On Monday afternoon at the Prudential Center, veteran Chris Kreider was designated a health scratch ahead of the return of the Battle of the Hudson River.
The decision came following the New York Rangers losing their fourth straight home game 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. New York has lost 12 of their last 16 games as Kreider and longtime linemate Mika Zibanejad have particularly struggled. While it is certainly a controversial call given the fact that Kreider is New York's longest-tenured player — it is worth mentioning that he ranks eighth on the Rangers with 12 points, has scored just once in the last nine games.
The Massachusetts native's one and only assist so far this season didn’t come until Dec. 6 against the Penguins. In fact, The last time Kreider notched a point on the power play was Dec. 2 against the Devils.
The 33-year-old left wing has 11 goals and one assist in 30 games this season. He missed three games with an upper-body injury in late November.
His slow start to the 2024-25 season is viewed as a surprise to most league fans. Kreider is third all-time on the Rangers' franchise list with 315 goals behind Rod Gilbert (406) and Jean Ratelle (336). Kreider also has 114 career power-play goals, the second-most in team history.
Kreider scored a career-best 52 goals in 2021-22 and has been a steady performer for the Rangers since his debut during the 2012 playoffs. He scored 39 goals with 75 points last season. Kreider was a first-round draft pick by New York in 2009 (19th overall) and has played 845 career games plus 123 more in the playoffs.
Forward Jonny Brodzinski was added to the lineup against New Jersey in Kreider’s place. Kreider has two more seasons beyond the current one on his seven-year, $45.5 million contract. The deal is set to expire after the 2026-27 season.
This was his first healthy scratch of the year.