Chris Kreider 'incredibly happy' to get contract extension done with Rangers
Chris Kreider of the Rangers celebrates his first period goal against the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 5. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MONTREAL — Chris Kreider, who has been slowed by the flu all week, spoke Thursday for the first time about the contract extension he signed with the Rangers on Monday.
“It’s a thrill, really,’’ he said after the morning skate. “This is the only team I’ve ever known, the only place I’ve really wanted to play; an organization, front office and a team that gave me an opportunity to live out my dream playing in the NHL. So I’m just incredibly happy to be here.’’
Kreider, who all season had steadfastly denied thinking about his contract, said it was “a little tough’’ in the final few days before the trade deadline, when his agent, Matt Keator, and the Rangers began negotiations in earnest. The Rangers were prepared to trade Kreider before Monday’s trade deadline if the sides didn’t agree on a new contract, but they struck a deal Monday morning. The Rangers agreed to give Kreider a seventh year and he agreed to take an average salary of $6.5 million — less than the $7 million or more he likely would have earned if he had made it to free agency.
Kreider said he never once imagined himself playing for another team, and the fact that the Rangers are in a heated battle for a playoff spot helped him keep his focus on the ice as negotiations went on and the trade deadline drew nearer.
“Maybe the position we’re in helped me, and helped my mental makeup, and made it pretty much impossible to look at anything else,’’ he said. “Because we’ve been in the thick of things.”
Buchnevich out again
Pavel Buchnevich, who was involved in a car accident with teammate Igor Shesterkin on Sunday, missed his second straight game, though he did take part in the optional morning skate. Coach David Quinn said the right wing is “getting back to his old self and he’ll be back [in the lineup] soon.’’
Buchnevich declined to talk to reporters at the morning skate but posted a message on Instagram thanking Rangers fans for their good wishes and reminding them to wear a seatbelt.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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