It was a surprise back during All-Star weekend when, while doing media day, the New York Rangers' Chris Kreider mentioned that there had been no talks between him and the team at that point regarding a possible extension. Yes, the Rangers are in the midst of rebuild, but Kreider is only 28-years-old, is one of the most consistent players in the league and has never played for another team since being drafted by New York more than 10 years ago. That will soon change, though.
According to TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun, Kreider's camp and Rangers brass will sit down for the first time over the next few days and see if there is mutual interest in keeping Kreider in New York.
"Finally, after months of not having communication regarding a contract between Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers, we're told that within the next couple of days, finally, Jeff Gorton , GM of the Rangers, and Matt Keator, the agent of Chris Kreider will have that dialogue," said LeBrun on TSN's Insider Trading. "Where it goes from there, who knows? Might be a tough contract to get done but there will be an effort anyway."
If a deal with Kreider does come to fruition, it would remove the top piece of trade bait from the market before the deadline. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins are all among the clubs interested in Kreider should he be made available. The reality is any team with space to add him that's hopeful for a deep playoff run has likely at least discussed Kreider internally, if not with the Rangers directly.
For a player about to hit his seventh straight season with 20-plus goals, Kreider is currently on a very cost-effective contract. He's been making $4.625 million for the last four years. So what would it take to sign him? At 28, he still has some very good years left and is likely looking to lock himself in for as long as possible. The issue for the Rangers is the team has under $3 million in cap space at the moment and has several restricted free agents that will need to be signed at the end of this season. Those includes names like Ryan Strome, Jesper Fast and Tony DeAngelo.
Source: Insider Trading
