New York Rangers: Can the team survive without Chris Kreider?

NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 15: Chris Kreider /

Only a few games have gone by since it was announced that Chris Kreider will be out long-term. Can the New York Rangers make it without him? Here’s a look at his impact so far, and the challenge his absence presents.

Last week, the New York Rangers announced that Chris Kreider will be out indefinitely. The winger was pulled during the first period of their game against the Washington Capitals on December 27th.

Kreider didn’t return to the game and was sent to the hospital later that night. After medical evaluation, the 26-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right arm.

While this is a very serious condition, a number of players have been able to bounce back from it. Among those players is Steven Stamkos, who experienced the injury near his collarbone. Stamkos was diagnosed in March of 2016 and returned in late May of the same year.

Every medical situation is different for every patient, but Kreider seems to be out on a more long-term scale.

The team can make changes and try to replace him for the time being, but the burning question is how successful can the New York Rangers be without Chris Kreider?

Life with Kreider

Life with Chris Kreider for the New York Rangers has been great. They picked him 19th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and he has been an important contributor ever since. He was a huge asset in the 2012 playoffs in which he scored five goals. This earned him the record for most Stanley Cup playoff goals before playing a regular season game.

Since then, he has been a consistent source of offense, speed, and physical presence. This season has been no different. The left-wing played 37 games so far this season and scored 22 points. These 22 points came in the form of 11 goals and 11 assists. About half (five) of his goals and roughly one-fifth (two) of his assists came on the power play.

Had he not been injured, Kreider would have been on pace for about 48 points (24 goals and 24 assists). Although it would not have been a career high, it would’ve come close to his highest point total of 53 (28 goals and 25 assists in 75 games) last season.

Kreider is one of the best wingers on the team and him being out of the lineup only hurts the team.

The “KZB Line”

Additionally, a healthy Kreider was a part of one of the best line combinations that the Rangers had. The first line was frequently made up of Kreider at left-wing, Mika Zibanejad at center, and Pavel Buchnevich at right-wing.

As a trio, they had an average Corsi-For percentage of 55.25%. Without this line, the team’s CF% drops all the way down to 44.77%.

All three of these players are performing at their best when they are playing together, as their CF percentages each drop somewhat significantly without each other. In fact, Kreider’s even dips down to 43.5% without the “KZB Line.”

What can they do without him?

Obviously, Chris Kreider will leave a huge void that the New York Rangers will need to fill. For now, they have a few options. As of right now, Vinni Lettieri is serving as a stop gap. A trade or additional call-up could provide more options as well.

Out of the 332 points (goals and assists), New York has scored this year, Kreider contributed on about 66% of them. Based on that, the team will be losing over half of their offensive production in the winger’s injury.

Will the Rangers be able to stay afloat during his absence? So far, the answer is a resounding no. They have yet to win a game in regulation without him. They lost in the shootout to Detroit, won in overtime against the Sabres and lost in regulation to the Blackhawks.

So, thus far, the Rangers haven’t been able to regain their footing after Kreider’s injury. In order to do that, they will need to rely on other players for offense. Michael Grabner currently leads the team in goals with 18, while Mats Zuccarello takes the lead in assists and points with 23 and 31 respectively.

As far as physical presence goes, New York can still trust the 6’5″, 217 lb Kevin Hayes. They have other players with bigger frames like Rick Nash new call-up Boo Nieves as well.

Next: Chris Kreider is living up to his contract

For now, all we can do is hope that the rest of the New York Rangers can hold the fort while he is injured. The player’s health is most important, there shouldn’t be any discussion of Kreider returning before he is absolutely ready.

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