The longest tenured member of the New York Rangers might have just played his way out of Gotham City. Chris Kreider, alongside most of this team, had a devastating season in 2024–25. It has painted a bigger picture that this might have been it for No. 20 with the Blueshirts.
Eventually, Kreider will have his number celebrated in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, but if this team wants to find success, it cannot be with him. Let's take a look at how badly it went for Kreider in 2024-25.
Expectations
After another successful season in 2023-24, Kreider was anticipated to keep his consistency going. He had 39 goals and 36 assists for 75 points during the Presidents’ Trophy run which was his second-most successful season in terms of points during his career to date. After three straight seasons with 36+ goals, his contribution last season was severely counted on in the goal scoring department.
It was anything but.
Performance
He scored 22 goals in 68 games during the 2024-25 season, which is not fantastic but also not terrible. What is awful is that he then only helped his teammates with eight assists all season. His 30 points in 68 games was his worst statistical season to date, and for those doing math at home, that is a 45-point drop-off between the two seasons.
You hear about a rapid decline in point production, but if you were to look at both stat-sheets, it would look like Kreider was hurt for a majority of last season, when in fact, he played through nearly two thirds of it.
On the ice, he was absent. There wasn’t that usual sense from him to drive the net and use his speed. It was a lapse effort every night, and it affected the outcome of the season.
Where do they go from here?
There is a strong feeling that Kreider will not be back next season. President and General Manager Chris Drury has been very vocal in the moving of Kreider, and this time it might actually happen.
Next season, if he is still a part of this Rangers team, it has to be much better. It does not need to be shades of that magical 2023-24 run, or two seasons prior to that, in which he joined the Rangers' 50-goal club with 52 goals. But, he needs to be consistent, night in and night out, reach the 30-goal plateau, and be an x-factor that we all know he can be.