The New York Rangers announced on Wednesday that forward Chris Kreider will not be in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars due to an upper-body injury.
Kreider left Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild early after taking a hard hit to his left arm. There is no timeline for Kreider’s return.
Kreider has 19 goals and 30 points in 42 games with the Rangers this season, putting him on pace for just under 60 points. He had a career year in 2021-22, scoring 52 goals and finishing with 77 points, making for one of the most lopsided scoring counts of the season. Kreider is the longest-tenured player on the Rangers, having spent all 12 years and 696 games with the organization.
With Kreider out, the Rangers promoted 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere to the top line. He’s also expected to handle net-front duties on the first power play line just a week after being made a healthy scratch.
Lafreniere has five goals and 18 points in 41 games with this year. Despite his struggles to live up to the expectations of being selected first, he is on pace for just under 40 points, which would beat his previous best of 31. If Kreider is out for a few games, this could be exactly the opportunity Lafreniere needs to take his game to a higher level.
The Rangers will host Dallas on Thursday before getting two nights off. They’ll host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday before traveling to Ohio to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. The couple days off before Sunday’s game buys Kreider a bit of time to heal up.
The Rangers currently sit third in the Metropolitan Division with a 23-12-7 record. They’ve gone 6-2-2 over the past 10 games and sit just four points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the division.
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