The Rangers have made veteran winger Chris Kreider a healthy scratch for today’s game against the Devils, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports. Aside from a pair of late-season precautionary scratches in 2017 and 2022, it’s the first time he’ll sit in the press box while healthy for the Blueshirts since his rookie season in 2013-14.
Much has been made of Kreider’s brutal 2024-25 campaign. After three straight seasons of at least 35 goals, Kreider has 11 in 30 games this season but has added just one assist for 12 points with a -4 rating, his first time in the red since 2020-21. He’s averaging 17:26 per game, his lowest figure since 2020-21, and has three points in 11 games since Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on Nov. 25 that the Rangers were dangling him and now former captain Jacob Trouba in trade talks.
It’s unclear if Kreider’s scratch is purely performance-based or if it’s to avoid an injury before a trade. No deal will be made in the next few days, but today is the Rangers’ last game before the roster freeze lifts on Dec. 28.
Kreider’s struggles have underscored much more significant issues with the Rangers, who have now fallen to .500 after starting the season 12-4-1. They’ve gone 4-12-0 in their last 16 games. They could end today in last place in the Metropolitan Division with a regulation loss at New Jersey and wins for the Blue Jackets and Islanders, an unimaginable position for last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners this far into the season.
Despite Kreider’s underwhelming performance, he’s bounced around the depth chart very little. He’s spent most of the season stapled to Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith on the team’s second line, skating there in 24 of his 30 appearances. While he leads the trio in goal-scoring, he’s the weak link in overall point production. Zibanejad has 21 points in 33 appearances, still far below expectations, while Smith has 16 in 32. All of them have struggled defensively, controlling only 47.8% of expected goals together, per MoneyPuck. Rookie Brett Berard will skate in Kreider’s usual second-line left-wing spot today, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post. He hasn’t been much of a factor offensively either since being recalled last month, posting two goals and an assist in 11 games with a -5 rating and underwhelming possession metrics.
Kreider, 33, is only three seasons removed from leading the league in power-play goals (26) and game-winners (11). From 2021-22 through 2023-24, his 127 goals were seventh in the league behind Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrňák, Connor McDavid, Mikko Rantanen, and Kirill Kaprizov. He’s accumulated 315 tallies and 564 points in 845 appearances, all with the Rangers, dating back to his regular-season debut in 2013. That’s good enough for third in franchise history in goals and 10th in points.
No panic, trust.
Good move if you’re trying to get the attention of the locker room.
Agreed. At this point what else can you do. I believe this is a coach issue, however. An entire team struggling the way they have, you can’t single out just one player. The entire team has been struggling. No grinders on the team other than Trocheck in the top 6. Coach won’t get fired, yet, but if they’re looking to make trades like they did with Kakko, some mistakes are going to be made.
It is more than a coaching issue. It starts with Drury. He lost his team with the way he dealt with respected veterans in the locker room. For the Rangers to change what is going on, Drury is going to have to go first.
He’s the GM. How often does he appear in the locker room? Isn’t he the guy who gets these guys the big contacts they currently have? How has he dealt with vets “poorly?” Anything in particular? The trading of Truba? That was deserved. His play was crap, especially in the playoffs and his contract was too much for what he was providing. Kakko? As much as i disagree with the trade, he made his point. There’s others lining up to replace him on the roster.
Sit the long haired snowflake from Sweden!!
This isn’t a good move for the locker room. If you want players to know they need to do better and will be held accountable it has to be based on performance from the start. They started off benching Kaapo. He was not the worst offender on the team in terms of effort or number of mistakes. He even called them out on it. He was almost immediately traded after calling them out.
Doing this now it’s not clear why. For there the be accountability it has to be clear. Miss your assignments and get benched? It’s clear. Not working hard on the forecheck and get benched? It’s clear. Get sloppy with puck possession and get benched? It’s clear. The Rangers look like they are doing things randomly hoping something works. That’s not a recipe for success.
This is hilarious. Couldnt happen to a nicer team.
Yuck fou
I’m loving the Rangers ending up in the toilet again. They’re a loser of a franchise. Always have been. Big deal they’re an original six team. Who cares. The list of star players they’ve had over the years hasn’t brought them anything. Couldn’t win with Gretzky, Esposito, Lafluer, and on and on. And Madison Square Garden just keeps saying thanks for your hard earned money. Another year, another lost cup. Happy Holidays!!
I understand your frustration as a Buffalo Sabers fan.
Merry Christmas!!
Absolutely epic collapse. Presidents trophy to last place… yikes.
I’m not a Sabres fan. Gilbert Perreault was my favorite player growing up. However, I’ve always been a Rangers hater.
So let me get this straight, Perreault11: the Rangers couldn’t do anything with players far past their prime? They didn’t get much out of Marcel Dionne or Robbie Ftorek, while we’re talking DECADES ago.
Exactly my point. They’ve always had to have the big name star player. Some they got well past their prime, some not. But the result has always been the same. NO CUP!
And Mark Messier says, “Hold my champagne.”
Thank god they put him on the Four Nations roster over Caufield or Thompson!
Which BU alum takes that contract?
What’s interesting is he’s coming off one of his better seasons. Hard to pin, but I’m sure the Rangers can get a decent return if they are in fact moving him.
Dayem. If that 5-0 pumping from a rival isn’t the Xmas present that sends someone else packing I dunno what is.
Bench Mika he sucks
League has figured out their power play. Zibs has suffered because of it. And because they stunk it up at even strength, scoring has all but disappeared.
Well that benching clealry didn’t do the trick, lol!
Clearly. Ugh.
Smith and Zibanejad have been worse. He’d be fine in a line with Panarin. Rangers need to reconfigure some of their lines and hope some players start performing again. They have basically no cap room the next couple years unless they can shed some salary, and at that point, it might as well be rebuilding time again. Shame, because they were awesome last year, and started this season great. Been a really weird nosedive.
He can’t play on the same line as Panarin at even strength. Both play the left side.
After trading the third player in a row to wear the C, a second overall that honestly deserved a fresh start with more opportunities available to him, what message is there left to send?
Drury is not the GM that Gorton was, but I suspect he’s the GM that Dolan wants (compliant), someone willing to be a massive ahole on behalf of the pettiest owner in pro sports. Given these scratches and trades have seemingly been ineffective, and not really targeting the underlying roster construction issues, it all seems kind of pointless.
And after Dolan did JD and Gorton dirty because Tom Wilson, and Drury paying it forward to the rest of the roster thanks to (checks notes) Kakko not lighting up Broadway with his 10 mins a night and the need to give in to Igor’s demand for all the money (he’s great, but it’s too much), it feels like the team is heading in the wrong direction. Despite the 23-24 regular season success, I think most fans knew they didn’t have it in them to win it all last year.
They also seem to have replaced the Knicks as Dolan’s favorite punching bag, which (I hope) is why all of this seems petty and stupid, and not because Drury is completely inept.
Physical player who plays in the tough areas. Those players have usually been about done at about 33 years old, like Kreider. It’ll be impossible to move the entire contract. Sunk cost at this point.
Those players? Done at about 33? Really? Please tell us how you categorize these guys and show some stats to support it, otherwise you are just making it up as you go.