‘Let’s go through this s— now and figure out who we are’; Rangers Chris Kreider sounds off on trade rumors and team tension

With the New York Rangers off to a tough start by their standards, many are wondering what general manager Chris Drury might do to spruce things up for the team that won the President’s Trophy last year.

In a memo sent to the rest of the league, the Rangers GM stated that the team is open to trading both captain Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, the longest-tenured Ranger, among other names.

Speculation of a potential move rose when Kreider was noticeably absent from the lineup on Monday night in the Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. However, the 33-year-old revealed it was back spasms.

“Back locked up on me,” Kreider told the media after the team’s morning skate on Wednesday. “A few games back, it was lumbar, and then during training camp, it was thoraxes…Very independent, annoying things. So we’re working on it. Done a couple things to remedy it so it doesn’t happen anymore.”

Head coach Peter Laviolette stated that Kreider will remain out of the lineup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Kreider’s name is still in trade talks across the league despite having been with the Rangers since he was drafted in 2009. Through 19 games, the Boxford, Massachusetts native has scored just nine goals, far from his usual production that has led to 75-point performances in two of the last three campaigns.

With all the noise in and outside the Rangers’ locker room, Kreider admits the team notices it but wants to use it to their advantage.

“I think it’s pretty obvious there’s frustration, angst, tension,” Kreider said. “We’re 20 games in. Let’s go through this s–– now and figure out who we are. We had the best regular season in the history of an Original Six franchise last year, won a Presidents’ Trophy, and didn’t go as far as we would’ve liked. We’re getting exposed right now. Our warts are out there, and teams are picking on the things we don’t do well…We don’t necessarily know what this is right now, right? This could just be part of the story. We look back at this and say, ‘This made us better.'”

The Rangers (12-7-1) sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division, thanks to a three-game losing skid, seven points back of the first-place New Jersey Devils. The Blueshirts hold the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.