Major turn of events: Recent development revealed Rangers forwards fate after benching
Photo credit: Beckett
With Chris Kreider being a recent healthy scratch, when the Rangers faced off against the New Jersey Devils, you wonder if Kreider will be around long. Kreider was listed with Jacob Trouba as being shopped recently, and this could be a boiling point for both parties.
Chris Kreider's scratch was unexpected for many fans this season, as Kreider has been a lifer for the Rangers.
The last time he was a scratch for the club, was for precautionary measures in 2017, and 2022. Yet, this season, it was a matter of declining production, as he's only scored 12 points( 11 G, 1 A) and hasn't been a playmaker for the club lately.
Keep in mind, the Rangers held Jacob Trouba out of the lineup for reasons due to a trade.
But according to Laviolette, they're not getting the production needed out of the forward.
«It was just a lineup decision,» Laviolette said. «We just need more»
«At the end of the day, we're not playing a brand that we need to play in order to be successful,» Laviolette said. «He's a guy that we count on to help deliver that. For me, those conversations aren't easy, but that's the decision that I made today.»
Laviolette's comment shows that every player in the lineup will have to fight to keep their roster spot, on a team whose brand is supposed to be "winning" first, and foremost.
While the veteran forward may not be the biggest problem on the Rangers lineup, he will have to work through his struggles to stay in the lineup.
Kreider's absence marks the first time since 2013-14 that he's been scratched while healthy, according to Josh Erickson.
Kreider spent the entire 13 years of his NHL career with the Rangers, and the scratching seems odd, considering the last time it was a matter of discipline was in 2013-2014.
The Rangers would be dominated by the New Jersey Devils, giving up 5 goals, and only getting 12 shots in on Jacob Markstrom.
The team has to turn around their fortunes and needs Chris Kreider to play up to expectations if they're going to get better.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect Kreider to be next on the block.
With Peter Laviolette at the head, they've given up 13 of their last 17 games in the NHL. They have a 16-17-1 record, and are 7th in the Metropolitan Division.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 24 | 1878 ANSWERS Major turn of events: Recent development revealed Rangers forwards fate after benching Do you think GM Chris Drury and the New York Rangers will trade forward Chris Kreider in the future? | ||
| Yes | 1311 | 69.8 % |
| No | 567 | 30.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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