Last night, the New York Rangers hosted the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden (MSG). This game marked the return of former captain Jacob Trouba to MSG, but more importantly, it was the return of Chris Kreider for the first time since he was traded this past offseason. After spending 13 seasons with the Rangers, this was an emotional game for him and for the fans who watched him grow up before their eyes. When Kreider’s career is over, the Rangers should retire his number 20.
Kreider Was a Homegrown Talent
It’s no secret that the Rangers don’t have the best track record when it comes to drafting players in the first round. The one exception to that was Kreider, who they drafted 19th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft. They let him develop for three seasons at Boston College before bringing him onto the team during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. From there, Kreider never looked back and became a key player for the next 13 seasons.
Outside of Henrik Lundqvist, Kreider has been the best player the Rangers have drafted and developed over the past 25 years. He was someone who looked like wouldn’t reach his potential, but they turned him into a consistent 30-goal scorer and even a one-time 52-goal scorer. He became one of the top scorers in franchise history and turned his game up even more when the playoffs came around. When it comes the list of forwards the Rangers have drafted and developed into stars, Kreider’s name needs to be at the top.
Kreider Is Top 10 in Many Franchise Stats Lists
Over his 13 seasons with the Rangers, Kreider became one of their key players and one of the franchise’s top producers. He is eighth all-time in games played with 883, third all-time with 326 goals scored, and tied for first with 116 power-play goals. He became one of the best goal scorers in all situations during his time with the team, ranking fourth all-time in even-strength goals with 197 and fourth in short-handed goals with 13. That last stat is even more impressive considering Kreider did not start playing on the penalty kill until the 2021-22 season, which means he scored those 13 goals over a four-season span.
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His goal-scoring ability was one of his strongest assets, and he could score a clutch goal when the team needed one. He ranks second all-time in game-winning goals with 50, only two behind Rod Gilbert’s 52 game-winning goals. Despite him not scoring more than 30 goals in a season until he scored 52 in 21-22, Kreider scored 20-plus goals in a season in all but two of his seasons with the Rangers. He was the consistent scorer the team needed him to be, and he made his mark as one of the best in franchise history.
The Best Playoff Performer in Franchise History
Again, outside of Lundqvist and a few others, Kreider is one of the best playoff performers the franchise has ever seen. He’s played in 123-career playoff games, and his 48 playoff goals are the most in franchise history by 12. He ranks third in playoff points with 76, behind Mark Messier and Brian Leetch, has the most playoff game-winning goals with 12, and the most playoff power-play goals with 19.
When it came to scoring the clutch goal in a postseason game, nobody could do it better than Kreider, especially when the Rangers were facing elimination. In 30-career games in which his team was facing elimination, Kreider scored 16 goals, which is tied with Messier for the NHL record. In those 30 games, the Rangers went 20-10-0, which shows how important his goals were for his team. It might be a long time before we see another Ranger be as clutch in the playoffs as Kreider was during his tenure.
Despite his final season in New York ending on a sour note, there is no doubt that Kreider should be remembered as one of the all-time greats to ever wear a Rangers jersey. Even though he didn’t win a Stanley Cup with the team, he was so important for so many years. When all is said and done, and he decides to hang up the skates, his number 20 should be hanging in the rafters at MSG.
