After months of speculation, the New York Rangers traded Chris Kreider, shipping him to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday for a prospect and a draft pick.
The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau believes the move indicates the two clubs are open for business. For the Rangers, it clears Kreider’s $6.5-million cap hit from their books for the next two years, increasing their salary-cap space for next season to $14.9 million with 18 active roster players under contract.
THN.com’s Remy Mastey observed that the cost-cutting move provides Rangers GM Chris Drury with the cap flexibility to be a major player in this summer’s free-agent market.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes the Rangers could pursue Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov via free agency. Meanwhile, RG.Org’s Daria Tuboltseva cited a source claiming they’re interested in Ivan Provorov if the 28-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets rearguard hits the open market.
The trade also raises questions over whether Drury is done peddling current Rangers.
Trade rumors have dogged defenseman K’Andre Miller and left winger Alexis Lafreniere for several weeks. Miller is an RFA with arbitration rights coming off a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Lafreniere has yet to achieve his much-anticipated breakout performance despite signing a lucrative seven-year extension last October.
Before the Kreider trade was finalized, Larry Brooks of the New York Post wondered if the deal might make Mika Zibanejad more amenable toward waiving his no-movement clause. He noted that Zibanejad and Kreider became inseparable in recent years.
If Zibanejad waived his clause, finding a trade partner to take on all five years remaining in his contract could be a tough sell. The 32-year-old center is signed through 2029-30 with an average annual value of $8.5 million. His declining production since his career-best 91-point performance in 2022-23 won’t help his value in the trade market.
Meanwhile, there’s growing conjecture over the health of Alex Pietrangelo.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun recently cited sources around the league suggesting the 35-year-old Vegas Golden Knights defenseman could end up on long-term injured reserve for the remaining two years of his contract. The Hockey News’ Julian Gaudio cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman saying Pietrangelo’s health was in question for 2025-26, but he had no confirmation as to the seriousness of his injury status.
Pietrangelo skipped playing for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February to prepare for the playoffs. Friedman indicated this could be a situation where the Golden Knights are trying to determine the veteran defenseman’s health before the start of next season.
If Pietrangelo is questionable for the start of next season, the Golden Knights could put him on LTIR and use the cap savings on a major signing in this summer’s free-agent market. However, that only works if he’s out for the entire regular season. If he returns at any point during the season, the Golden Knights must shed salary to accommodate his return.
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