Kreider hopes to stay 'home' with Rangers despite unclear future

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Chris Kreider's offseason might begin with surgery on his left hand. What happens once he's rehabbing is out of Kreider's control.

Kreider's future with the New York Rangers is unclear, even though he has two years remaining on a contract that carries a $6.5 million average annual value.

The Rangers could choose to keep the 33-year-old and hope he gets healthy and has a better season than he did this season. He scored 22 goals in 68 games, his lowest output in a season where he played that many games since he scored 20 in 79 games in 2015-16.

There is a chance the Rangers could try to trade Kreider as part of a roster shakeup following a season in which they did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Earlier this season, Rangers general manager Chris Drury reportedly included Kreider's name in a message to the other 31 GMs about players that that could be available in a trade.

A contract buyout could also be a last-resort possibility.

"This is home for me," Kreider said. "This is the organization that gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. I've developed so many incredible relationships and grown up and spent so much time in this area. So, obviously, this is where I want to be and this is the group that I want to help in whatever fashion win hockey games."

Kreider said he sustained his hand injury on Feb. 22, in the third period of an 8-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, New York's first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off, where Kreider played for the United States.

He missed the next six games.

"I went to rim a puck and got a little pressure from behind, jammed it up," Kreider said. "Bone, tendon, muscle, a bunch of different things. I got some pictures taken and tried to tape it up a bunch to play through it. Took a couple weeks off and I think I might need to do some stuff to fix it up in the next couple of weeks."

He said his hand injury was difficult to deal with, especially because it impacted his bottom hand on his stick.

"I think I got a little bit better at dealing with it," Kreider said. "The training staff was great, worked with me and found something that eventually worked to keep it stable. But it was challenging."

Kreider also missed three games with back spasms from Nov. 25-29 and four games from Jan. 5-11 while suffering from vertigo, he said, stemming from an inner ear issue.

"Just a bunch of weird flukey things this year," Kreider said.

Kreider is the longest tenured Rangers player having arrived in New York in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs after being the No. 19 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft.

In the regular season, he is seventh in team history in games played (883), third in goals (326), tied for first in power play goals (116) and 10th in points (582). He is the Rangers all-time leader in playoff games played (123) and goals (48). He's third in playoff points (76).

"I've got to control what I can control," Kreider said, "which for me right now is getting healthy, staying healthy through the course of next season, showing up in the best possible shape I can for training camp."

He scored 39 goals last season, 36 in 2022-23 and a career high 52 in 2021-22.

"I've got great resources here in this area and with the team so I can take advantage of those to put myself in a position to obviously be available for the team and to play as close to 100 percent as possible," Kreider said. "I mean, things are going to happen, but I can position myself in a way where I can be as close to my best as possible next year."

Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller also was asked about his future with the team Monday. Miller is a pending restricted free agent coming off a two-year, $7.744 million contract ($3.872 million).

He had 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 74 games this season, his second straight season of production decline after scoring 43 points (nine goals, 34 assists) in 79 games in 2022-23 and 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists) in 80 games last season.

"Kind of hard to talk about my future here, obviously, but I have a great agent that is going to help me throughout this summer's process," Miller said. "I love being a New York Ranger. I think this has been some of the best of years of my life. These past five years have been unforgettable in about every aspect you can think of. That's all I really have to comment on."

Miller was asked if the uncertainty about his future bothers him?

"It's part of the job," he said. "My first time going through it so it's a little different, but I love New York. I wouldn't way to play anywhere else right now."

In other Rangers injury news, defenseman Braden Schneider had surgery on Thursday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder that he had been playing through for the past two seasons but was gradually getting worse.

Schneider, who was wearing a sling, said he opted for the surgery because he will be able to make a full recovery in time for the start of training camp. If the Rangers were still playing, Schneider likely would not have had the operation.

"I think I'm four weeks in this (sling), four weeks getting my mobility back and at the three-month mark I'll be cleared to skate and ready to go," Schneider said.

Forward Adam Edstrom said he had surgery earlier this season to repair a lower-body injury that kept him out for the last 31 games. He said he is well into his rehab process and if the Rangers had made the playoffs he might have been able to return at some point.

Edstrom had nine points (five goals, four assists) in 51 games playing primarily in a fourth-line role.