The Skate Podcast: Chris Kreider might jump to top of list of NHL rentals
Taylor Hall has gone from New Jersey to Arizona, resetting the market for rental trades.
On this week’s The Skate Podcast, TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie, the “Bobfather” himself, joined co-hosts Matt Kalman and Ken Laird to talk react to the Hall trade, and envision what the future holds for other players in in the contract year, including Torey Krug.
When asked which player might be the next big-name UFA-to-be to come up in trade talks, McKenzie brought up a player the Bruins should be interested in: New York Rangers wing Chris Kreider.
“The one that’ll be interesting is Chris Kreider,” McKenzie said. “He’s a big body, likes to introduce himself to goaltenders around the league. Probably not playing at the top of this game. New York might have some interest in re-signing him. But there’s the sense that if he could get a first-round pick and a prospect for him that maybe he would move. So I would think Kreider might become that rental flavor of the week, month, whatever, now that Hall’s gone.”
After McKenzie signed off, Kalman and Laird continued to ponder Kreider coming to the Bruins.
“I just wonder what the price will be. I guess if Taylor Hall sets the price at the top, Kreider probably a notch down, and so we know Jeff Gorton and Don Sweeney have made plenty of trades together,” Kalman said.
Laird pointed out that there might be too many Massachusetts natives populating the Bruins’ roster to add the Boxford native to the lineup.
“No, at one point you might say ‘oh god, they’re just getting Massachusetts guys’ because when Mike O’Connell used to get those guys in the ‘90s, it never worked. But all of a sudden they found this batch of hometown guys that can actually handle playing here, which is pretty amazing,” Kalman said.
Chris Wagner, Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk have all thrived in Boston.
“These guys know how to handle it and know how to play. And that goes back to the Bruins being judges of character. And assuming that they think Kreider’s personality would fit here, he’s definitely the guy you want to have to play with Krejci possibly, maybe to play with Bergeron, but more than anything fewer teams will be pushing you around if Chris Kreider’s in their goalie’s face.”