Rangers unlikely to trade Chris Kreider

Kreider (Photo: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Never say never, but as we near the trade deadline and see players like Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, and Adam McQuaid scratched it is becoming increasingly unlikely that Chris Kreider will be traded. Although rumors that Toronto, Boston, and Nashville have inquired about the Rangers best winger, the price is too rich for those GM’s.

Jeff Gorton has three assets in play to acquire picks and prospects going into the deadline. Kevin Hayes is the most likely to net a 1st round pick in the upcoming draft. Other players that Gorton could move before Monday are Vlad Namestnikov, Ryan Strome, and Brendan Smith. All those players will load up the Rangers’ prospect pipeline.

When it come to Chris Kreider, Gorton isn’t actively shopping him like the players mentioned above. In contrast, teams are asking about his availability and it sounds like Gorton will only move him for a monster deal.

Speculation on the ask has been a 1st round pick and a top prospect for starters. One team that may have already balked at that demand are the Nashville Predators. Giving up Eeli Tolvanen and their 1st round pick is just too much at this time. That could change at 2:59PM on Monday, but it remains unlikely.

The bottom line is Kreider has one year left on his contract so if teams want him they must pay the maximum price. Jeff Gorton also does not need to trade him this season for a multitude of reasons. The primary one being that if you want to trade him as a rental next deadline he will still get you at least a 1st round pick in the 2020 draft.

Keep all this in mind as Kreider’s name pops up until 3PM Monday.

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

Mentioned in this article::

More About: