What if Chris Kreider hadn't been traded?

I cannot believe "what if Chris Kreider was still a New York Ranger" is a sentence that even exists.

But, it does. The longest tenured member of the Rangers roster was traded away to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Carey Terrance and a third-round pick (originally Toronto’s) in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Terrance, 20-years-old, captained the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this past season, registering 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points in 45 games.

"We want to thank Chris Kreider for all of his contributions to the Rangers organization over his stellar career. Chris has been an integral part of some of the most iconic moments in Rangers history, including setting multiple franchise records and helping the team advance to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, "said Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury. "His leadership on the ice and tireless efforts in the community — which he was recognized for as the inaugural recipient of the Rod Gilbert "Mr. Ranger" Award - only add to his distinguished Rangers legacy. Chris will always be a Ranger and we wish him and his family all the best."

On the ice, Kreider was a leader in so many ways for the Rangers and certainly left his mark when it came to his success and being the face of New York sports.

Kreider — a Massachusetts native — was the longest tenured Ranger on New York's roster. Since being selected in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft, he has made New York history. Kreider's first NHL goal was the winner in Game 6 against Ottawa in April of 2012. He also scored the winner in Game 1 of the second round against the Washington Capitals. Not to mention his 326 goals and 256 assists for 582 points were the 10th most in the franchise's history.

But back to the topic at hand, here is what would have happened for the Rangers if Kreider was still on the roster.

What if Kreider hadn't been traded?

If Kreider hadn't been traded, $6.5 million in cap space wouldn't have been cleared.

Given the trade took place on June 12th and also included a 2025 third round draft pick — if the Rangers hadn't traded away Kreider, several things would not have happened.

It's unlikely Drury would have been able to secure Taylor Raddysh, Derrick Pouliot, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Justin Dowling in free agency if they hadn't given up Kreider due to cap space.

This year the Rangers had two selections in the third round. First was defenseman Sean Barnhill at No. 70 and next was fellow-defenseman Artyom Gonchar at No. 89. Had they not traded away Kreider, Drury would've had to choose between these two in his draft class.

Now, these scenarios do point in the direction that trading away Kreider was the correct move for the franchise. And while that may be true, one sentence that will never exist is "what if Kreider was a better leader?"

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