6 Trade Landing Spots for New York Rangers Star Chris Kreider Amid NHL Rumors
Business on the NHL trade speculation front picked up massively on Monday when Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the New York Rangers were bothered by their recent 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers and that perhaps a shakeup was needed to snap them out of a funk of sorts in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division.
Shakeups don't always come with names attached, but this one did in the form of two of the Rangers' veteran leaders, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba.
While we've recently been accustomed to seeing Trouba's name out there, Kreider being mentioned as a player who could be moved is stunning. Kreider was a 52-goal scorer in 2021-2022 and had 36 and 39 goals in the next two seasons. He's been a fixture up front for the Rangers and is one of their key leaders.
In all likelihood, this kind of report was done to kick the team in the butt with big games ahead against divisional foes Carolina and New Jersey on the horizon. That's not going to stop us from kicking around possibilities for where the 33-year-old power forward may land. With two more years left on his contract and a $6.5 million cap hit, it's not an easy deal to make, but dang it, we're going to kick it around a little.
Chicago Blackhawks
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The Chicago Blackhawks spent a lot of money last summer to make the team more mature and competitive to surround superstar Connor Bedard. That hasn't exactly worked out as they had hoped, but adding a presence like Chris Kreider would ideally provide a jolt.
Kreider's ability around the net and take-no-prisoners way of handling himself around the paint drives opposing teams batty and makes goaltenders upset.
His competitive spirit is intense and he's exactly the player that fits what Chicago is looking for while they continue the rebuild.
It's the rebuild aspect, as well as making the money work, that would get in the way of any deal. Kreider has a 15-team no-trade clause and with Chicago among the worst teams in the league, despite how great of a city it is it's hard to see Kreider being cool with going from a Stanley Cup contender to a No. 1 pick contender. Plus, for all the cap space Chicago has, adding Kreider's salary alone would put them near the cap ceiling which would be an extra tough look given the team's record.
Boston Bruins
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The Boston Bruins are in the middle of turning their season around after firing Jim Montgomery and they're in desperate need of an offensive jolt. Bringing Boston-are native Chris Kreider back home would be the kind of homecoming that, on paper, would make a ton of sense.
Kreider's style of play is a perfect fit for how the Bruins play. He's physical, he's got a nasty side, and he scores goals all around the front of the net. He's the exact kind of player the B's don't have right now.
Kreider, however, is having a tough start to his year with nine goals and no assists headed into games on Monday. His advanced stats are the worst in his career, and, with two more years on his contract after this one at a juicy cap hit, it wouldn't be a trade without potential risks.
That said, going back home could spark Kreider alive. But a deal with a fellow Original Six franchise and a potential playoff rival could be enough detriment that general manager Chris Drury would hold off making a deal.
Vegas Golden Knights
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It's time again to throw out the salary constraints.
Enter the Vegas Golden Knights making a massive trade for Chris Kreider.
The Knights have dealt with some injuries already this season and have been without captain Mark Stone for a few games. They're no strangers to making the best use of LTIR to add to the team if they need to. Currently, they're in a great salary spot and under the cap, but if GM Kelly McCrimmon needs to make a move, he's shown he'll do it without blinking.
Vegas's offense has been outstanding this year and their power play has been equally good so in that respect. Adding Kreider would be a case of the rich getting richer. The Golden Knights already have a couple of Boston-area guys on the team with Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin and you can bet adding Kreider to the mix would be a huge hit with them. It would also allow Vegas to be that much nastier to deal with in the playoffs.
We know Vegas would figure out a way to make the money work and there would certainly be enticing players for the Rangers to consider in return. A Kreider trade probably won't happen, but if it ever became more of a likelihood, Vegas would certainly be a factor.
Utah Hockey Club
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With a new world and financial freedom to work with in Utah, GM Bill Armstrong suddenly has a team that's much more serious about making the playoffs than in the past in Arizona. With all that cap space burning a hole in their pocket as well as prospects and picks to work with, the Hockey Club would be wise to keep tabs on Chris Kreider's situation in New York.
Utah has a tough, physical forward who can score with Logan Crouse, but Kreider's brand of physical play on offense and his meticulous work on the power play and at the net would give them a player who excels in an area where they have a lack of presence.
Utah's key players up front are decidedly very young (Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley) or veteran but still kind of young (Clayton Keller, Matias Maccelli), and adding a veteran like Kreider to the mix could be the key to helping them take another step forward towards making a run at the postseason. Would Kreider waive his NTC to go to Salt Lake City? With what they're building there, maybe, but there's no doubt that at 33 years old Kreider's eyes are more fixed on winning a Stanley Cup.
Buffalo Sabres
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If you had to draw up the kind of top-six forward the Buffalo Sabres are on the lookout for that fits the profile for the qualities they'd be looking for, that player would look a lot like Chris Kreider.
The Sabres are in the market for a scorer who excels around the net and plays a more physical game, and they've got oodles of salary cap space they haven't spent after they bought out Jeff Skinner in the summer. Kreider at 33 years old and his history of piling up goals makes a ton of sense for those reasons.
However, the two years he has left on the contract at $6.5 million against the cap would potentially give Sabres GM Kevyn Adams reason to pause. There are also the possible red flags surrounding his poor advanced stats this season on a very good Rangers team and given his age, the fear of how those years to come will go at that price would make this kind of acquisition a big risk.
There's also Kreider's no-trade clause in play here as well since many players have Buffalo on their list for myriad reasons and not always having to do with them being in one of the longest playoff droughts in modern sports. There's also some awkward history between the franchises when the Rangers' interest in then-Sabres star Jack Eichel was sky-high and the rumors surrounding talks there showed neither side was close to giving what the other wanted.
Anaheim Ducks
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Of the teams on our list, the Anaheim Ducks might be the longest shot here when it comes to Chris Kreider.
The Ducks are doing better, comparatively, to previous years but still struggling to mesh together. They're young and they're oozing with high-end talent that's getting their chance to show what they can do in the NHL now. Those are good things for a team that's spent the past few years rebuilding and is continuing to do so.
But it's that rebuild that would give Kreider all kinds of pause to consider if the two teams agreed on paper. Would Kreider at 33 be OK with becoming a veteran leader for such a young group and leaving a Stanley Cup contender to do so? Everything about his game would be a great fit with Anaheim and his kind of presence on offense would be huge for them.
All the cap space in the world can make the Ducks a viable place for any high-price veteran player, but it'll take a few more wins and more consistency to get those players to want to be there. That day is coming, but in Kreider's situation, it may not be the time for him.
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