Rangers Place Struggling Chris Kreider on IR With Upper-Body Injury
The New York Rangers have been dealt another difficult blow amidst an already disappointing 2024-25 season, with forward Chris Kreider landing on injured reserve, per the club’s announcement on Tuesday.
Kreider has been battling an upper-body injury for much of this season and missed the second half of New York’s back-to-back versus the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. His IR stint is retroactive to Saturday, as Newsday’s Colin Stephenson relayed, sidelining him for at least three games.
The Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe – who was reassigned to the AHL after Arthur Kaliyev was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings – in a corresponding move. That allowed Rempe to conclude his eight-game suspension for elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen a night ago.
After sitting out Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to those same Stars, Rempe will be permitted to return to the lineup during Thursday’s matchup at home versus the New Jersey Devils.
The earliest Kreider could be activated off IR would be ahead of the club’s January 14th showdown against the Colorado Avalanche. If he doesn’t travel with the team during that three-game road trip, his next chance to play would be when they return home on Jan. 18 to face the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In the meantime, the Rangers hope to receive a boost from Kaliyev, who’s yet to play in the NHL this season after suffering a fractured clavicle in training camp. The Staten Island native scored seven goals and 15 points in 51 games with the Kings last season, averaging 11:48 per night.
“Unexpected, obviously, but it’s kind of a dream come true,” Kayliev told reporters of being claimed by New York. “I grew up watching and obviously living down here for a long time. I didn’t expect it, but excited and a little bit nervous. It was awesome.”
To say this season has been challenging would be an understatement for the Rangers, who enter Wednesday’s slate third from the bottom in the East with an 18-20-2 record and 38 points. It’s been a massive fall from grace after securing the Presidents’ Trophy last season.
Creating offence has proven much tougher for New York thus far. The club’s 2.9 goals scored per game ranks 21st league-wide – a significant decline from their 3.39 average, which placed seventh-highest in 2023-24.
It also doesn’t help that the Rangers are without All-Star netminder Igor Shesterkin, who’s currently on IR due to an upper-body injury.
Kreider has contributed to the club’s woes with his poor offensive production, providing just 13 goals and 15 points in 34 games. While his 13 markers are second on the team behind Artemi Panarin, who leads with 16, it’s far behind the pace he set last season after finishing with 39.
Those prolonged struggles have put the 33-year-old at the forefront of trade speculation, with the front office actively fielding offers on the veteran forward less than two months away from the Mar. 7 trade deadline. But so far, his market appears to be uninspired.
The Boxford, Massachusetts, native has three seasons remaining – including this current one – on his seven-year, $45.5-million contract that runs through 2026-27, carrying a $6.5 million average annual value.
Barring a sudden resurgence, the Rangers will likely be among the more intriguing sellers as they aim to retool their roster in hopes of returning to a competitive state next season.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.