Rangers’ Chris Kreider a healthy scratch against Devils 

A peculiar name will be missing from the New York Rangers lineup on Monday.

Prior to the team’s afternoon clash with the rival New Jersey Devils, it was noticeable that forward Chris Kreider was absent from the pregame warm-up. It was later revealed that the veteran is a healthy scratch.

The specific cause for Kreider’s absence from the Rangers’ lineup in their final game before Christmas hasn’t been revealed, but it is raising a lot of eyebrows due to recent events.

Back in November, general manager Chris Drury reportedly sent out a memo to the rest of the league citing that he is open to hearing conversations about moving some of the players on his team, including Kreider and former captain Jacob Trouba. Trouba was eventually traded to the Anaheim Ducks, while Kreider has continued to play under the cloud that his time in New York might be nearing its end.

Kreider is the longest-tenured Ranger, having been with the organization since they took him in the first round, 19th overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft. After joining the team during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, the Boxford, Massachusetts native has been one of the team’s top scorers, hitting the 50-point mark five times in the first 12-plus years of his NHL career.

So far in 2024-25, the 33-year-old has been having a Cy Young-caliber season, scoring 11 goals and an assist for 12 points through 30 games. He already missed a couple of games last month with some back issues, which also raised questions about whether he was going to be shipped out of town.

Kreider is in the fifth year of his seven-year contract extension that he signed in Feb. 2020. His deal has a modified no-trade clause in which he submitted a 15-team no-trade list. The contract has an AAV of $6.5 million through the 2026-27 season.

The Rangers (16-16-1) are sixth in the Metropolitan Division, 15 points behind the Washington Capitals for first place. The Blueshirts are also five points out of a Wild Card spot.