Ex-Rangers forward having ‘ton of fun’ filling the net for Ducks
Chris Kreider’s old team, the New York Rangers, could use him about now.
The Rangers traded Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks on June 12 for prospect Carey Terrance and a swap of draft picks. The deal was made after the No. 3 goal-scorer in team history (326) dropped from 39 goals and 75 points in 2023-24 to 22 goals and 30 points last season, when he missed time with a broken hand, a back problem and vertigo. In addition, Kreider’s name was leaked in a trade memo Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent to the other 31 GMs in the League, helping upend his final season on Broadway.
Kreider ultimately waved his no-trade clause to leave the only NHL organization he’d ever played for and join a team that hasn’t made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017-18. But one month into the new season, the Rangers might like to have him back.
While the Blueshirts struggle to put the puck in the net (NHL-low 2.21 goals through 14 games, six goals in six home games), Kreider rediscovered his scoring touch in Anaheim, where he joined former teammates Ryan Strome, Jacob Trouba and Frank Vatrano on “Rangers West.” His old team is mired at 6-6-2, last in the Metropolitan Division, entering a road game against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Meanwhile, his new club leads the Pacific Division with a 9-3-1 record, has won five in a row, and leads the NHL with 4.15 goals per game.
One big reason for the early success is Kreider, who has nine goals in his first nine games with his new team, including a pair on Thursday when the Ducks rallied from an early two-goal deficit for a 7-5 win against the Stars in Dallas. His first goal at 1:16 of the second period started the comeback; his second, 16 seconds into the third, put Anaheim ahead 5-3.
“I think it’s a resilient group. We started getting in behind their D and were able to play in the (offensive) zone,” he said of the turnaround against the Stars. “We stuck with it, didn’t get frustrated. It was a fun game – not a game that coaches enjoy.”
Former Rangers star Chris Kreider healthy, ‘having ton of fun’ with Ducks
So what’s the difference between last season and this one, aside from changing teams?
“Healthy, knock on wood,” Kreider said. “I’m having a ton of fun. Good group. I think missing some time and dealing with some stuff last year makes you appreciate feeling healthy again. There’s a lot of gratitude there, so (I) just show up every day and enjoy it.”
His renewed scoring touch is a big reason the Ducks scored seven times in back-to-back wins against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and the Stars. Anaheim became the sixth team in the past 40 years to score seven or more goals in a game at least four times through their first 13 games of a season, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins (six times in 1995-96; four in 2019-20 and 1992-93), Edmonton Oilers (four times in 1987-88) and Toronto Maple Leafs (four times in 1987-88).
Kreider is two shy of the NHL goal-scoring lead shared by teammate Cutter Gauthier and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. Five of his goals are on the power play, one more than the entire total scored by his old team, which at 4 for 36 (11.1 percent) has the League’s 31st-ranked extra-man unit.
The Ducks got Kreider to provide scoring and leadership on one of the youngest teams in the NHL, and he’s done everything GM Pat Verbeek and coach Joel Quenneville could ask. The only thing that’s slowed him down was a bout of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, a viral infection accompanied by a rash and multiple other symptoms that cost him four games in late October.
“It was weird being out that long and really not able to do anything. It’s just a lot of twiddling in my thumbs,” Kreider said before returning to the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 31. “It just had to run its course. Nothing you can do but sit there and feel awful.”
The 12-day break between games didn’t cool off Kreider’s hot stick. He scored once each against the Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Panthers before connecting twice in Dallas. Next up is a visit to the division-rival Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
“We need to continue to build our game,” he said. “I think we’ve done a good job learning from the previous game, leaving it behind and attacking the next game. We’ll enjoy this one for a few minutes and get ready for Vegas.”
