Rangers Looking to Shake Things Up as Surprising Trade Names Are Mentioned by Friedman

Last Saturday night, the Rangers lost 6-2 to the Edmonton Oilers. Artemi Panarin was the only Blueshirt to find a way to beat Stuart Skinner, scoring two goals for his team.

After an underwhelming effort from the rest of the veteran group, rumors of massive changes in New York are starting to emerge.

With a 12-6-1 record, the team dropped to fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, behind the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Washington Capitals.

The insider Elliotte Friedman revealed in a post on X that the Rangers could be looking to place a few players on the trade block.

Among others, Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider are considered, per Friedman.

Here's what he said on X:

While it's not the first time we hear Trouba's name coming up in trade discussions, Kreider usually doesn't get included in the debates.

Kreider, 33, is coming off a 75-point season and struggles to maintain that rhythm. This year, he has nine points in 19 games.

The forward has two seasons left on his $6,500,000 AAV contract with the Rangers. Then, he'll be 36 years old, and it's hard to guess what his market value will look like.

If the Rangers don't want to see him walk away for nothing after his contract and don't believe they'll reach an extension deal, Chris Drury, the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the team, could think about trading him.

Especially with Igor Shesterkin reportedly looking to become the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL. The team will need to create cap space, and trading players with big contracts seems inevitable.

Parting ways with fan-favorite players like Kreider could be an unpopular decision, but in the long run, could help the team reach the next level.