Rangers appear close to trading Chris Kreider to Anaheim

The long-anticipated divorce between the Rangers and their longest-tenured player, Chris Kreider, appears imminent.

Multiple reports late Tuesday night said the Rangers were deep into discussions with the Ducks on a trade that would send Kreider, the third-leading goal-scorer in Blueshirts history, and the franchise leader in playoff goals, to Anaheim. Reports Wednesday said since Anaheim was one of the teams on Kreider’s 15-team no-trade list, the 34-year-old left wing needed to agree to the trade, and he was in the process of deciding whether to do that.

If the deal goes through it would create some much-needed salary- cap flexibility for the Rangers and would reunite Kreider with former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. In addition to Trouba, Kreider would rejoin fellow former Rangers teammates Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano in Orange County.

Multiple reports said the Ducks would take on all of Kreider’s $6.5 million cap hit for the two years remaining on his contract. Subtracting Kreider’s salary would leave the Rangers with roughly between $15 million and $17 million available under the NHL’s $95.5 million cap.

Moving Kreider would also open space on the roster for a young player such as Gabe Perreault, Brett Berard or Brennan Othmann to make the club out of training camp.

According to reports, the principal player coming back in exchange for Kreider would be 20-year-old prospect Carey Terrance, a 6-1, 187-pound two-way center who grew up on the Mohawk reservation in upstate New York and who played on the U.S. team that won the World Junior Championships. Terrance was a second-round draft pick in 2023 who had 20 goals and 19 assists in 45 games last season for Erie of the OHL, plus two goals in seven games at the World Juniors.

Kreider, a Boxford, Massachusetts, native, is the only remaining player from the Rangers’ last Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2014. In his 13-year career, he has played 883 regular season and 123 playoff games, registering 326 goals and 582 points in the regular season, and 48 goals and 76 points in the playoffs.

His regular-season goal total trails Rod Gilbert’s 406 and Jean Ratelle’s 336 on the team’s all-time list, and his 50 game-winning goals are second behind Gilbert’s 52. His 116 power-play goals are tied with Camille Henry for the most in team history, and his 13 shorthanded goals are fourth on the franchise’s all-time list.

But Kreider, who had a career-best 52 goals in 2021-22, and followed that with 36 and 39 goals the next two seasons, suffered through a disappointing, injury-riddled year in 2024-25. Hampered by an early- season back injury, a midseason virus that led to vertigo, and a late- season injury to his left hand, he scored 22 goals, with eight assists, in 68 games.

When the Rangers missed the playoffs, general manager Chris Drury fired coach Peter Laviolette after the season and hired former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. In a Zoom call after Laviolette’s firing was announced, Drury was asked what sort of moves he anticipated making over the summer to get the Rangers back into the playoffs.

“I think it starts with evaluating just what went on in the season,’’ Drury said. “What moves worked, what players worked, what players didn’t.’’

Kreider was asked at breakup day how much he wanted to return to the Rangers next season.

“I mean, this is home for me,’’ he said. “This is the organization that gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. I’ve developed so many incredible relationships and grown up and spent so much time in this area. So obviously, this is where I want to be.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.