New York Rangers Need Huge Second Half from Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider

 

The NHL trade deadline is rapidly approaching for the New York Rangers, and this season’s deadline takes on greater meaning than any other in recent memory. Decisions will be made by General Manager Jeff Gorton that will shape the team for the rest of the season and potentially the future. It will be difficult, given the tight salary cap situation the Rangers are stuck in, but anything is possible.

Fans can talk endlessly about desirable trades, and I have done so for the last two months. And now, it’s time to live in the real world. Will a major trade or two help the Rangers in their quest for the Cup? Yes. That’s all it will do, though — help. If the Rangers are to truly reach the promised land, they need their two most talented young forwards, Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider, to step up big time in the second half.

Hayes and Kreider were expected to be “the” guys who would lead the Rangers in scoring this season. Not only have neither of them come close, but they have regressed to the point such that their futures with the team are in question. Both were expected to be among the top three in scoring for the Rangers this season. As of February 1, they are seventh and eighth. Kreider only has nine goals, Hayes seven. Hayes’ work ethic has been questioned publicly by head coach Alain Vigneault, and he was benched for one game in January. Kreider’s effort is there, but he simply is not getting the job done.

If the Rangers are to make any kind of deep run, Hayes and Kreider need to be the players they are supposed to be. More importantly, their performances the rest of the reason will dictate their futures with the club. Both are restricted free agents following the season, and with the aforementioned cap crunch, will the Rangers be able to afford both? Will they want to keep both of them? If not, it will change the Rangers’ future plans.

The Rangers can no longer afford to give up first-round draft picks for a win-now solution. Hayes and Kreider need to start justifying the faith this organization has placed in them. Improved performances from both equate to a major trade deadline coup similar to deals in previous seasons for Martin St. Louis and Keith Yandle. If they fail to improve, then yet another disappointing end to their season will be the least of their worries.