Top 3 Landing Spots for Rangers' Chris Kreider

The word came down earlier this week that the New York Rangers could be ready to shake things up, and shockingly Chris Kreider's name came up as one of those available on the trade market.

The 13-year Rangers veteran is off to a bizarre start to the season, with 9 goals and 0 assists in 19 games. He has two years left after this one on his $6.5 million cap hit.

But there are plenty of teams that could use a nine-time 20-goal scorer, and if the Blueshirts were to pull the trigger on a Kreider trade, here are three of the top potential destinations that make sense.

Boston Bruins

This would be a homecoming for Kreider, born in Boston suburb Boxford. A move home could rejuvenate the 33-year-old. As for the Bruins, they're looking for a jolt to their forward corps, as their 51 goals scored place them 31st in the NHL (yikes). Kreider's ability to light the lamp from in front of the net would be a help. It's the cap crunch that would be the biggest obstacle here for Boston.

Utah Hockey Club

Adding a veteran of Kreider's experience would be a nice step for Utah to take, as noted by Joey Yerdon in Bleacher Report, while adding that the big caveat here would be if the 13-year vet has Utah on his 15-team no-trade list, and if he'd be willing to go somewhere that is not in contention for the Stanley Cup anytime soon. They do have the room under the cap.

Buffalo Sabres

This is a team notably looking for a top-six forward, and as Yerdon writes, "If you had to draw up the kind of top-six forward the Buffalo Sabres are on the lookout for that fits the profile for the qualities they'd be looking for, that player would look a lot like Chris Kreider." In addition, they have the cap space to take on that salary—if those extra two years don't scare them off.