Rangers' Chris Kreider Reveals the extent of his injury and feelings regarding trade talks

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Joshua Deeds
November 27, 2024 (3:54 PM)

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Chris Kreider has had a difficult week,, dealing with a back injury. All the while he's seen his name arise in trade talks online. He was able to share his thoughts on the situation with Mollie Walker.

Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider are two Rangers players, whose names you will hear a lot in the hockey media. After their disappointing loss to the Edmonton Oilers last Saturday, GM Chris Drury pledged to shake up the roster.

While this was happening, Chris Kreider, one of the longest-tenured New York Rangers is on the sidelines, nursing an injury. Clarifying the reason behind the scratch against the Hurricanes.

«Back spasms,» Kreider said after an optional morning skate before the Rangers take on the Hurricanes Wednesday night.

«Back locked up on me - Sacrum. Few games back it was lumbar [spine, the lower back made up of five or six vertebrae that support most of the body's weight and allow for movement] and then during training camp it was thoracic [the chest, or the part of the body between the neck and the abdomen].

He's been working on remedies so he doesn't have to suffer through the spasms again.

«Very independent, annoying things. So we're working on it. Done a couple things to remedy it so it doesn't happen anymore.»

This is the first time Kreider's heard his name in trade talks, since the 2020 season, and it ended up being defenseman Brady Skjei being shipped to Carolina. Kreider would later pen a $45.5 Million deal, which has a 15-team NTC attached.

While this is uncommon for Kreider, he's held the belief that this is typical when you play for an original-six squad like the Rangers. As a 13-year veteran though, maybe he should exercise a little more caution given how GM Chris Drury treated former teammate Barclay Goodrow.

Drury isn't afraid to exercise ruthlessness in order to achieve his objectives, and he hasn't reneged on his statement about either Trouba or Kreider being on the market.

«Shouldn't trivialize someone's feelings, but how you feel doesn't affect your ability to do something that you've done for the entirety of your life - unless you let it,» Kreider said.

«There's guys in here who will say there are games where they come in and they feel great and they don't play well. There's games where they're under the weather, they're sick, maybe they're a little banged up and all of sudden the puck is following them around. Body knows what to do, just got to do it your own way and let it do it.»

With Kreider being a part of the leadership group for the Rangers, he's had discussions with Drury and feels secure despite the rumors amassing.

«I think it's pretty obvious there's frustration, angst, tension,» Kreider said of the feeling in the Rangers' locker room right now. «Good. We're 20 games in. Let's go through this s-t now and figure out who we are. We had the best regular season in the history of an Original Six franchise last year, won a Presidents' Trophy and didn't go as far as we would've liked. We're getting exposed right now. Our warts are out there and teams are picking on the things we don't do well and we've gotten away from the things we do do well.

«We don't necessarily know what this is right now, right? This could just be part of the story. We look back at this and say, 'This made us better.'

Kreider has 9 points( 9 G, 0 A) this year, and is a lifelong Ranger, and Alternate Captain. Will his good-faith relationship with GM Chris Drury be a factor in whether he's traded or not? Only time will tell.

But there's enough blame to go around, and Drury should be held to the same standards this season as well.