Despite a strong 6-1-1 record on the road this season, the New York Rangers are 0-5-1 at home, and they have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The main reason for their struggles is the lack of offense provided by their veteran players. Meanwhile, two former Rangers, Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, are having bounce-back seasons on a young Anaheim Ducks team. Now, many are wondering if the Rangers moved on from the wrong players.
Rangers Shipped Off Jacob Trouba & Chris Kreider
Last season, when the Rangers struggled in late November, general manager Chris Drury sent a memo to the league, saying he was open for business and that Trouba and Kreider were available. At first, some thought he was really sending a message to his team to play better, but it didn’t work. As the team continued to lose, Trouba was forcibly traded to the Ducks in December. It was a questionable decision, but he wasn’t living up to his $8 million cap hit, either, and the Rangers needed money to sign other players.
After a down season offensively, partly due to injuries, Drury traded Kreider during the offseason. After 12 seasons as a Ranger, the longest-tenured player on the team, he, like Trouba, was moved for cap space, but it also seemed like he was moved because of his poor season.
Kreider & Trouba Helping Lead a Young Ducks Team
The Ducks have been one of the more surprising teams this season, with an 8-3-1 record, good for first in the Pacific Division. The young players they drafted or traded for over the last few seasons are becoming the stars they hoped they would be.
Leo Carlsson leads the team in points with 18 in 12 games, and Cutter Gauthier is tied for the league lead with 10 goals. The Ducks also have Mason McTavish and Beckett Sennecke, who are taking the next steps in their development. However, with such a young team, they needed veteran leaders to help guide them, and that’s where Kreider and Trouba come in.
Related: Rangers Calling Up Gabe Perreault to Address Scoring Woes Seems Inevitable
Kreider and Trouba are having bounce-back seasons so far. Trouba has three goals and eight points through 12 games, with no penalty minutes and leading the Ducks in plus/minus with a plus-12. Kreider has found his goal-scoring touch again, with seven goals and eight points in eight games. He has also been a key factor on the Ducks’ power play with four goals, tied for the third in the NHL. So far, they have been a big reason why the Ducks have been so successful to start the campaign.
Veteran Rangers Continue to Struggle
At the same time, the veterans the Rangers decided to keep have been very disappointing to start the season. The offense runs through them, and as they continue to struggle, the rest of the team has not been able to pick up the slack.
J.T. Miller, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad have nine goals between them through 14 games. That is nine of 31 goals the team has scored this season, which is last in the NHL. Their four power-play goals also rank last in the NHL – Kreider has as many power-play goals this season as the Rangers have as a team.
The lack of offense has been especially disappointing because the Rangers have played very well defensively. Their 34 goals against rank fifth in the league. Igor Shesterkin has been solid, but he has a losing record because the team in front of him can’t score goals. When they fall behind in a game by multiple goals, it’s all but over. The lack of offense from their star veterans makes it easy to question the decision to move Kreider and Trouba.
While it’s too early to say the Rangers traded the wrong players, it’s hard to ignore that Trouba and Kreider have been positive contributors for the Ducks, while New York’s veterans are struggling. Right now, both players would be welcomed back to the roster, especially Kreider’s goal scoring.
