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New York Rangers Stock Market: Summing up the season

By Jennifer Moglia

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 29: Alexandar Georgiev #40 and Brady Skjei #76 of the New York Rangers celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden on March 29, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 29: Alexandar Georgiev #40 and Brady Skjei #76 of the New York Rangers celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden on March 29, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEWARK, NJ – APRIL 01: New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates during the first period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 1, 2019 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Up: Chris Kreider

One of the most impressive players on the New York Rangers this year was Chris Kreider. Last season was one of his hardest, battling scoring slumps, losing some of his longtime teammates, having to step up as a leader, and, worst of all, dealing with blood clots a few months into the campaign.

He finished the 2017-2018 season with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 58 games. He ranked seventh on the team in goals, sixth in assists, and sixth in points.

Obviously, this wasn’t a horrible season for Kreider, especially considering the hardships he faced. His struggles probably affected him mentally, and they limited the number of games he was able to play.

He began the 2018-2019 campaign by being named an alternate captain, a big step for Kreider in the locker room. During all of the away games, he had an “A” stitched on to his jersey, symbolizing what he and his tenure mean to this team.

When all was said and done this year, the forward finished this year with 28 goals and 24 assists for a total of 52 points in 79 games. He only missed three games this year, as opposed to 24 last year (over one-quarter of the season).

In end-of-season rankings, the 27-year-old was second on the team in points and goals. He landed in fourth place in assists. The only player ranking higher than him in the first two categories was superstar center Mika Zibanejad, and the only players with more assists were Zibanejad, Tony DeAngelo, and Kevin Shattenkirk.

Despite some slumps throughout the year, Chris Kreider needed a bounce-back season and he definitely had one. He will most likely be a big part of this team, both on the ice and off, throughout this rebuild and for years to come.

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