Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek makes his thoughts known about acquiring ‘clutch performer’ Chris Kreider from NY Rangers

After a day and a half of waiting, Chris Kreider is officially an Anaheim Duck.

The longtime Ranger had been floating around in trade rumors for the majority of the 2024-25 season, and now it has all come to fruition. He took some time to process the decision before signing off on waiving his partial no-trade clause on Thursday morning.

The deal sends Kreider to Anaheim along with a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick. It marks the end of an era in New York, shipping away their longest tenured player for some cap relief.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Ducks add a veteran winger who they hope can bounce back and provide two solid years of production and leadership. General manager Pat Verbeek spoke about the acquisition of Chris Kreider for the first time since the news broke on Thursday afternoon.

ESPN reporter Greg Wyshynski shared his comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"He's the type of player we were looking to add this offseason. He has size, 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," Verbeek said.

Kreider has two years left on the seven-year, $45,500,000 contract extension he signed with the Rangers in 2020.

Chris Kreider was an all-time great New York Ranger

While the end to his tenure in the Big Apple didn't go well, Chris Kreider should and will be remembered as a tremendous New York Ranger.

The 34-year-old spent 13 seasons as a core piece of the team, racking up plenty of numbers in the process. B/R Open Ice shared a graphic on X with where Kreider ranks among all of the major statistics in Rangers franchise history.

It becomes fascinating to see what the New York Rangers will do with the cap space created by shedding Chris Kreider's contract. The Blueshirts now have just under $15 million to work with this offseason, though K'Andre Miller and Will Cuylle are notable RFAs in need of extensions.

General manager Chris Drury has his work cut out for him to retool his roster in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last year's disappointing failure to make the playoffs.