New York Rangers rookie forward Chris Kreider has been sent to the club’s AHL affiliate in Connecticut, according to ESPN’s Katie Strang.
Kreider, 21, had appeared in seven games with the Rangers this season, scoring 1G-1A-2PTS while averaging 10:18 of ice time per game.
The former Boston College standout was a healthy scratch last game -- a 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders -- with Strang reporting he’s being sent to the Whale so he can play, rather than watch the parent club from the press box.
Kreider burst onto the scene during last year’s playoffs, appearing in 18 games while recording 5G-2A-7PTS, breaking a 59-year-old NHL record for most postseason goals scored before making his regular-season debut.
With Kreider’s demotion, it’s looking more and more likely that fellow rookie J.T. Miller will remain with the Rangers.
Miller, 20, has played in five games this season. Upon playing No. 6, the first year of his entry-level contract will kick in.
The Rangers don’t play again until Sunday -- a home date against the Washington Capitals (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN) -- so the club has until then to decide Miller’s fate.