The New York Rangers are patiently awaiting the 2026 NHL Draft as the first step in their offseason plan to upgrade the roster.They have been keeping a close eye on happenings around the league, with teams already signing some players to new contracts, keeping them from hitting the open market. The most recent signing was the Minnesota Wild agreeing to a deal with Michael McCarron.Acquired from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft ahead of the deadline, McCarron is going to be with the Wild long-term. He agreed to a six-year, $20 million deal, giving him a huge raise on the $900,000 salary he played on this past season.How does this signing impact the Rangers? It will increase the trade market for Vincent Trocheck because it is one more center who is off the board for teams that were hoping to bring in help up the middle on free agency.Apr 9, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Wild center Michael McCarron (47) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game between the Stars and the Wild at American Airlines Center. / Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesMcCarron does a lot of the dirty work to help put a team over the hump. He uses all of his 6-foot-6 frame to play a physical brand of hockey, playing defense at a high level. A key part of penalty kill units, he is also excellent in the circle for faceoffs.Coming off his most productive season in the NHL, setting career highs with 109 shots on goal, 205 hits and 77 blocked shots, he set himself up well for free agency. His value went even higher with how he performed in the playoffs.With Joel Eriksson Ek suffering a broken foot, McCarron took on a bigger role. He was featured on the second and third lines more and responded with two goals, two assists, 27 hits and 14 blocked shots, which led the team across 11 Minnesota postseason games. During that span, he also won 54.5% of his faceoffs.While his best fit long-term may be as a third or fourth center, he at least proved that he can handle a more prominent role if need be. A player of that caliber no longer being on the market is something that bodes well for New York.— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) June 9, 2026Any team that was hoping to make a run at McCarron as a bottom-six forward with some upside to be a No. 2 center will now be looking elsewhere for help up the middle. That could bring them to Trocheck, especially if Dylan Larkin is too expensive to acquire.Also, Larkin has a limited list of teams that he wants to be traded to. Trocheck’s no-trade list will be cut down to 10 from 12 on July 1, giving the Rangers at least two more teams they will be able to negotiate with.The Wild were one of the teams that were connected to Trocheck ahead of the trade deadline, but McCarron’s re-signing doesn’t necessarily take them out of the mix. But agreeing to a deal before he entered free agency certainly will have a positive impact on the center trade market this summer.