Chris Kreider, Rangers Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

The New York Rangers and restricted free agent Chris Kreider agreed to a new contract Friday, according to the team, that will reportedly pay the forward a total of $18.5 million over four years, per Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. 

The deal also reportedly includes an 11-team no-trade clause in the final two years, according to hockey analyst Aaron Ward.

Kreider and the Rangers were scheduled for an arbitration meeting Friday morning but avoided it by coming to terms on a new deal. Before the scheduled arbitration hearing, Kreider’s request for a new deal was $4.75 million, while the Rangers were prepared to offer a $3.2 million figure, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy called the deal "a slam dunk for [general manager] Jeff Gorton and the Rangers," noting that the contract "ate up unrestricted free-agent years" and that "it was imperative to head off arbitration, which would have resulted in a one-year deal that would have really given Kreider, 25, some leverage on his next contract, with unrestricted free agency looming."

Kreider had 21 goals and 22 assists in 79 games for the Rangers during the 2015-16 season—his second straight season with 21 goals. The forward is a speedy, dangerous goal scorer who injects pace and energy into the team's attack. And he has room to improve, making his contract over the next four years a potential bargain.

It's been a busy week for the Rangers, as they traded Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft to the Ottawa Senators for Mika Zibanejad and a second-round pick in the 2018 draft.

That move, along with other moves that reduced the team's salary-cap hit, gave the Rangers room to re-sign Kreider and will give them flexibility in negotiations with forward Kevin Hayes.

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