Multiple reports this morning that the Rangers and Ducks are well advanced on a trade that would send Chris Kreider and the 12th overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks for the 10th overall pick and 20 year old center prospect Carey Terrance – NY Post Lohud Daily Faceoff Newsday

Talks are expected to continue today (Wednesday), and it appears Chris Drury still needs to get Chris Kreider’s consent as it’s thought that Kreider has the Ducks on his 15 team no-trade list for at least the remainder of the season.

The return is relatively little given Kreider’s record in recent years, but has certainly been hurt by an injury filled 2024-25 that saw his production drop to just 30 points, with 22 goals and 8 assists. The 34 year old is also in the latter stages of his career, though is only 12 months removed from a natural hat trick in the third period of Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes that put the Rangers through to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Kreider is also thought to be amongst the most impacted on the team by Drury’s questionable handling of the Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba moves, and perhaps also the sudden end to trainer Jim Ramsay’s 20 years with the franchise. Multiple reports throughout the year suggested that the relationship between the franchise and the player had broken beyond repair, and though he shared that he wanted to stay on break-up day, it seemed unlikely given the Rangers need for salary cap flexibility ahead of resigning a slew of RFAs and setting up the first year for new head coach Mike Sullivan.

A franchise leader

Drafted 19th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Boxford Massachusetts native made his debut less that two years later when he joined the team for the 2011-12 playoffs. He made an immediate impact with his speed, scoring 5 goals in that 18 game campaign.

Kreider would go on to set franchise post season records in goals (48) and power play goals (19), easily surpassing Rod Gilbert (34) and Adam Graves (13) respectively. He also finished with 123 playoff games, second to only Henrik Lundqvist’s 130, along with 76 playoff points (3rd all time).

He was also productive in the regular season, appearing in 883 games (8th), scoring 326 goals (3rd) and 582 points (10th). His 116 power play goals tied him with Camille Henry for the all time franchise league, and his 13 short handed goals all came in the past four seasons, to place him 4th all time in Rangers history.

He also finished top 10 all time in +/- (+121), short handed points (16), 1st goals (59), empty net goals (10), empty net points (18) and shots on goal (2160). His 4 penalty shot attempts were a testament to his ability to break away from defenders, and tied Marian Gaborik for the franchise high, though he failed to score on any of those.

He most notably formed a lethal pair with Mika Zibanejad on the Rangers top line as well as the penalty kill, after Gerard Gallant gave him his first opportunity there. It was a role he would take to heart, and his speed became an asset that put many opposition power plays on the back foot.

The Durable Goal Scorer

Earlier in his career, Kreider struggled for consistency, failing to reach the 30 goal mark in nine seasons, though his 20 goals in 50 games during the COVID shortened 2020-21 campaign would have likely put him close if it wasn’t abbreviated.

Already showing signs of breaking out, he would follow-up that year with a carer season at the age of 31, recording 52 goals in 81 games. It would fall just 2 short of Jaromir Jagr’s 2025-26 franchise mark, and easily surpassed his previous career highs of 28 goals and 53 points – he finished with 77.

He followed that up with 36 and 39 goal seasons, including a career best 36 assists in 2023-24 to give him his second 70+ point season. All in all, he would reach the 20 goal mark in 10 of his 13 seasons with New York, and 50+ points in 5 of them.

The Transformation

Kreider came out of Boston College as a top end skater, who generated much of his offense off the rush, and while he had a degree of success, it wasn’t until he began to add a net front presence to his game that he really took off. Using his 6-3 frame, Kreider became difficult to move from in front of the net, and worked tirelessly on his puck deflecting skills to be arguably be the best in the league.

His 52 goal season included a franchise season record of 26 power play goals, and he followed that up with 18 more two seasons later. He became a master of standing just off to the side and deflecting shots from Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin into the net.

By adding the penalty kill role, he also saw his average ice time push past 18 minutes a game for the first time in his career, approximately a 60-90 second increase from the prior three seasons, and over three minutes from earlier in his career. The added ice time gave him more opportunity to score, and he did just that. He even managed to silence much of the inconsistency talk we heard earlier in his career.

The Breakdown

When the Rangers suddenly fired trainer Jim Ramsay in May of 2023, it reportedly hit many of the team hard. The reason for the firing was never made public, and rumors surfaced at the time that it came as a shock to Ramsay with the decision perhaps having come down from team owner Jim Dolan himself, though this has been unverified.

Notably Kreider was one of the Ranger players who made certain to skate over to the Montreal Canadiens bench and shake Ramsay’s hand when the former trainer made his first return to MSG. Surprisingly the Rangers didn’t show the customary thank you video, despite a 20 year tenure with the team.

Last Summer’s handling of Barclay Goodrow’s departure, along with a messy failed trade of captain Jacob Trouba also contributed to the unease in the team, which was further capped off by Kreider’s name appearing in a leaked league-wide memo from Drury that put the veteran winger’s name front in center in the trade market.

Whether it was injuries, anger at the front office, or some combination, it was clear that the most tenured Ranger was not performing at the top of his game. Deflections went wide, there was inconsistent effort and his production, particularly his assists, dropped off precipitously.

By the time he was made a healthy scratch in December by head coach Peter Laviolette, it appeared that the relationship was beyond repair.

What the Rangers get

If Carey Terrance does indeed come over, it will provide the Rangers a little center depth. A former 2nd round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Terrance hasn’t exactly flourished with the Erie Otters in the OHL. His moderate point totals were further impacted by injury this past season, though at 20 years of age he still has some upside.

An above average skater, Terrance also has good offensive instincts though scouting reports suggest he needs to work on his defensive game and his willingness to use his 6-1 frame more effectively.

More importantly in the short term, the Rangers will gain $6.5 million of Cap space this season and next, which will give Drury more opportunity to add players and resign the likes of Will Cuylle, Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom. The potential trades of players like K’Andre Miller or Alexis Lafreniere would also give him more options, though it remains to be seen whether he can find value in a market that is distinctly lacking in higher end talent.