The New York Rangers have been trying to make major changes to their roster for the last 12 months. They have been desperately trying to shed salary and veterans who no longer fit the mold of a winning franchise. Even some young players are seeing their names in trade rumors.
So far, the Rangers traded Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba, Reilly Smith, Jimmy Vesey, and Filip Chytil. On top of that,they used waivers to get off the contract of Barclay Goodrow. They've tried to trade the likes of Mika Zibanejad and K'Andre Miller. Now, it appears one of their proposed trade pieces may be out, and this one will hurt many Rangers fans.
Sources say #NYR and #NHLDucks are in advanced discussions on a deal that would send Chris Kreider to Orange County.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 11, 2025
No semantics: there is NO DEAL at this moment in time.
But there is interest - and a framework. Both teams had other irons in the fire today. We'll see on Wed.
If the trade goes through and the Anaheim Ducks let the Rangers out of another big salary, it's bad news for the Devils. The Devils are going to be interested in the return for Kreider because it could open the door for an Ondrej Palat trade. We assume trading Kreider now means the Ducks paid positive assets for Kreider, and a team could do the same for Palat.
The Devils' issue is the Ducks were one of the top options for a Palat landing spot. Palat does have limited trade protection going into his contract, and he might have put Anaheim on the list, but some like living in Southern California. The Ducks also said they want to compete for a playoff position in 2026. Palat might want to be a part of that change, and his former teammate Alex Killorn is already in Anaheim.
Unfortunately, Kreider and Palat would fill the same role, so the Ducks are unlikely to trade for both this offseason. They have plenty of cap space even after this move, so that's not the issue. It's just not likely that the Ducks pay both the Devils and Rangers for their overpriced playoff performers.
The New Jersey Devils might lose one trade option for Ondrej Palat
The Devils do have other options for a Palat trade, but the Ducks were always their wild card in trade talks. Without the Ducks to hold over teams like Detroit and Montreal, a Palat trade becomes more complicated. Will the Devils be forced to take a late-round pick for Palat now? Would they have to retain salary?
The trade isn't official, but to get reported at least means it's close. Kreider is likely going to the other coast, trading the Atlantic Ocean for the Pacific. That means it's probably not happening for Palat.