Chris Kreider will be sidelined by the Rangers today (even though he is healthy)

Oh boy…

That was my reaction upon seeing this news that just came out in the last few minutes.

Chris Kreider will not play this afternoon as his team faces the Devils. And it’s not because he’s injured…

The veteran is disappointing, and his performance has been atrocious since the start of the season.

He has only 12 points (11 goals) in 30 games, and now, Peter Laviolette has decided that it’s enough.

Kreider will be a healthy scratch today:

Chris Kreider is out of the Rangers lineup on Monday. He has 2 goals in his past 3 games, with New York having lost 9 of them. pic.twitter.com/PPJPHYcvsm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 23, 2024

Chris Kreider is one of the leaders in New York.

We’ve seen him wear a letter on his jersey in recent years, which is why Laviolette’s decision is significant.

The coach wants to send a message to the rest of his group, which makes sense.

Let’s remember that before being traded to Seattle, Kaapo Kakko said he was not happy to have been a healthy scratch by Laviolette when he “wasn’t the worst” player on the team.

This stirred controversy because he pointed his finger at his coach in front of reporters. He was traded a few days later…

That said, maybe Kakko’s comments reached Laviolette’s ears.

This clearly did not fall on deaf ears… And Laviolette is doing what he can to keep his job.

It remains to be seen if the decision will pay off…

Follow-Up
It should be noted that this is a second game in as many days for the New York team.

Yesterday’s game against the Hurricanes was broadcast on TVA Sports, and Sébastien Goulet, who described the game, said he barely saw Kreider throughout the evening:

I hardly mentioned his name yesterday. https://t.co/GnkJbL4FqY

— Sébastien Goulet (@SebGouletTVAS) December 23, 2024