Following a disappointing 2024-25 season, the New York Rangers are implementing significant roster changes. As part of this restructuring, they have traded experienced scoring winger Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, a team currently undergoing a rebuilding process but aiming for substantial improvement in the 2025-26 season.
The core of the trade involves the Rangers sending Kreider to Anaheim in exchange for prospect Carey Terrance. The deal also includes a swap of draft picks, with mid-round selections changing hands between the two clubs.
Throughout his 13-season tenure with the Rangers, Kreider established himself high in the franchise`s historical records. He ranks third all-time in career goals for the team with 326 and holds the franchise record for career playoff goals with 48. Notably, from 2021 to 2024, Kreider defied typical aging curves, scoring 127 goals, which placed him seventh across the entire NHL during that period.
However, Kreider`s production saw a significant drop last season. At the age of 33, he registered only 22 goals and 30 points over 68 games. Seeking avenues to refresh the team roster this summer, Rangers general manager Chris Drury decided to move on from Kreider and the remaining two years of his contract, which carry a $6.5 million annual cap hit.
The Anaheim Ducks, conversely, have been struggling for relevance since 2018, having missed the playoffs consistently. Their rebuild has progressed slowly. General manager Pat Verbeek is reportedly looking to accelerate this process as more of the team`s prospects mature and reach the NHL level, but questions remain whether acquiring a veteran like Kreider was the optimal strategy.
Let`s evaluate the likely outcomes of this trade for both organizations, keeping in mind that a definitive assessment can only be made after several years.
The Trade Details
Anaheim Ducks Acquire:
- LW Chris Kreider
- 2025 fourth-round draft pick
New York Rangers Acquire:
- C Carey Terrance
- 2025 third-round draft pick
Team Analysis and Grades
Anaheim Ducks Assessment
Not only have the Ducks failed to qualify for the playoffs for the past seven consecutive seasons, but they also haven`t finished with a winning record during this span. The primary positive from these prolonged struggles has been Anaheim`s ability to build a deep prospect pool with high draft selections. This past season, some of these young players started showing their potential, including Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov.
These emerging players require experienced support around them, which was likely Verbeek`s motivation for adding Kreider at a relatively low acquisition cost. However, it`s fair to question the efficiency of this resource allocation for Anaheim. Kreider is now 34 years old and is coming off statistically the worst full season of his career. His offensive production was poor, and his performance in five-on-five situations also left much to be desired. How much will Anaheim genuinely improve with Kreider in the lineup? While he might offer some help on the power play, his overall impact appears limited.
The $6.5 million cap hit isn`t a major hurdle for the Ducks given their significant available cap space (over $32 million currently), but it still represents an opportunity cost. Committing this salary space makes pursuing significant free agents or being aggressive in other trade markets at least slightly more challenging.
It`s difficult to clearly see Anaheim`s strategic vision with this particular acquisition. Kreider is a player clearly in the latter stages of his career, and his ability to substantially elevate this roster is questionable. A more intuitive approach for the Ducks might have involved targeting younger players who are either entering or are already in their prime years. Is there a chance Kreider could rebound under coach Joel Quenneville? Perhaps, but he remains a short-term solution at best. The primary saving grace for Anaheim is that acquiring him wasn`t prohibitively expensive in terms of assets surrendered.
Grade — C
New York Rangers Assessment
New York`s primary objectives were to free up salary cap space and move on from a veteran player experiencing decline. From that perspective, mission accomplished. The Rangers needed to avoid running back the exact same roster after a disappointing season, which made Kreider an obvious candidate for a trade. The team now possesses greater financial flexibility to reshape the roster under newly appointed head coach Mike Sullivan.
Regarding the return, The Athletic`s draft expert Scott Wheeler ranked Carey Terrance as Anaheim`s eighth-best prospect last summer. During the 2024-25 OHL season with the Erie Otters, Terrance recorded 20 goals and 19 assists in 45 games. If Terrance successfully develops and becomes an impactful player for the Rangers, that would be a significant bonus return for what was essentially a salary-motivated trade.
Fundamentally, this trade functioned as a salary cap dump for the Rangers. In return, they acquired a mid-tier prospect and upgraded one of their draft picks from a fourth-round to a third-round selection. This represents a solid outcome for General Manager Chris Drury. The crucial next step for the Rangers will be utilizing the newly created financial room effectively to improve the team.
Grade — B+
