New York Rangers midseason report cards: Top six forwards
Chris Kreider
Kreider’s M.O. over the years has been show up for a few games and then disappear for a few games. This season started out different, though.
Kreider only tallied three points, all assists, through his first eight games but he was all over the ice during that span. He and his linemates Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich were nearly unstoppable for the first month and a half of the season. In fact, they were the only thing the team had going for them in October.
The team finished the month with a 4-7-2 record but the line looked great. Kreider speed and physicality meshed perfectly with Zibanejad’s playmaking ability and Buchnevich’s all-around offensive brilliance.
Kreider was on a stretch where he tallied five points in seven games when he was taken out of the game after the first period against the Capitals on December 27th. As it turned out, Kreider was being rushed the hospital where he’d later find out that he had a blot clot in his right arm.
Kreider will undergo a rib resection surgery and there is no timetable for his return. The team could greatly use his services but it is best for both Kreider and the team long-term if he takes his recovery slowly.
Regardless, Kreider posted 22 points in 37 games which would put him on pace to score 49 points in an 82 goal season. While that isn’t exactly the total you’d expect from Kreider, he played better than the numbers say he did.