Insider Links Rangers to Former MVP to Replace Chris Kreider
The New York Rangers will likely be aggressive in the offseason and are likely to make some major changes to their roster.
NHL insider Rob Couch of NHLTradeRumors links the Rangers to signing Taylor Hall in free agency. Couch believes the Rangers will look to trade Chris Kreider, and Hall can be a replacement for him.
“The Rangers are very likely going to get rid of Chris Kreider and need players that can contribute more. Taylor Hall has actually scored four fewer goals, but 11 more points this season than Kreider, but mostly on a Chicago Blackhawks team that couldn’t score,” Couch wrote. “As seen since being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, Hall still has a lot of game left and is contributing a lot offensively. He is 33 years old, so he’s not in his prime, but he stayed healthy this season and is very fast. He could be a solid pickup for the middle-6 for the Rangers this offseason for a smaller commitment.”
Hall would fit in nicely with the Rangers as he could be a top-six forward and add some scoring to the roster. If New York does trade Kreider, Hall also fits in nicely to replace his role and would likely be cheaper. This season, he’s recorded 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points in 75 games.
Hall won the Hart Trophy in 2018, which is the NHL’s MVP. He’s a former first-overall pick and is a five-time NHL All-Star.
Rangers Fail to Make Playoffs
New York won the Presidents’ Trophy last season, which is awarded to the best record in the regular season.
Yet, a year later, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs, which was a major disappointment for them.
“We had opportunities in the last 20 games to make our own noise and make our own way, and we didn’t do that,” coach Peter Laviolette said about missing the playoffs. “It’s on us. We needed to be better… I think every year this team has gone in expecting to be successful, expecting to win a Stanley Cup. This disappointment is real. From everybody’s standpoint.”
Star forward Vincent Trochek, meanwhile, says the team didn’t show up night in and night out as they needed to.
“You can’t just show up and expect it to go the same way it did last year,” Vincent Trocheck said. “We earned it last year. We certainly didn’t earn it this year.”
New York will close out its 2024-25 NHL season at home on April 17 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Insider Expects Rangers to Move on From Kreider
New York will likely look to shake up their core this summer, and Kreider’s name will be a popular trade candidate.
Rangers insider Vincent Z. Mercogliano of Lohud believes New York and Kreider are on a collision course for a potential split.
“My sense is that the Rangers are heading toward an eventual split with their longest-tenured player, Chris Kreider,” Mercogliano wrote. “He’s been on the trade block since Drury included his name in that memo, and while the rumors have quieted down in the months since, two people with knowledge of the situation told lohud.com that New York remains motivated to move him.”
