Rangers Reportedly Open for Business With Trouba, Kreider Available

After a quiet offseason, the Rangers have gotten out to a good start with a 12-6-1 record, but it’s clear that their management doesn’t believe they are as strong as they need to be if they hope to make a deep playoff run. The Metropolitan Division is quite strong this season and even with a strong record through their first 19 games, they sit 4th in the division and are only in a wild card spot, a big drop off from their President’s Trophy campaign last season.

Trouba, who is 30 years old, is a right-shot defender who stands 6-foot-3, 203 pounds and is from Rochester, Michigan. He was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at 9th overall by the Winnipeg Jets. He has played parts of 12 seasons in the NHL having played 767 games scoring 73 goals and adding 242 assists for 315 points which comes out to a 0.41 points-per-game average. He has built himself a reputation for being one of the hardest-hitting defenders the NHL has ever seen, but his defensive game can be lackluster at times.

Kreider, who is 33 years old, was drafted by the Rangers in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft after a strong season in the USHS-Prep league with Phillips Academy Andover where he scored 33 goals and added 23 assists for 56 points through 26 games. Over parts of 14 seasons with the Rangers, he has scored 313 goals and added 248 assists for 561 points through 834 games which comes out to a 0.67 points-per-game average. He has become a fan favourite amongst Rangers fans, and has always been a trusworthy offensive producer in their middle-six forward group.

Which Teams Could Acquire Trouba, Kreider?

When it comes to teams around the NHL that could acquire either Trouba or Kreider, there should be plenty of interest in both players. The issue with both of them is their cap hits, which could make any trade tough to complete. Kreider has a $6.5 million cap hit while Trouba has an $8 million cap hit and neither of them are expiring free agents, making them investments for at least another season. If a team is willing to move out money to bring them in though, there should be a deal done sooner rather than later.

The Edmonton Oilers could use a guy like Kreider to bolster their forward depth, but they would have to move out money and utilize their cap relief for the remainder of the season to make that work, and I don’t think that would happen. Realistically, the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, and Columbus Blue Jackets all make sense for Kreider, since they could all benefit from a veteran offensive forward. For Trouba, I can’t see many teams wanting to fork money over for his cap hit, but he could be attracted to taking a lesser role with the Detroit Red Wings considering he’d be closer to home. Time will tell if a deal ever comes to fruition for either of them, but it’s interesting that they’ve been made available considering the Rangers look like a legitimate playoff team.

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