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Chris Kreider is widely perceived to be the best rental available at this year’s deadline. In this edition of the hotstove, we discuss which team(s) would be the best fit.

Todd Cordell

I think the oft-rumored St. Louis Blues make a ton of sense for Kreider.

They could use some more firepower, particularly at 5v5. Only six teams average fewer chances per 60 minutes, while just four generate Grade A opportunities at a lesser rate. The Vladimir Tarasenko injury plays a part in that, of course, but so does having Zach Sanford slotted as LW1.

Kreider is a quality goal scorer who can get things done at 5v5. He also brings a nice mix of speed and physicality that meshes well with the north-south game the Blues like to play.

If the two sides were to come to an agreement, the defending Stanley Cup winners could trot out a top-6 like this when healthy:

Kreider - O’Reilly - Perron
Schwartz - Schenn - Tarasenko

That’s an awfully good top-6, especially for a team built on strong defensive play and quality goaltending.

Sean Maloughney

As far as pure best fit goes, I'm going to be biased and say the Edmonton Oilers. Right now there is a wide open spot on the left wing next to Connor McDavid. Edmonton has a second/1A line of Yamamoto, Nugent-Hopkins, and Leon Draisaitl that is red hot right now but moving Draisaitl off of Connor's wing has hurt the top line production.

Kreider is a goal scorer and decent volume shooter. Very few other teams currently in the NHL playoff hunt can offer Kreider a better spot in the lineup to improve his numbers before entering free agency. There has been talk about Kreider not wanting to go to a Canadian team but with the opportunity that exists in Edmonton he may rethink.

Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com

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