Kreider Back to Rangers? Realistic Reunion | New York Rangers News

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On September 10th, Chris Kreider's contract with the Anaheim Ducks just got terminated, and now everyone's talking about him possibly heading back to the New York Rangers. The word on the street is, he's not feeling the West Coast vibe and wants to be back East, which makes a return to Broadway a pretty logical guess. The Rangers definitely need some scoring punch, and Kreider, who can still put the puck in the net, is now a free agent. The big question is whether either side actually wants this reunion to happen. Remember how the Rangers let him go in the first place? There might be some lingering feelings there that could get in the way. Plus, with the Rangers in the middle of a rebuild, bringing back a veteran like Kreider might not fit their long-term strategy. Even so, Kreider isn't done yet.

Last season he put up 22 goals and 50 points in 75 games. He's not hitting 50 goals anymore, but expecting 20 is still realistic, and maybe even 30 if things go right.

That kind of secondary scoring would be a huge help for the Rangers, and he already knows the garden pressure cooker. The main hurdle is the Rangers' goal to get younger. Bringing back a 35-year-old winger goes against that plan.

If they were to sign him, a one-year deal would make the most sense. Letting them see how it goes without a long-term commitment, anything longer gets complicated fast. And then there's the money. The Rangers have very little cap space, so they likely have to move players to make a traditional contract work. A more likely scenario might be a contract heavily loaded with incentives with a modest base salary.

This way, Kreider gets a shot at returning, and the Rangers get a proven score without being locked in long-term. That's the story for today. New York Rangers News Today, driven by AI.