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Wednesday Night Hockey: What can Rangers get for Chris Kreider?

NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with the Wednesday Night Hockey matchup between the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

The Rangers have three games remaining before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. How many of those games Chris Kreider plays in remains to be seen.

The teams that are sellers have done shockingly well in most of the trades that have occurred over the last few days. Depth defensemen like Brenden Dillon and Marco Scandella are fetching second-round picks plus another pick, so imagine what New York could get for a guy like Kreider.

According to TSN’s Frank Seravalli, the Rangers are still trying to re-sign their veteran winger, but if a trade occurs, Colorado and Boston are the front-runners for his services.

The 28-year-old has picked up his production of late. He’s accumulated 10 points in his last nine games and he’s scored 11 goals in his last 16 contests. Kreider’s producing at the perfect time. He’s arguably the top available rental forward on the market and he could bring the rebuilding Rangers a very nice return.

So, what can general manager Jeff Gorton get for him?

You’d have to think that any trade for Kreider would involve a first-round pick in 2020. The Bruins have all their own draft picks this year except their fourth-round selection. As for Colorado, they’ve already moved their second-round choice, but they have two picks in the third round.

Don’t be surprised if a conditional draft pick is included in the deal, too.

Both those teams have Stanley Cup aspirations, so they shouldn’t have any reservations about sacrificing draft capital between now and Monday.

If we compare what the Los Angeles Kings got from Vancouver for Tyler Toffoli. In that deal, the Kings got a second-round pick, solid prospect Tyler Madden and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2022. Based on that, don’t be surprised if the package the Rangers land would include a solid prospect.

That’s a huge price to pay, but that’s where the market is trending. Can New York secure that kind of return?

Whether Gorton wants to re-sign Kreider or not, it would be tough to ignore an offer like the one proposed above. The only way they’d consider keeping him and extending him is if they believe they’re very close to being legit contenders.

Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher will call the action from United Center in Chicago, Ill. Ahmed Fareed will host Wednesday’s coverage on NHL Live alongside analysts Keith Jones and Mike Milbury and NHL insider Bob McKenzie.

The Miracle on Ice – 40th Anniversary, featuring Al Michaels, who called the momentous matchup in 1980, and Mike Tirico, will premiere on Wednesday night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 40 years to the month, this 30-minute special will feature Tirico’s wide-ranging conversation with Michaels about the buildup to the game, his iconic call, as well as the legacy of the moment that became bigger than sports and still resonates today.

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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.