Rangers regular season review: The top six
By Conor Power
![NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: The New York Rangers tap the boards during the game against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden on April 10, 2023 in New York City. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 3-2 in the shootout. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: The New York Rangers tap the boards during the game against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden on April 10, 2023 in New York City. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 3-2 in the shootout. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f769a2bfc3b29b6c7b90fd6141e2c11a6d198aef323ee57446df94eb7316db90.jpg)
Chris Kreider
If you want to talk about players that have been hot and cold this season, look no further than New York’s Chris Kreider. While we all know how he exploded last season for 50 goals and career highs in almost every counting stat, there had been some questions as to whether or not it was sustainable for the Boxford, Massachusetts native to continue to produce at such a high rate. The answer? I still don’t know.
Kreider didn’t put up the 50 goals he had last season, but he did still tally 36 times. Those in addition to his 18 helpers saw New York’s number 20 record 54 points. To put into perspective how big of a step back production-wise that is, Kreider had 52 goals the season before. He only just passed that mark this season which shows that this season Kreider was not able to sustain the same production.
Hoewver, that’s overall. Kreider still tallied 36 times which is nothing minor. For someone that exploded out of a career average of 25 goals to score 50 last year and produce a solid 36-goal season this year is really impressive, even if it isn’t the heights of 50 he set for himself last year. Goal scoring is the hardest thing to do in this sport and the Rangers are going to need Kreider to keep producing in the postseason.
In terms of everything else, Kreider was Chris Kreider. He was extremely fast. extremely strong, and reliable. Despite the prolonged scoring drought at the beginning of the season, Kreider continued to be an integral part of this Rangers roster throughout the year. 79 games played saw him be almost always available and that has been an area he had struggled with in previous seasons.