Ideal Winger for Brad Treliving and the Leafs Emerges After Shocking Healthy Scratch
In a surprising bit of hockey news, the New York Rangers scratched top forward Chris Kreider, potentially opening the door for Brad Treliving to trade for him.
Enduring a terrible stretch of inconsistencies and tough losses, the New York Rangers are in panic mode when it comes to their season. At 16-15-1 the team is a shell of the squad that was favored to make a run for the Stanley Cup this season.
Already having traded their captain and a young former Top 3 pick, more moves are on the horizon for the Rangers, and their newest move is a big one.
The team announced forward Chris Kreider was scratched ahead of their game against New Jersey.
With Kreider being out, there's obvious implications he could be traded once the NHL roster freeze has thawed.
This is the perfect time for Brad Treliving to make a deal with a desperate Chris Drury.
Chris Kreider Would Be A Monster Pickup For Maple Leafs
It's not too often you see a 50-goal scorer being talked about as a potential trade piece, but when you're in enough of a rut like the Rangers are; desperate times call for desperate measures.
Kreider has struggled this season, with only 11 goals and one assist through 34 games, but in season's past has been one of the NHL's best power forwards.
Only having not hit the 20-goal plateau twice in his career, Kreider has shown a fantastic sense of getting to the net and using his big frame to screen goalies and cause havoc for defenses.
Scoring an astounding 52 goals in 2021-22, half of those were on the powerplay; an area that the Maple Leafs desperately need some help in after they've slowed down considerably.
For his 13-year career (all spent with New York), Kreider has 315 goals and 249 assists in 845 games. He's a huge presence on the ice at 6'3, 230 pounds but moves like lightning and isn't shy about throwing his weight around and averages 151 hits per season.
He's not a center, but does offer that crucial scoring option on the left hand side, and adds another huge player to skate alongside guys like Max Pacioretty, Matthew Knies, and Bobby McMann.
His issue comes with the price tag, and being a $6.5M cap hit for the next two seasons isn't necessarily great for a team strapped for cash.
They could ask for some salary retention, but would need to part with some high draft picks and potentially a mid-tier prospect.
But it's a former 52-goal scorer with playoff experience, and an intimidation factor that few can provide given his mix of size, speed, and scoring. It's going to be a bit pricey, but if Toronto wants to win?
They'll have to spend a lot if they want to win it all.
