The 2024 year was supposed to be different for the New York Rangers, especially for veteran and winger Chris Kreider.
With a 5-3 loss on the road at the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the New York Rangers have suffered another loss immediately after earning sole possession of last place in the division. That was the Blueshirts' last game of 2024, exiting the year with a 16-19-1 overall record.
Let's take a look at Kreider's 2024 year in review:
Kreider's arrival in the Rangers organization has been well-documented. We don't need to go into it, but he's been with the Rangers ever since he was the No. 19 pick in 2009. He's had his ups and down, but nothing has been as tumultuous for the Rangers as the year 2024.
After all, they went from winning the Presidents' Trophy and being in the Eastern Conference Finals to dead last in the Metro Division.
Kreider himself finished the year with 32 game appearances (including one healthy scratch), 12 oals,. one assist for 12 points (minus-nine).
With a 5-3 loss on the road at the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the New York Rangers have suffered another loss on Dec. 30 immediately after earning sole possession of last place in the division.
I honestly feel that Kreider got so used to being able to deflect shots in, he stopped creating his own offense. Hopefully, he figures out that he needs to start skating hard and taking shots again.
Then again, you could say this for the entire team. It's almost as if every game they Blueshirts are trying to score off tip-ins instead of trusting their shots. Plus, Kreider's power-play goal to tie the game at 3-3 against the Florida Panthers — the reigning Stanley Cup Champions — was quite nice.
But at 33-years-old, he's clearly on the older side for an NHL player. But, when was the last time we really saw Kreider use his size and speed to drive the net? For a player who had a career high in assists just last season (36) … he should be doing better than he is. It truly hasn’t been that long since he’s been able to create offense.
Hopefully 2025 will be better for the longest-tenured player on the Rangers roster.