It’s the second week of June. With the Stanley Cup Finals going on, other stuff is happening. While the Oilers and Panthers battle it out for Lord Stanley, there are plenty of trade rumors being reported from insiders.

The Rangers have been mentioned a lot this off-season. A few days ago, K’Andre Miller was a name that’s been discussed. The 25-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent who is arbitration eligible this summer.

According to NY Post columnist Larry Brooks, Miller’s name popped up at last week’s NHL Combine. Considering that he might not be agreeable to a short-term deal with a lower cap hit, it makes plenty of sense. Miller could price himself out of New York City. He’s also a candidate for an offer sheet. It looks like he could be headed elsewhere.

Alexis Lafreniere is also available. Just last year, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury signed Lafreniere to a seven-year contract extension with a $7.45 million AAV. The 23-year-old former 2020 number one overall selection struggled mightily after signing the contract. Unless they can put Lafreniere in a package to acquire the very available Jason Robertson (RFA), it doesn’t make much sense to move him. I’d wait it out and see what he does in Year 1 of his new deal. Especially with new coach Mike Sullivan arriving.

Kreider Headed to Anaheim?

Last night, Frank Seravalli reported that the Rangers and Ducks were in advanced discussions on a trade that would send Chris Kreider to Anaheim. This is from Seravalli’s story on the possible deal.

The most recent discussions centered on Ducks prospect Carey Terrance, an upstate New York native and 2023 second-round pick, heading to the Rangers in a swap that would see the Ducks take on Kreider’s contract in-full. Kreider, 34, has two years remaining on his contract at $6.5 million per year. He was ranked No. 2 on Daily Faceoff’s most recent Trade Targets board.

If it comes to fruition, the Rangers are expected to acquire Carey Terrance. A 2023 second round pick, he followed up a 29-goal, 52-point 2023-24 season with 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points in 2024-25 for the Eerie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League. The 20-year-old Terrance scored two goals as part of USA repeating as champions at the 2025 World Junior Championships.

The Ducks would assume the remainder of Kreider’s contract. He has two years remaining with a $6.5 million cap hit. Kreider would have to agree to waive his no-trade clause to go to Anaheim. They were on his 15 team no-trade list. If he does, Kreider would be reunited with former teammates Ryan Strome, Jacob Trouba, and Frank Vatrano.

Anaheim is an up-and-coming team that features a young core that includes Leo Carlsson, Lukas Dostal, Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, Trevor Zegras, and Olen Zellweger. Adding a proven player like Kreider would solidify their playoff chances.

How Kreider Should Be Remembered

If it does happen, Kreider will have a new home in 2025-26. Since being selected with the 19th pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, he’s been one of the best players on the Blueshirts.

A power forward who’s still a good skater, Kreider has scored at least 20 goals or more in 10 seasons. His best year came in 2021-22 when he scored a career high 52 goals to tie Adam Graves for the second most by a Ranger in a single season. He also added 25 assists to set a career best with 77 points. That season, Kreider broke Jaromir Jagr’s franchise mark with 26 power-play goals. The most by a Ranger in a single season. His 26 PPG’s and 11 game-winners led the league.

Kreider helped lead the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final. He scored 10 goals during that run. He and Mika Zibanejad tied for the team lead in goals. Zibanejad paced the team in scoring with 24 points. Kreider tied with Artemi Panarin for third with 16 points. Ultimately, the Rangers were eliminated in six games by the two-time defending champion Lightning.

Kreider continued to produce at a high level over the following two seasons. That included 36 goals and 19 assists in 2022-23 and 39 goals and a career high 36 assists in 2023-24.

After the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy, they made another deep run by reaching the Conference Finals last year. It was in the third period of Game 6 against the Hurricanes that Kreider delivered a signature performance. With the team trailing the Hurricanes 3-1, Kreider scored a natural hat trick on the road to lead the Rangers to a thrilling come from behind win that helped them advance to the Eastern Conference Final. It was a memorable game for the longest tenured Ranger. When the Hurricanes looked like they were on the verge of coming back from an 0-3 series deficit to force a deciding Game 7, Kreider stepped up in the clutch.

When they needed him most, Kreider came through. Great at tipping shots in due to his hand-eye coordination, he’s been one of the league’s best net front players. Even in a down season that was marred by injuries, he still had 22 goals with six coming on the power play. The sixth power-play goal came on Feb. 22 against Buffalo. It probably turned out to be final one of his Rangers career. Kreider tied Camille Henry for the most power-play goals (116) in franchise history.

Where Kreider Ranks

Aside from sharing the top spot with Henry in power-play goals, Kreider ranks third in Rangers franchise history in goals with 326. In fact, he went out in style by scoring in what was likely his final game as a Blueshirt in a 4-0 win versus the Lightning on Apr. 17. He scored and set up a Zibanejad goal in the victory.

Kreider ranks eighth in games played with 883. He’s 10th on the franchise scoring list with 582 points. His 197 even strength goals rank fourth behind Hall of Famers, Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, and Andy Bathgate. Kreider’s plus-121 rating is sixth best. His 13 shorthanded goals place him third behind Mark Messier and Graves. Kreider also ranks second in game-winning goals (50), trailing only Gilbert. His 2160 shots rank fifth on the franchise list.

Kreider also recorded six hat tricks. Only Bill Cook, Gilbert, and Zibanejad had more as a Ranger. If it’s indeed over, No. 20 will be fondly remembered by the fans. He was part of five teams that reached the Conference Finals. They don’t make the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 without him. Thank you, Kreids.