The Rangers meet the Capitaks tonight at MSG. Having gotten back into playoff contention, the next three games will tell us a lot about the Blueshirts. After tonight’s contest, New York faces Ottawa and Columbus, each of whom are batting the Rangers for a playoff spot, in back-to-back contests this week.
The schedule gets no easier thereafter, but by Sunday night we will have a better sense of this team is a playoff contender or pretender. Next week has the Blueshirts on the road to face the Jets, Wild and Blue Jackets before taking on the Oilers at home on March 16 to complete a back-to-back and kick off a four game home stand. After those four games, New York has their annual California swing, closing the month with three on the West Coast.
The
lineup we saw the last few games should be the same tonight. This means the scratches will be Reilly Smith (roster management, as we wait for a trade out of town), Arthur Kaliyev (who has been surpassed by others already),and Matthew Robertson (called up as a depth defenseman). On IR are Adam Edström (lower-body), Adam Fox (upper-body), and Chris Kreider (upper-body). New York gets a step up in class after defeating Nashville and the Islanders with shutouts on back to back nights. They likely should have beaten Toronto last Friday. If the Blueshirts play like they did in that game tonight, they have a very good chance to notch another victory.
Vince Mercogliano provided his
trade preview yesterday. The main focus of most after reading the column is that the Rangers are likely heading for a divorce with Chris Kreider. While Mercogliano had lots of good information in the column, this item is the one that received the most attention.
Kreider entered the season off a major high, his hat trick in the third period to eliminate the Hurricanes. He didn’t have a strong series versus the Panthers, but neither did almost everyone. Kreider’s struggles began almost from the get go and he was one of two players mentioned in GM Chris Drury’s “memo.”
I think we all knew once that happened, it was only a matter of time before a trade would happen. My hope was that CK20 would retire a Ranger after breaking Rod Gilbert’s mark for most goals in franchise history. That looks highly unlikely now.
Injuries have wreaked havoc with Kreider’s season. First it was his back. Then he was rumored to be out due to vertigo. Now, speculation it could be a hand issue. We got used to seeing Kreider burst down the left wing and take a home run pass off the end boards for a breakaway tally. That has been few and far between this season. You can also argue that Kreider never became the power forward we saw briefly early in his career. Instead, he has had a good career as a net front presence and also became a solid penalty killer. But saying he didn’t end up meeting expectations despite a good career in New York is not speaking out of turn.
I don’t expect any deal by Friday due to his current absence due to injury. Though a trade wouldn’t shock me. If that happens, CK20 will still go down as one of the better Rangers of all time, just maybe not elite.
My sense is that the Rangers are heading toward an eventual split with their longest-tenured player, Chris Kreider.
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, part of the USA TODAY Network, that New York remains motivated to move him.
I had been hearing Kreider could be dealt before the deadline, but it’s hard to imagine his current status on injured reserve won’t hurt those odds. The 33-year-old winger missed time earlier this season with back spasms that have caused on-and-off problems, and his most recent five-game absence is apparently the result of a separate ailment.
One league source believes a trade is still possible this week, but others point to a summer transaction as the more likely scenario. Kreider has two more years on his contract at an AAV of $6.5 million, so this isn't a situation that needs to be resolved immediately. But whether it's now or later, signs are pointing toward the Rangers parting ways with the franchise's all-time leading playoff goal-scorer.
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