Kreider traded to Ducks by Rangers for prospect Terrance, 3rd-round pick Kreider spent final season in NY as a malcontent and paid the price with banishment to Anaheim

Chris Kreider was traded to the Anaheim Ducks by the New York Rangers on Thursday.

The Rangers received forward prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft; New York also sent a fourth-round pick in 2025 to Anaheim.

Kreider had 30 points (22 goals, eight assists) in 68 games this season. The 34-year-old forward was the Rangers’ longest-tenured player since after having arrived in New York during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Kreider was selected by the Rangers with the No. 19 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. He has 582 points (326 goals, 256 assists) in 883 regular-season games and 76 points (48 goals, 28 assists) in 123 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

“Chris Kreider is the type of player we were looking to add this offseason,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “He has size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds), speed and is a clutch performer that elevates his game in big moments. Chris also upgrades both of our special teams units, something we really needed to address.”

In the regular season, he is seventh in team history in games played, third in goals, tied for first in power-play goals (116) and 10th in points. He is the Rangers’ all-time leader in playoff games played and goals and is third in playoff points.

“We want to thank Chris Kreider for all of his contributions to the Rangers organization over his stellar career,” Rangers GM Chris Drury said. “Chris has been an integral part of some of the most iconic moments in Rangers history, including setting multiple franchise records and helping the team advance to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. His leadership on the ice and tireless efforts in the community – which he was recognized for as the inaugural recipient of the Rod Gilbert “Mr. Ranger” Award – only add to his distinguished Rangers legacy. Chris will always be a Ranger and we wish him and his family all the best.”

The Rangers will not retain any of Kreider’s salary; he has two seasons remaining on a contract that carries a $6.5 million average annual value.

The trade gives New York NHL salary cap flexibility needed to pursue free agents or present potential offer sheets to restricted free agents.

Terrance had 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists) in 45 games for Erie of the Ontario Hockey League this season, his fourth with the team. He also had two goals in seven games at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, helping the United States win the gold medal.

The 20-year-old was selected by Anaheim in the second round (No. 59) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

New York (39-36-7) finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Rangers were six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Peter Laviolette was fired as coach April 19 after two seasons and replaced by former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on May 2.

The Ducks (35-37-10) finished sixth in the Pacific Division and did not qualify for the playoffs for the seventh straight season. Anaheim was 16 points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the Western Conference but improved by 21 points from 2023-24.

Greg Cronin was fired as coach April 19 after two seasons and replaced by Joel Quenneville on May 8.

The Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Rangers on Dec. 6 for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Trouba was New York’s captain at the time of the trade. He had eight points (one goal, seven assists) and averaged 20:45 of ice time in 53 games for the Ducks.