Significant issue identified in pending Chris Kreider trade!

Several fans believe New York Rangers veteran forward Chris Kreider deserves a fresh start elsewhere. It was a rough 2024-25 season for the 34-year-old in the Big Apple. His production diminished in 20 goals and five assists in 63 games, but also his health took a toll. He’s missed time with a nagging lower-back injury, but it got worse when he landed on the trade block as a leaked memo surfaced in November that general manager Chris Drury was trying to move him, naming Kreider as a trade candidate.

Therefore, many pundits believe Kreider will be on the move as Elliotte Friedman recently reported that many teams are interested in the veteran forward. However, the insider has noted that those suitors are also concerned about his health.

Insider Frank Seravalli also believes there could be a bigger market for the veteran forward, stating:

“This was a really tough year for him and he still ended up with 22 goals,” Seravalli said. “I look at that contract and say ‘$6.5 million?’ If I’m a team starving for goals, I’m all over that because I’m thinking he’s going to have a bounce-back year.”

Kreider’s production and publicly stated lower-back issues will likely hurt his trade value, but the Rangers could still possibly fetch fair value back in a trade..He has two years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million.

But who knows if the blow of this campaign will carry over into the offseason and if the Rangers will be willing to accept a lesser return, retain salary in the deal, or both. He also has a 15-team ‘no-trade’ that could complicate things…

At this point, we do not know what the Rangers have in mind for Kreider, but rumours recently indicated that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be interested in acquiring Kreider, especially if they lose Mitch Marner to free agency.

Many other teams could certainly benefit from Kreider’s grit and leadership and we could see him on the move this summer despite his health issues.