2/22/20 | On Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman said “the Rangers are right there and some teams were wondering that if the Rangers are right in the race, does that mean they hold onto Kreider and go for it? I don’t think that is necessarily the plan, I think it comes down to if they think they can re-sign Kreider or not, if no I think they are still going to try to move him, if yes, they keep him and go with him.”
2/21/20 | 12:48PM: Larry Brooks tweets that the Ranger priority is to sign Chris Kreider to an extension but notes that “there is still work” to be done to close the gap between the two sides.
12:39PM: Boston has acquired 24-year old winger Ondrej Kase from Anaheim for a 1st round pick, David Backes and prospect Axel Andersson. (Seravalli)
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The Bruins are retaining 25% of Backes’ salary.
Adam Rotter: This makes sense for the Bruins as they didn’t want to trade their first rounder unless it was for someone with term and Kase is that. He’s signed, he’s young and helps the Bruins clear at least part of David Backes’ salary. Why did they make this deal over continuing their pursuit of Kreider, probably because 1) the Rangers are focused on signing Kreider and rather than wait to see if they do or don’t, they go out and get their forward, 2) Boston felt the price for Kreider is too high as a rental, 3) the Rangers couldn’t/wouldn’t take Backes’ contract, 4) they wanted their guy today and the Rangers likely wouldn’t or won’t trade Kreider until Monday. It removes a key team from the Rangers potential auction for Kreider but if the plan, hope and intention is to keep him, it doesn’t matter.
10:20AM: Darren Dreger was speaking about the Bruins, on TSN 1050 on Friday morning, and said “they are one of the teams that feel pretty eager on Chris Kreider. Rangers sources still think there is a 50/50 chance that he stays and signs with the Rangers. I feel that may be why Boston is taking it’s time and looking for the right fit.”
Kevin Weekes tweeted on Thursday night that his “inkling” is that if the Rangers can’t sign Chris Kreider to a contract extension, then the teams battling to acquire him via trade are Boston and Colorado.
It was said on Wednesday that in addition to Colorado and Boston, other teams with interest include the Islanders, Capitals and Blues.
On TSN 1200, Pierre McGuire was asked on Friday if Kreider could still sign with the Rangers and said, “I think there is a chance but I don’t think it’s a lead pipe, that means a player like him is still very much available.”
Pierre added:
- “They have a huge game tonight because they still fancy themselves a playoff contender, which I think, legitimately after their win in Chicago the other night you have to say, yes, they are. They go into Carolina and win tonight, I don’t know what happens with their group. They might just keep it together because I will just say this, as much as everyone has been beating up the Rangers over the course of the last year and a half, they have done a masterful job with their rebuild.”
- “They are trending so well in the right direction. They have assets beyond belief, whether they be in Europe, US college, major junior, Hartford, the Rangers are poised to be unbelievably good. Tonight, if they win against Carolina in Carolina, that sets up an opportunity to get Kreider signed and keep this going. Behind the scenes he is a really important part of their leadership core, he really is.”
He was then asked about Colorado and Boston as possible landing spots if Kreider is traded and said, “Colorado has mucho assets, they are a lot like the Rangers, they really do. The Bruins have assets, not as many good ones as Colorado does, but they do. It depends what the Rangers appetite is if they trade Kreider, what is their appetite for established players, appetite for high-end prospects or draft picks and not taking on any money so they can be players in free agency. I don’t know what the answer is because so far, what Jeff Gorton, John Davidson and Chris Drury have done has been masterful. They have a really good three-headed monster going in the management suite and it’s causing problems for a lot of teams in the East, in a good way for the Rangers and a bad way for some teams.”
Former GM Brian Burke said on Sportsnet, “the price tag that the Rangers are looking for for Chris Kreider…they want a first, a top prospect, another pick which will be no lower than a second and a conditional pick if you re-sign him. That price isn’t going to drop before Sunday night.”
Dreger said Thursday on TSN that former Ranger Vlad Namestnikov would be potential “Plan B” for Colorado “if they don’t land New York’s Chris Kreider.”
At ESPN, Dimitri Filipovic connected the Rangers and Avs with a deal that would send the Rangers a 1st round pick in 2020, a 2nd round pick in 2021, 23-year old forward Vladislav Kamenev and 19-year old RW prospect Sampo Ranta (78th overall in 2018).