Chris Kreider
When you get into discussions about the best player the franchise has had, the names that appear are often the ones near the top of the Rangers' historical stat trees. Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Brian Leetch, Andy Bathgate, and Mark Messier will all end up getting some mention from various generations of Rangers fans. However, the only member of the current roster troubling that list is winger Chris Kreider.
Kreider was drafted by the New York Rangers organization in 2009 with the 19th overall pick, and he has become a staple of this organization. Ignoring the recent rumors sparked by Chris Drury, who is trying to get a response from his leadership group, Kreider has been one of the most important players for the Rangers in the last several years. He's had critical moments in big games and sits near the top of the Blueshirts ' goal-scoring records.
Who can forget his natural hat trick last year in the playoffs in game six in Carolina to end their reverse sweep hopes and send the Rangers through to the third round? He's been a playoff performer for the Blueshirts for almost his entire career. Even though he was here through the darkness of the rebuild, we've never heard Kreider complain about this organization and this team.
He's also closing in on the top goal-scoring spot in Rangers history. With 313 goals, he sits third in the history of the franchise. He's just 23 goals behind Jean Ratelle. If he catches Ratelle, he'll be 70 behind the late, great Rod Gilbert. Very few can be held in the same conversation as Mr. Ranger, and the Blueshirts faithful can be grateful for one of the franchise's all-time great goal scorers still in his dominant prime.