New York Rangers Healthy Scratch Chris Kreider; Trade Speculation Intensifies

This past month has been a disaster for the New York Rangers, as the leaked report of both Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba being available has caused the organization to go into disarray.

General Manager Chris Drury has already traded Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko, but it appears no one is safe at this point in time, with the team now reportedly healthy scratching Kreider ahead of their clash with the New Jersey Devils.

This move comes after a December in which Kreider has tallied just 2 goals and 3 points in 10 games, with just one goal scored over his past eight, a major step back after he has tallied 36 or more in his past three seasons.

While this could simply be a move to get him a rest before the holiday break of three days to mentally reset, given everything that has happened in recent times and the trade speculation around him, it could certainly suggest that something big is on the way.

His recent performance simply hasn't been up to standard, and with the team already shaking things up, perhaps the move of Kreider could do just that, but given how successful he's been in recent years, there's definitely those in New York that believe he can snap out of this cold streak and become the 50 goal scorer we've seen before.

Ultimately, Kreider has been a Ranger for well over a decade now, and most expect him to retire as a New York Ranger, but given this healthy scratch, we may be seeing Drury potentially making the biggest trade of his tenure as GM.