Former Ranger Chris Kreider on his return to New York: 'Business trip'

Whatever thoughts or emotions Chris Kreider has about being back in New York as a member of the Ducks or returning to Madison Square Garden on Monday to face his former team, the Rangers, are being kept to himself, at least for now.

“Business trip,” Kreider said before Thursday night’s game against the Islanders at UBS Arena in his first match back in New York since the Rangers traded him on June 12.

His expectations for Monday?

“Game day against the Islanders, man,” Kreider said.

Fair enough.

“It’s definitely an adjustment,” the Boxford, Massachusetts, native and former Boston College standout said of uprooting to California after 13 seasons with the Rangers. “It’s helpful having familiar faces.”

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks’ roster also includes former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, who will also be playing his first game back at the Garden since being traded on Dec. 6, 2024, Ryan Strome, and Frank Vatrano.

“You first have your back up because they’re Rangers,” joked former Islander Ross Johnston, in his third season with the Ducks. “After you break down the barriers, you get some older guys in here that have experience and those guys have played a lot of playoff hockey. I think the mix of those guys with the younger talent we have is just what we needed.”

Kreider, 34, entered Thursday with 13 goals and eight assists in 26 games skating on the Ducks’ first line with Leo Carlsson, 20, the second overall pick in 2023. He’s taken on a mentor’s role with the Ducks, who have an abundance of young talent. That includes 19-year-old Beckett Sennecke, who forced overtime on a shorthanded goal with 0.1 seconds remaining as the Ducks rallied for a 4-3 shootout win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Sennecke, sitting at an adjacent stall, was chirping his older teammate as Kreider joked about having to play babysitter.

“I think it’s energizing,” Kreider said. “The talent level is pretty crazy. Unbelievable group of young players. It just makes every day real fun.”

Kreider’s last season with the Rangers was a struggle as he slumped to 22 goals and eight assists in 68 games. He eventually got frustrated enough to reveal he was playing through a significant back issue and he also dealt with vertigo and a hand injury that required offseason surgery.

Kreider left the Rangers as the franchise’s third-leading goal scorer with 326, eighth with 883 games played and 10th with 582 points. He was also tied for first with 116 power-play goals and first with 48 playoff goals.

“We played against him a long time,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “It’s good to see that he’s gone out to Anaheim and had a great start to his season and their team is rolling. Whether it’s Kreids or other guys that have been in places a long time, seeing them in different colors is different.”

Playing the Islanders is one thing but facing the Rangers figures to be a special night. Kreider’s former teammate and close friend Mika Zibanejad did not hide his emotions.

“I miss him a lot,” Zibanejad said. “It was weird coming into training camp and being at the rink and just waiting for him to come through the doors. But seeing him do well and his family doing well, I’m happy for him. It’ll be exciting to have him back here and I’m looking forward to the reception he’s going to get.”

Newsday's Colin Stephenson contributed to this story.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.