New York Rangers: Chris Kreider has a place in this rebuild

Should he stay or should he go? That is the million dollar question facing the New York Rangers when working out what to do with Chris Kreider this offseason.

This summer has been a momentous one for the New York Rangers and arguably the biggest one in decades for this storied franchise.

After a year full of growing pains, tough losses, rookies and a first-year head coach finding their way coupled with fan favorites departing for pastures new, this offseason has seen the Blueshirts hit home run after home run out of the ballpark.

It started by winning the No.2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Lottery Draft, which they used on Finnish phenom Kaapo Kakko, gathered pace with the trades for stud defensemen Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba and then finished with an almighty flourish.

Yes, and despite reports suggesting the New York Islanders were firmly in the driving seat, the Blueshirts won the opening day of free agency after landing the biggest prize of them all in Artemi Panarin.

It was a stunning chain of events and now, finally, the Rangers can boast a bona fide superstar who has all the firepower in his armoury to elevate this rebuild to the next level.

However, the front office tandem of President John Davidson and General Manager Jeff Gorton still have an imperative ninth inning ahead of them, where they will aim to avoid being struck out on a litany of crucial decisions.

Trouba needs locking down to a new long-term deal, which is expected to command in the region of $7.5 million per year, while fellow restricted free agents Pavel Buchnevich, Brendan Lemieux and Tony DeAngelo also all need to get paid.

Potential buyouts of Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal, Brendan Smith and Matt Beleskey could all come into play as the Rangers now scramble to ensure they have enough room under the cap in order to lock down key pieces and depth players.

But, arguably the biggest ball the New York Rangers can’t whiff on this offseason is the one currently in play with Chris Kreider.

An enigma for much of his career on Broadway, Kreider is entering the final year of his current contract which carries an annual cap hit of $4,625,000 and will become a unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Rangers face a clear choice; either look to deal Kreider before the start of training camp in order to create the cap space they so desperately crave, or ink one of their star assets to a new deal as soon as possible.

What direction should the Blueshirts head in? I personally believe that there is a role for Kreider not only during this rebuild but in the long-term future of this franchise too.

Yes, it is easy to get swept up in all the narratives surrounding Kreider when it comes to his consistency, but it is easy to forget that he’s a very good player in the NHL and his body of work backs that up.

For starters, he tallied 28 goals in 2018-19 – the same amount as new team-mate Artemi Panarin by the way – and 24 assists for 52 points in 79 regular season games.

Kreider was on pace to achieve career highs in goals, assists, points and power play points until injury and a dramatic dip in form during the latter stages of the year significantly halted his progress.

Despite the less than impressive end, it was still a season to be proud of for Kreider and, perhaps most importantly, he forged a deadly partnership with Mika Zibanejad, who enjoyed his own career year and really announced himself as a star in the making in the NHL.

And this is where my main argument comes in now. Kreider has proven in sample sizes and flashes that he has what it takes to be a high-end talent in the majors.

He’s 28-years-old and should be playing at the peak of his powers right now. It is perhaps fair to say that he needs just one more ingredient to throw into the melting pot in order to morph into the complete package.

And that secret ingredient could well just be the shiny new toy the Rangers treated themselves to in free agency.

Quick disclaimer here, I’m very aware that both Kreider and Panarin are left wings but, based on the evidence served up last year, would you really want to split up the combination of Kreider and Zibanejad or would you be better served to try and make those three mesh together on a top line?

Just imagine the damage a top line of Kreider-Zibanejad-Panarin could cause in 2019-20, the havoc they could wreak on the power play and the beautiful chemistry that could be forged if you combine their differing styles of play together.

It is no secret that players thrive when they play alongside other top talent and it isn’t a stretch to suggest that both Kreider and Zibanejad could see a surge in production if they play alongside Panarin, which is good news for the Rangers and bad news for the rest of the NHL.

Or, consider the impact if you enter the season with a one-two punch of Panarin-Kreider on the left wing. Whatever direction head coach David Quinn decides to go in terms of how he lines his stars up, Kreider and the Rangers will only benefit from having a legitimate superstar on the roster.

Panarin is an elite playmaker who can snipe with the best of the best in the league. He registered 28 goals and 59 assists for 87 points in 79 regular season games last year, including 18 points on the power play.

He’s at the peak of his powers right now and he possesses an infectious personality on and off the ice that will only help to bring the best out of his line mates.

Kreider will benefit from not only having a potent weapon like Panarin either on his line or on one of the power play units, but also from having a second season with Zibanejad as his pivot who, at just 26-years-old, is only going to get better.

We’re all aware of Kreider’s prowess when it comes to his net-front presence, so it is perfectly normal to start salivating at the tantalising thought of the power forward redirecting rockets from Panarin and causing mayhem in the crease.

Also, Kreider is a brute force and his sheer physicality and ability to get stuck in and go to the dirty areas will be even more crucial next year considering the amount of skill players the Blueshirts have on the roster.

Make no mistake, the Rangers will be more pleasing on the eye in 2019-20 and, as such, you need a dollop of toughness and a dash of grit in order to protect the team’s more finesse skaters and ensure they don’t get bullied or taken out of a game.

Kreider has also developed into a locker room leader and, as stated in other articles on this site, that role cannot be understated when you have one of the youngest teams in the entire NHL.

He’s a respected figure in and around Madison Square and he’s on the cusp of putting it all together and finally adding the consistency to his game that has prevented him from morphing into an elite NHL star thus far.

While he may not quite reach the levels of a Panarin or a Nikita Kucherov, time is still very much on Kreider’s side when it comes to evolving into a consistent 40-60 point scorer.

The Rangers could always pull the trigger at next year’s deadline if they still aren’t convinced, but, given where this rebuild currently stands and the exciting future ahead for this storied franchise, Chris Kreider deserves a shot at being a part of it.

When you throw all of your chips in the middle of the table to lure a player of Panarin’s caliber to Madison Square Garden, you certainly don’t want to be seen to be letting go of very good players the very next minute, and Kreider certainly fits into that category.

His body of work throughout his NHL career and the multitude of boxes he ticks for the New York Rangers is deserving of a new contract.