With the NHL’s trade freeze lifted, teams can now make enquiries for any potential trade chip.
One of those names might be Chris Kreider. The New York Rangers winger is a pending unrestricted free agent and has attracted interest from teams. However, Kreider’s availability has yet to be determined, so potential suitors are sitting tight for now.
“All the contenders from Colorado to Boston to St. Louis to Pittsburgh are all believed to be interested in [Kreider],” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said during the Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “Teams don’t believe, right now, the Rangers have made him available, but they are waiting to see if they decide they can’t keep him, and they want to trade him, there is a ton of interest.”
Kreider’s contract carries an average annual value of $4.625 million, per CapFriendly, and has a modified no-trade clause.
The 28-year-old has recorded 11 goals and 12 assists in 37 games with the Rangers this season.
One player who definitely wants out of New York, though, is Lias Andersson. The seventh-overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft requested a trade, as reported during the Headlines segment on Dec. 21, but the Rangers are going to take their time with this situation.
“There’ve been a couple of similar situations,” Friedman explained. “[Jesse] Puljujarvi in Edmonton, [Julius] Honka in Dallas, and the teams have made it very clear. They are going to wait. They are going to be patient. Just because the player wants out, doesn’t mean they are going to move swiftly. I think that is the kind of process the Rangers are going through here.”
Andersson has scored three goals and six assists in 66 career games with New York. He’s made 17 total appearances this season, recording one assist.
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