rounding into preinjury form

Vincent Trocheck finally feels like himself again.

Soon, the Panthers center hopes, the goals and points return, too.

After a broken ankle in November 2018 and a foot injury Trocheck earlier this season while blocking a shot in Nashville on Oct. 18, the 26-year-old former 30-goal man said Sunday that he’s finally skating at full speed.

Which isn’t exactly a small thing when it comes to Trocheck’s game, one that’s heavily predicated on playing fast.

“It’s been a long ride from the injury last year, coming into this year and getting hurt again,” Trocheck said. “I finally feel like I’m back to 100 percent. It’s definitely a good feeling to finally feel like I can play like myself again.”

It’s solid timing for Trocheck, a Pittsburgh native who grew up in Upper St. Clair — located about 30 minutes southwest of PPG Paints Arena, where the Penguins play their home games.

Sunday represented Trocheck’s 400th NHL game, all with the Panthers.

“There’s just something about Pittsburgh … whenever someone makes it from here, they make it a bigger deal,” Trocheck said. “It’s definitely something I respect and appreciate.”

More than anything, Trocheck is appreciative these days for his health. His struggles last season were well-documented, as he produced just 10 goals and 34 points in 55 games, the broken ankle dogging him the entire season.

This season has featured more fits and starts for Trocheck, who began Sunday’s game with just five goals and 22 points in 35 games.

“Obviously there’s a little bit of frustration with not producing points,” Trocheck said. “It’s a little bit of a mental battle.

“I want to produce. I want to help the team win. Whenever I’m producing, they usually fall together.”

The issue for Trocheck has been flexibility in various parts of his legs, specifically as it relates to having any sort of burst.

Without his customary range of motion, Trocheck has lacked the necessary explosion to win foot races, create separation from defenders and help his line generate offense.

At the same time, Trocheck has spent an inordinate amount of time second-guessing his strength. “You’re not as flexible,” Trocheck said. “You can’t get to where you want to get that push-off. All of it together was something that I couldn’t get back to normal for a while.“

It takes a little bit of time to get over that.”

The last few weeks have been markedly different, Trocheck said. The burst is back. His confidence has grown. And while the goals and points haven’t been at their customary level, Trocheck has been able to influence games other ways — by blocking shots, dishing out hits and winning faceoffs.

Trocheck’s line has also been generating offense and he has enjoyed an average of 3.3 scoring chances per game.

“I think he’s had a lot of good looks lately,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “He’s been close to finishing. The line has been effective. I think [Noel Acciari] on that line gives them a little bit of reliability defensively.

“Keep up that thought process of doing the right things, you get rewarded.”

To his credit, Trocheck has not let frustration creep into his game, other than being disappointed he hasn’t been able to contribute more. That’s natural for someone who scored 79 goals in three seasons between 2015-18.

Soon, however, it seems Trocheck’s fortunes are due to turn.

“I think it’s a combination of frustration and not being able to play like I used to originally coming off the injuries,” Trocheck said. “Speed is a lot of my game, and I wasn’t able to get there for a while. These last couple weeks are really the first time I’ve felt like I can play fast, play hard, not worry about anything else and just play my game. Things are starting to get better.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 11:51 AM.