For the first time in quite a while, Chris Kreider’s name has appeared on the trade block.
On Sunday, New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent a memo to the NHL informing them that he is open to trading Kreider.
This news is surprising and emotional for a player who has spent all 13 seasons of his career in New York, making it a significant moment for both Kreider and the team.
When asked about the trade rumors, Kreider did not shy away from addressing the situation.
“Shouldn’t trivialize someone’s feelings, but how you feel doesn’t affect your ability to do something that you’ve done for the entirety of your life – unless you let it,” Kreider shared with Mollie Walker of The New York Post.
According to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, Drury met with Kreider on Tuesday for an honest and productive discussion.
Through 19 games this season, Kreider has scored nine goals. However, the 33-year-old has not been playing up to the high standard that fans have come to expect from him.
The adversity the Rangers are facing right now could either become a positive or negative experience, depending on how the team responds. Kreider is well aware of this.
“I think it’s pretty obvious there’s frustration, angst, tension,” Kreider said, according to The New York Post. “Good. We’re 20 games in. Let’s go through this s–t now and figure out who we are.
We had the best regular season in the history of an Original Six franchise last year, won a Presidents’ Trophy and didn’t go as far as we would’ve liked.
We’re getting exposed right now. Our warts are out there, and teams are picking on the things we don’t do well and we’ve gotten away from the things we do do well.
“We don’t necessarily know what this is right now, right? This could just be part of the story. We look back at this and say, ‘This made us better.’”
The Rangers are currently on a three-game losing streak and have not been performing at their best in recent weeks.
Just over a month into the season, the Rangers are already dealing with internal locker room issues and trade rumors that are looming over them.
While this is far from an ideal situation, it might be better that all of this is happening now, as the veteran squad still has months to course-correct and get back on track in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
