“It’s an exciting time to be a Duck,” said new Ducks forward Chris Kreider, just hours after he was acquired by Anaheim with a 2025 fourth-round pick for center Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick. A two-time NHL All Star, Kreider is one of six players to score at least 149 regular-season and 24 playoff goals the last four seasons, joining Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Mikko Rantanen and Sam Reinhart. Since the start of 2021-22, Kreider leads the NHL in shorthanded goals (SHG, 13) and is fifth in power-play goals (PPG, 58), one ahead of both Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews.
Following is a transcript of his media session on Thursday afternoon:
On being part of Rangers trade discussions
There was a lot of communication from Rangers management and from Chris Drury in particular about where they stood and kind of what the next steps in the process were going to look like, whether that was in season or at the end of the year. So around the year end meetings, we had very good conversations and I understood that this was a very real possibility and probably a likely possibility and continue to talk and communicate and kind of figure out where the landing spot would be
On the emotions of being traded
I mean, there’s no point of reference for me. Obviously I’ve been lucky enough not to, I don’t know, however you want to frame it. I’ve been with the Rangers for 13 years, so I haven’t been in a trade. But yeah, I don’t think it’s super common to be afforded the time to kind of do my due diligence and kind of go through that emotional spectrum. So yeah, I mean it was I think done in a really respectful fashion by the New York Rangers and I’m very appreciative of that.
On Ducks friends of his recommending Anaheim
Yeah, I think whether or not they were doing it on purpose, I think that they had a lot of positive things that would sell you on the organization and the team. A lot of positive things to say. Even going back to the last year or two, they’ve really enjoyed their time there. They really liked the group they have, they really excited about the opportunity that they have. I think they’ve got a fantastic group and an opportunity to compete and to win hockey games and to make a little noise. And I agree with them. And obviously the new hiring, bringing in Coach Quenneville I think is a massive draw for me and probably for other players going forward with his track record and what a great coach and in person he’s proven to be.
On the potential Anaheim has
I think having played with some of those guys and having close relationships with them, that familiarity, it’s a team that I’ve followed probably closer than other teams out west. Just checking in on them, seeing how they’re playing and seeing how things are going and even watching games when we’re able to, it’s an incredibly deep roster. They’ve got some fantastic vets with great track records of winning in the prime of their careers and they’ve got a wealth of young talent of speed, of size of skill. I mean, you hear terrific things about McTavish. I’ve obviously got to meet him a couple of times through Trevor and you hear terrific things about Leo Carlson, and I’ve seen it in person and I’ve seen it watching as well. I see a lot of Trevor over the summer, but even Troy, Terry, I know what Frank and Ryan bring and having played against Killorn when he was with Tampa for a long time, following Cutter’s career, being a [Boston College] Eagle myself. Yeah, there’s so much potential there. So it’s a really exciting time to be a Duck. Not to mention the D core, which is kind of everything that you want in a D core, right? Skill, size, speed, toughness, physicality, and the whole group has nothing but unbelievable things to say about the goaltending.
On whether this trade will energize his career after 13 seasons in New York
I believe so. Other people that I’ve spoken to who have had a change of scenery at some point in their career, speak very positively about it. So yeah, I think the word that keeps coming up is opportunity. I think there’s a lot of opportunity and there’s a lot of energy around that. So in that vein, I’ve got a great opportunity here to have more of an extended off season, something that I’ve really never had with the Rangers going back to maybe one or two years where we missed the playoffs. I went to World Championships, but I ended up having six months to get myself healthy and to be ready to show up to training camp in great shape and help the team win hockey games.
"It's a heck of a roster with a ton of youth, and anytime you have that kind of youth and that kind of talent, that's energizing. At the end of the day though, you're never going to have more fun than when you're winning hockey games."
On where he feels his game is at this point in his career
I feel like my best hockey’s ahead of me. We’ve certainly played a lot of hockey the last few years and just had some really unfortunate injuries, a couple of which I probably shouldn’t have tried to play through at the time, but that’s just kind of something that’s been ingrained in me. Going back to 2014, we had what we felt was a good opportunity to win and to make the playoffs and to make a push this past year. So I wanted to be in the lineup, and I tried to push through at times and a lot of that stuff I’ve dealt with and I’ve cleared up and like I said, I’ve got time now in this offseason to make sure that I show up to camp in the best shape possible and to make sure that some of those things don’t come up again –not necessarily chronic issues, kind of one-off issues. I mean, I’m not one to make excuses, but breaking my hand right after Four Nations and trying to play with that was definitely a struggle. And obviously I didn’t deal with it particularly well, but post-surgery and with some of the rehab, hopefully I come back even stronger.
On waiving his no-trade clause to come to Anaheim
I did have to waive my no-trade when we sat down and Chris Drury communicated to us that he was looking to free up cap space and that I could potentially be traded, we were allowed to go out and look at some teams and kind of do our due diligence. And I think it’s a great fit. I think it’s a team that’s on the come up that has, like I mentioned before, a wealth of talent, youth veteran presence, speed, size, and it’s a group that I think can win hockey games and make a push to make the playoffs. And obviously with the addition of Joel and his staff, I think that’s a massive draw for me as well. And it certainly helps knowing some of the guys on that team and being able to get a look behind the curtain.
On the emotions of leaving New York
Yeah, like I said, I think I’ve kind of gone through the spectrum – anger, sadness, grief, whatever you want to call it, but keep on arriving at gratitude for how I was treated, the opportunities I was given for the connections I was able to make, the relationships, the friendships, the experiences that I was able to have, right playing in front of that fan base at that arena, playing in some of the games that I was able to play in stuff that is so memorable and means so much to me and stuff that I’ll take with me the rest of my life. So I mean, I grew up in the city of New York. I spent my childhood in the Boston area. I went to school there, but I feel like I came into adulthood in the city of New York, became a man and matured and grew up, started a family. So yeah, a lot of emotions, but at the end of the day, just so much gratitude and appreciation.
On his current health
I feel good. I think that to no one’s fault, we were looking in the wrong place with some of the back spasm stuff and able to get it sorted about halfway through the year, especially going into Four Nations and then started feeling like myself, especially coming out of Four Nations and then the hand. So unfortunately it’s part of professional sports. I’m lucky to work with who I believe is the best strength and conditioning coach in the world and Ben Prentice all summer. So for me, it’s getting in the gym with him, it’s getting in the pool in the afternoons, doing all the things that’ll, I guess refers to it as bulletproofing, right? Not only getting stronger, getting faster, getting more mobile, getting more explosive, more powerful, but also putting yourself in a position to play a full 82-plus season to do that and come on the other side healthy.
On speaking to Coach Quenneville
We had some very good conversations and I’m super excited not only by the group of players but by the coaching staff that they have by the way that they want to play. He talked a lot about what it takes to win at the NHL level these days, and it’s something that I think that I identify with and I think there’s some elements in my game that I can bring that could help this team.
On helping Anaheim’s power play and penalty kill
I think there’s an opportunity there for me to help. I mean, I’ve primarily played a role as a net front guy in the power play, and that’s something that I think that I can bring to the table. I’ve really taken a lot of pride in penalty killing the last four or five years and continuing to work on that. I think that’s something that I would look forward to doing and helping out with. But really at the end of the day, any role they ask me to play, I know what my strengths are as a player and I know that getting to the inside, getting to the net and putting the puck in the net is a massive part of my game. But whatever that is within the team system, just looking forward to joining the group and doing those things.
On knowing some of the current Ducks
Yeah, I’ve actually been able to meet McTavish through Trevor. He’s come out and done the shoulder check game, the charity game that we’re doing next month. Carlsson, obviously seeing him play and playing against him, he’s a special player for being that young and for being able to do some of the things that he can do. Those kind of players, every team doesn’t have a player like that. He’s a very special player. So to have down the middle, McTavish, and Carlsson and Strome, that’s incredible. center depth. Have I talked to Trevor? Yeah, I talk to him every day. See him at the gym every day. He comes in with a whole lot of energy. I always say that he was born caffeinated. He is high energy and he’s a lot of fun and he’s got a ton of talent. So he energizes the room and he’s fun to be around. And I think his game speaks for itself. Some of the things that he’s able to do and the way he sees the ice
On his attitude in the locker room
Yeah, I mean we’re incredibly lucky to be playing in this game for a living. It’s a dream come true, something I think the longer I play, the more and more I appreciate. So to come into a group like the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, or is it just the Ducks now? We’ll keep them Mighty in there. It’s a heck of a roster with a ton of youth and anytime you have that kind of youth and that kind of talent, that’s energizing. It’s fun. At the end of the day though, you’re never going to have more fun than when you’re winning hockey games. So if we can win hockey games, if we can make the playoffs, if we can go on a nice run, that’ll be the most fun you ever have.
Goal highlights for Chris Kreider, acquired by the Ducks from the New York Rangers
