New York Rangers: Four potential trades for Chris Kreider

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 31: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers takes the puck from Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

1. The Boston Bruins

Of all the contending teams that need an offensive punch in order to push them over the top, the Boston Bruins make the most sense.

They have been chasing an elite top-six forward for a while now and, like death and taxes are certainties in life, so is the Bruins bolstering their roster at the Trade Deadline.

General Manager Don Sweeney has a history of being aggressive at this time of year, like adding depth forward Charlie Coyle at last season’s Trade Deadline, and reports out there suggest that the Bruins are ready to go all in.

As such, don’t be surprised if they throw all of their chips in the middle of the table in order to acquire Chris Kreider, who would push them right over the top and make them a formidable force in the postseason.

Imagine having to deal with a top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, then having to worry about a second line featuring Chris Kreider, David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk.

That is a scary thought for the rest of the NHL.

I feel Kreider would be the perfect fit for the Bruins so, as a result, I can see them paying a steep price in order to get their man.

According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Rangers are looking for a first-round pick, a decent prospect and then a third piece made up of either a role player, a low-end prospect or a conditional pick.

BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 21: Danton Heinen #43 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on December 21, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Predators won 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) /

Given that Boston is only projected to have around $3 million in cap space at the Trade Deadline, they will need to clear a contract or two in order to make room for Kreider’s $4,625,000 cap hit.

With that in mind, the Bruins could include a player in the ilk of Danton Heinen, who has a cap hit of $2,800,000 and is under contract through 2020-21, in order to carve out some cap relief and sweeten the deal for the Rangers.

In addition to Heinen, the Bruins would also give the Blueshirts a first-round pick in 2020 and a third-round selection in 2021, which keeps in with how the market has shaped up somewhat.

Of course, the Rangers would rather take Jack Studnicka over Heinen, given that the former is a high-end center with the potential to become an elite forward in the NHL.

Reports out there suggest that Studnicka is the only prospect the Bruins wouldn’t trade, which makes sense given he has 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 51 games for the Providence Bruins in the AHL this year, but that won’t stop the Blueshirts from at least asking.

The Rangers would get back a decent package while the Boston Bruins would become just that much stronger with Chris Kreider on that roster.

Plus, from Boxford, Massachusetts, Kreider would no doubt relish a return home and the chance to win a Stanley Cup with the Bruins.

*Disclaimer – This was written before the Boston Bruins sent a 2020 first-round pick, forward David Backes and prospect Axel Andersson to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Ondrej Kase.

Given that Kase has an average annual value of $2,600,000, this could be a cap-clearing move by the Bruins to shift Backes’ hefty $6,000,000 cap hit off the books in order to make room for Chris Kreider, while Kase’s arrival could make another prospect or depth player expendable.

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