When the New York Rangers traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks this past offseason, the deal looked like a clear-cut cap dump. After all, the 34-year-old had been three seasons removed from his 52-goal campaign. And frankly, it doesn’t look like he’ll ever get close to that again.
But after registering 22 tallies in 68 games in 2024-25, his $6.5 million cap hit became far too onerous for a club like the Rangers to lug around. So, the Blueshirts found a willing trade partner in the Ducks.
The Ducks, for their part, had already taken on Jacob Trouba as another cap dump last season. While Trouba hadn’t necessarily exploded in Anaheim, he’d at least rebounded into a serviceable blueliner.
But for Kreider, this season has been somewhat of a renaissance. His 13 goals in 25 games have him on pace for 42. That total would be his largest since the 52-goal season of 2021-22.
Well, that’s the risk general managers face when trading away players. There’s always the chance that they could resurge elsewhere. But the return for Kreider surely makes up for it, right?
Not so fast. The Rangers got forward prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick for Kreider. Terrance was the main piece for Kreider. The 20-year-old could make the entire deal worthwhile. So far, that has not been the case. Terrance, a second-round pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, has two goals in 22 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack this season.
Ouch. He’s registered 12 penalty minutes and doesn’t look poised to get big minutes in the AHL. He got a look during training camp, but clear wasn’t ready to make an impact at the NHL level. With the showing he’s had so far in the minors, it might be some time before Terrance could gain consideration for an NHL call-up.
As it stands, the former Erie Otter is trending towards becoming a draft bust. Sure, there’s time for him to turn things around. But who knows if that will ever be the case.
Rangers draft pick may not salvage Kreider trade
So, what about that third-round pick? The Rangers got the pick that originally belonged to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Ducks landed that pick for their role as intermediaries in a deadline deal in 2024.
The Rangers used that pick to select Artyom Gonchar 89th overall. Gonchar is a Russian blueliner currently playing with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. He’s registered seven goals and 17 points in 27 games this season.
That’s not bad, but it isn’t exactly good. He played in Russia before making the leap to North America. Judging from his Russian number, he wasn’t precisely impressive, either. As it stands, the 19-year-old is unsigned. There’s no deadline for the Rangers to sign Gonchar, but you’d have to think the club would have rushed to do so if they felt he was a solid prospect.
Like Terrance, there’s still time for Gonchar to turn things around and make the Kreider deal worthwhile.
Incidentally, the fourth-round pick the Rangers sent to the Ducks in the deal was used to take Elijah Neuenschwander, a Swiss netminder. The 19-year-old goalie has put up decent numbers in Switzerland. However, there’s no indication if and when the 6’4” goalie might come over to North America.
All told, it seems like the only thing the Rangers really got out of the Kreider trade was cap space. They managed to clear off the $6.5 million. That being said, Kreider has one more year left on his contract before becoming a UFA. Unless he has another good season in 2026-27, the Ducks might very well let him walk away.
The Rangers may have Terrance and Gonchar playing much more meaningful roles by then. But by the looks of it, fans shouldn’t bet on these two prospects cracking the NHL any time soon.