chris kreider

Per Pierre LeBrun, the Rangers are finally talking to Chris Kreider’s camp about a contract extension.

This is obviously good news for the keep Kreider camp, as everything was quiet out of both sides for quite some time. With the news that they are talking, there is a hope of an extension if the sides can agree.

The thing is history isn’t with the Rangers here. They started “negotiating” with Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello in the same manner before they were eventually traded. This could be one of those publicity stunts by Jeff Gorton, stating that he tried before he eventually trades Kreider.

There is one difference between this year and last, and it’s that it is a year later. What happened last year, while it shouldn’t be ignored completely, doesn’t necessarily matter. In that year the Rangers have added Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Adam Fox. They’ve seen tremendous development from Tony DeAngelo and Filip Chytil. They probably moved their rebuild up 1-2 years with the offseason.

As stated on our first podcast, it’s about building a true contender for the 2021-2022 season. This season isn’t it, and neither is next season. The juggling act is going to be Kreider with potential diminishing returns on a contract, and how that plays into contract extension for other, younger players.

Reports are that Kreider wants to stay in New York (so did Zuccarello). Reports are also stating his market value is around $6-$7 million for 5+ years. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a guy who is closing in on 30 years old. But if he’s coming in at less cap hit or less term, there might still be a deal to be made.

Then again, Jeff Gorton has set a precedent with opening negotiations this late. It’s going to be a bumpy couple of weeks.

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