Currently, we're in the middle of an NHL roster freeze. The New York Rangers are in the middle of a freeze themselves, but that one stops them from playing well. Four wins in the last eighteen have left Peter Laviolette scrambling, looking for solutions. Against the New Jersey Devils, his solution was to scratch the longest-tenured member of the organization, forward Chris Kreider. Kreider's absence made no difference as the Rangers lost 5-0 to their Hudson River Rivals, but this has raised questions about what comes next for Kreider.
The infamous memo sent out by Chris Drury gave Kreider's name as someone the Blueshirts are looking to move on from, but that hasn't been an easy time. It wasn't long before the other player mentioned by name (Jacob Trouba) was packing his bags to move to Orange County, California. Kreider hasn't had to move yet, and he'll be spending Christmas in New York, but he is still unsure about his future.
Where does he go from here? Interest in the Massachusetts native has always had admirers around the league for his ability to screen netminders, tip pucks, and lay the body. He's an excellent profile for a playoff team, so interest in the longest-tenured New York Ranger will be evident and extensive. There will be no shortage of trading partners for the Rangers if they want to move Kreider.
When the Blueshirts scratched Kreider against the Devils, they sent a message that the Rangers wanted a freshening of things, and the Blueshirts responded by getting thumped by their Hudson River Rivals. We'll see where this goes, but the Rangers are now in a position where the longest-tenured player right now might not have a future in this organization. We'll have to keep an eye on that in the coming days after this holiday roster freeze ends.