10 of 10
Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images
The longest-serving active member of the New York Rangers, Chris Kreider made his NHL debut with the club during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. During his 13-season career, the 33-year-old winger has become one of the greatest scorers in franchise history, sitting third all-time with 313 goals and 10th with 834 games played and 561 points.
Any suggestion of the Rangers trading a core player like Kreider would’ve been dismissed as absurd at the start of this season. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Nov. 25 that the power forward was among the players that general manager Chris Drury made available in the trade market as he attempts to shake up his struggling roster.
Later that day, Friedman discussed Kreider’s situation during an appearance on The FAN Hockey Show with Matt Marchese and Mike Futa. He noted the winger lacked full no-trade protection but was uncertain if the Rangers were serious about trading Kreider or just trying to spur their players to perform at a better level.
Kreider is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $6.5 million and a 15-team no-trade clause. Trading him would be a seismic shakeup to the Rangers’ core and he would draw plenty of interest. His cap hit would make it difficult to move at this point in the season when most clubs have limited salary-cap space.
Nevertheless, Kreider’s solid reputation among the league’s top power forwards and the Rangers’ willingness to entertain offers for him makes the 6’3