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Rangers trade Chris Kreider to Anaheim, my thoughts and what's next |
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Thursday, the reported Chris Kreider became official. Kreider was dealt to Anaheim for center Carey Torrance, the 59th pick of th3 3023 draft, along with an exchange of picks. New trade pick 104 in the fourth round for pick 89 in the third round. The Ducks are assuming Kreider's entire cap hit of $6.5 million for each of the next two seasons.
The trade is one where the emotional and logical side of the brain is in a tug and pull relationship. Dealing Kreider certainly signals the end of an era. As the longest tenured Ranger and one who has provided highlights throughout his career, seeing him go stirs up those emotions. Especially when you factor in how much he was a part of the fabric and framework of the organization.
On the flip side, once GM Chris Drury included Kreider's name in the infamous memo, we all knew his days were numbered. The only question was where he would end up and when. That decision came the other day. Drury now has freed up $14.5 million in cap room in trading Trouba and Kreider to Anaheim.
All those who were bitching and moaning that CK20 took his time in deciding if he wanted to go to the Ducks even after enabling the conversations to occur, shut up. The man had a right to take some time to determine if he is comfortable with uprooting his family and going across the country. The presence of Joel Quenneville along with that of Trouba, Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano, plus Trevor Zegras, who Kreider has worked out alongside with Ben Prentiss, certainly will make it easier for him to settle in.
While Kreider may not have become the elite power forward we hoped for when he drafted and arrived on the scene in the 2012 playoffs, he certainly has had a fine career. As a Ranger, 883 regular-season games and 326 regular-season goals, including a franchise-tying record on the power play. Add in 123 playoff games, most for any skater in franchise history, and 48 playoff goals, 14 more than any other player, and the numbers speak for themselves. The argument as to whether his number should be raised to the rafters is one for another day. The subject is too raw and fresh for a sane discussion on the matter.
Kreider is a proud athlete who tried to play through injury. The rhetoric and narrative that he was selfish or a prime reason for the locker room disconnect and issues is pre conjecture, as no one has proven this fact. It's innuendo and heresy. I referred to him and Mika Zibanejad as the glimmer twins because they were joined at the hip. If you need any proof as to the level and depth of their friendship, look below. I expect both players to rebound, Kreider, healthy and rejuvenated on the West Coast, Zibanejad with something to prove after a debacle of a 2024-25 campaign.
All the pressure now shifts to Drury. He is getting a chance to remake the team, from scratch to a certain extent. Drury hired his third coach in Mike Sullivan and has jettisoned some players with more to go. Based on what we just saw with the Knicks, does anyone not think James Dolan will fire Drury in a heartbeat if the team doesn't make the playoffs and go on a long run?
Drury, and this is not a comprehensive list, needs to decide what he will do with Mika. Second, determine what kind and how long of a deal to offer Will Cuylle. Third, target the right players in free agency who fit the east-west style he wants to play. On the back line, how to handle K'Andre Miller; short term deal which then would allow him to go to free agency, a long term deal or trade all are on the table. Would Ivan Provorov or Vladislav Gavrikov be the right fit next to Adam Fox? (latter first to me). Is Carson Soucy part of the d-core or is what we all saw after his arrival and in 2024-25 his true self or was 2023-24 a better representation? These and many more need to have already been decided with the end of the season, the draft and free agency looming.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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