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3 Rangers that are on thin ice next season

ByJustin Bonhard|
Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have a handful of players that are going to be skating on thin ice next season. These three are the most relevant amongst the bunch, as their tenure with the Blueshirts may be over come next season's Trade Deadline.

All eyes are on these three players to perform.

Chris Kreider 

All eyes are on Chris Kreider to pull himself together next season. Another blundering performance and CK20 will be used as trade bait at the trade deadline, for real this time. 

His ice is the thinnest after a monumental, horrid 2024-25 season. Statistically, dropping 45 points between seasons while playing just 14 fewer games is a significant red flag. 

Mika Zibanejad 

With an influx of centers, and those centers performing far and beyond better than Mika Zibanejad, his ice is starting to thin out. It is not as much as Kreider, as the potential is still there for him to move over to the wing alongside J.T. Miller to succeed. 

Zibanejad had a solid showing in the IIHF World Championships about a month ago, and if he can put together an intense training camp, he could win back the trust of the front office. New head coach Mike Sullivan has spent the last decade with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as his first and second-line centermen. If anyone is going to know what works and what doesn't, it is Sullivan. 

Matt Rempe

If the Rangers re-sign this next player, it will be under a massive microscope. Matt Rempe is now a restricted free agent and is looking for a new team. Should the Rangers continue to let him be the enforcer that they need him to be?


Rempe posted quite a few career highs last season, with three goals and five assists for eight points. But, there were still more instances than not of crossing the line in the physicality department. This game has undergone significant changes, and the role of the enforcer is a dying breed. Rempe must adapt or fade away.

If he were to come back, he would have to come back with a different approach. Or else, this will be his last dance in New York, a place where the fans love him as much as he loves being a Ranger.