As it turns out, there is life after the Rangers for Chris Kreider. The Rangers’ third all-time franchise-leading goal scorer (326) has done well so far with his new team in Anaheim. Even after missing four games due head, foot, and mouth disease, Kreider didn’t miss a beat by scoring in his return last night. The Ducks prevailed over the Red Wings 5-2 in John Gibson’s return. The former Ducks goalie received a video tribute.

With the Ducks leading 3-2 at the start of the third period, Kreider converted on the power play to double up their lead. It was his fourth power-play goal of the season and fifth overall in only his sixth game played.

The goal was a strange one. After making a save on Cutter Gauthier, Gibson knocked the net off its moorings as Kreider sent a rebound in. Because he did, a video review confirmed that Kreider’s goal counted. He’s now up to 331 career goals, with 120 of them coming on the power play.

With the 34-year-old finally healthy after an injury riddled 2024-25, he’s looking more like the player who scored 30 or more goals in three straight seasons (2021-22 thru 2023-24) with the Rangers. During that span, no Blueshirt had more goals than Kreider, who totaled 127, including 52 power-play goals, nine shorthanded goals, and 21 game-winners.

In an irony of sorts, Kreider’s four power-play goals are as many as his former team has scored so far in a dozen games. By going 0-for-2 on the man-advantage in their 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers, the Rangers sunk to 30th (4-for-30) in the league. That’s just 13.3 percent. Mika Zibanejad leads them with two power-play goals.

More to the point, Kreider is responsible for half the Ducks’ power play production. They’re 8-for-40 (20.0) and are tied for 17th in the league. It’s safe to say that he’s having an impact.

Trouba’s Revival in Anaheim

Kreider isn’t the only former Ranger faring well in Anaheim. Jacob Trouba has been a different player with the Ducks. His revival in Anaheim has been noteworthy. Unfairly blamed for everything that went wrong in Manhattan last year, the Rangers’ former captain was traded to the Ducks on Dec. 6, 2024. In return, the Rangers received Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth round pick (Elijah Neuenschwander).

Following his most challenging season due to all the unnecessary distractions that were created by Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury, who successfully dumped the remainder of Trouba’s entire contract on the Ducks, the 31-year-old veteran defenseman has responded well.

Since Ducks captain Radko Gudas went down with a lower-body injury, Trouba has picked it up. Back to logging additional ice time, he’s been superb under coach Joel Quenneville. With an assist and a plus-1 rating in 26:25 last night, Trouba continued his strong play for Anaheim. Over a stretch that’s seen them win four of their last five games, he has recorded all six of his points while going plus-9.

Not surprisingly, his six points are tied with teammate Drew Helleson for tops among Ducks defensemen. The plus-9 rating leads the team. Trouba also paces the Ducks in hits with 32 and is tied with Jackson LaCombe for first in blocks (22). More remarkable is that he has yet to take a penalty in 10 games. Something that was an issue the past couple of years with the Rangers.

If there’s a notable difference, Trouba has much better metrics with the Ducks. He brings a 52.0 CF into the weekend. In fact, he and defensive partner Olen Zellweger are among the best defensive pairs according to Natural Stat Trick. They have a 53.55 CF while paired together at five-on-five, and have been on for eight goals for and four goals against. Trouba also had some success with LaCombe, with the Ducks outscoring opponents 3-0 in the 28:45 that they were together. That means that Trouba’s been on for 11 goals for to four goals against. He’s tied with Gauthier for the best five-on-five goal differential on the Ducks.

Is it possible that he’s playing with better talent? The Ducks are a younger roster that features emerging star Leo Carlsson (4 points last night), Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Beckett Sennecke, LaCombe, Helleson, Pavel Mintyukov and Zellweger. All are 25 or younger. Lukas Dostal is also 25.

The other main point of emphasis is that it’s about the hockey in Southern California. There aren’t any distractions for Trouba, who can just focus on playing his game. He’s probably healthier and in a better frame of mind. It’s the final year of his contract. He will earn $8 million. So, there’s a lot to play for. Trouba’s future is uncertain. However, if he continues to play well, there could be some interested teams next year.

Maybe all he needed was to get out of New York City. It must feel like a homecoming of sorts with Kreider there. Both Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano are also in the room. Having that familiarity with former teammates has to make him more comfortable. I’m sure he’s not complaining about the weather.

While the Rangers struggle to score goals and win consistently, it looks like both Kreider and Trouba came out on top. It’s funny the way things turn out.