The Anaheim Ducks acquired New York Rangers legend Chris Kreider along with a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick.

Trade: Anaheim Ducks Acquire Chris Kreider from New York Rangers

Kreider spoke with the media via Zoom shortly after the trade became official. Below is a full transcript of the conference:

Questions and answers may have been slightly edited for clarity

Just how long have you thought about or even expected that you’d be traded by the Rangers, given what transpired, particularly last winter (when Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent out a league-wide memo, proclaiming Kreider and Jacob Trouba available on the trade market)?

There was a lot of communication from Rangers management and from Chris Drury in particular about where they stood and what the next steps in the process were going to look like, whether that was in-season or at the end of the year.

Around the year-end meetings, we had very good conversations, and I understood that this was a very real possibility, and probably a likely possibility. (We) continued to talk and communicate, and figure out where the landing spot would be.

Has the time spent with your name in rumors allowed you to prepare for the emotional aspect of it? It’s a team you’ve had a long, very successful history with, and all that you accomplished there. Has the time since allowed you at least to prepare for the emotional angle of it?

I think so. There’s no point of reference for me. I’ve been lucky enough to have been with the Rangers for 13 years, so I’ve never been in a trade. I don’t think it’s super common to be afforded the time to kind of do my due diligence and kind of go through that emotional spectrum. I think it was done in a really respectful fashion by the New York Rangers, and I’m very appreciative of that.

I’m curious just how much intel you did in terms of seeking out guys like Ryan Strome and Jacob Trouba, maybe even Frank Vatrano, or how much selling they might have done on Anaheim (as a destination). To have a no-move and be willing to waive it, there has to be something behind that.

I think whether they were doing it on purpose or not, they had a lot of positive things that would sell you on the organization and the team. They had a lot of positive things to say, going back to the last year or two. They’ve really enjoyed their time there, they really like the group they have, and their really excited about the opportunity that they have.

I think they’ve got a fantastic group and an opportunity to compete, to win hockey games, and to make a little noise, and I agree with them. The new hiring, bringing in coach (Joel) Quenneville, he’s a massive draw for me and probably for other players going forward, with his track record, what a great coach and person he’s proven to be.

You were talking about what stood out for the Ducks, from what people have told you and from what you know about Coach Q. How much have you had an opportunity to watch how they play and what kind of potential they have, particularly the younger guys who are known in Anaheim, but maybe don’t have a league-wide reputation yet, a pretty nice young core here?

I think having played with some of the guys and having close relationships with them, that familiarity, it’s a team that I followed, probably closer than other teams out West, just checking in on them, seeing how they’re playing, and seeing how things are going. Even just watching the games, when we’re able to, I know with the time difference, it’s a little difficult. It’s an incredibly deep roster. They’ve got some fantastic vets with great track records of winning, some in the prime of their careers, and they’ve got a wealth of young talent, of speed, of size, of skill.

I hear terrific things about (Mason) McTavish, I’ve got to meet him a couple of times through Trevor (Zegras). You hear terrific things about Leo Carlsson, and I’ve seen it in person, and I’ve seen it watching him as well. I see a lot of Trevor over the summer, but even Troy Terry. I know what Frank (Vatrano) and Ryan (Strome) bring. I played against (Alex) Killorn when he was with Tampa for a long time.

It’s an incredibly deep roster. I’ve been following Cutter (Gauthier’s) career, being a (Boston College) Eagle myself. There’s so much potential there, so it’s a really exciting time to be a Duck. Not to mention the D corps, which is everything you want in a D corps: skill, size, speed, toughness, physicality. The whole group has nothing but unbelievable things to say about the goaltending.

You mentioned how fortunate you’ve been to stay with one organization for as long as you did. That’s pretty rare in this game and in pro sports, in general. Guys of your ability, they get to a certain point in their career, and a “change of scenery” is often cited as something that would be good for them. Do you think this will energize your career? Do you think there’s an upside to making a move, not only to an up-and-coming team like the Ducks, but just to give yourself a new perspective, a fresh take on that?

I believe so. Other people that I’ve spoken to who have had a change of scenery at some point in their career all speak very positively about it. I think the word that keeps coming up is “opportunity.” I think there’s a lot of opportunity and a lot of energy around this. I’ve got a great opportunity here to have more of an extended offseason, something that I’ve never really had with the Rangers, going back to maybe one or two years where we missed the playoffs. I went to the World Championships before, but now I’ve got six months to get myself healthy and be ready to show up to training camp in great shape and help the team win hockey games.

Where do you think your game is at now? Statistically, you had three of the best seasons of your career, and then a pretty noticeable dip last year, but that was against the backdrop of a lot of turmoil with the Rangers, with the kind of departures and disappointments. Where do you feel your legs and game are at, at this point in time?

I feel like my best hockey is ahead of me. We’ve certainly played a lot of hockey the last few years, and I’ve just had some really unfortunate injuries, a couple of which I probably shouldn’t have tried to play through, but that’s just something that’s been ingrained in me going back to 2014. We had what we felt was a good opportunity to win and make the playoffs and to make a push this last year, so I wanted to be in the lineup, and I tried to push through at times. A lot of that stuff I’ve dealt with and have cleared up.

I’ve got time now in this offseason to make sure that I show up to camp in the best shape possible, to make sure some of those things don’t come up again. Not necessarily chronic issues, just one-off issues. I’m not one to make excuses, but breaking my hand right after 4 Nations and trying to play with that was definitely a struggle. I didn’t deal with it particularly well. Post surgery and with some of the rehab, hopefully, I come back even stronger.

Can you color in a little bit of the logistics of landing in Anaheim? You had a 15-team no-trade list. Did you have to waive to come here, or were they not on your list? If you did have to waive, what were the determining factors?

I did have to waive my no-trade. When we sat down and Drury communicated to us that he was looking to free up cap space and that I could potentially be traded, we were allowed to go out and look at some teams and kind of do our due diligence. I think it’s a great fit. I think it’s a team that’s on the come-up, that has a wealth of talent, youth, veteran presence, speed, and size. It’s a group that I think can win hockey games and make a push to make the playoffs. With the addition of Quenneville and his staff, that’s a massive draw for me as well. It certainly helps knowing some of the guys on that team and kind of being able to get a look behind the curtain.

We’ve talked about the excitement about going to Anaheim, but what are your general emotions in saying goodbye to New York in a franchise that means a lot to you?

I’ve probably gone through the spectrum, anger, sadness, grief, whatever you want to call it. I keep on arriving at gratitude for how I was treated, the opportunities I was given through the connections I was able to make, the relationships, the friendships, and the experiences that I was able to have.

Playing in front of that fanbase and in that arena, playing some of the games that I was able to play in, stuff that is so memorable and means so much to me, and stuff that I’ll take with me the rest of my life. I grew up in the city of New York. I did. I spent my childhood in the Boston area, I went to school there, but I feel like I came into adulthood in the city of New York. I grew up, started a family, so I have a lot of emotions, but at the end of the day, just so much gratitude and appreciation.

I wanted to talk a little bit about your health. You mentioned your hand, you had surgery, your back, and you also had a spat with vertigo, reports are telling me. How are you feeling? What’s trading looking like right now, and what’s recovery looking like?

I feel good. I think that, to no one’s fault, we were looking in the wrong place with some of the back spasm stuff, and we were able to get it sorted about halfway through the year. Especially going into 4 Nations, I started feeling like myself and then the hand. So, unfortunately, it’s part of professional sports. I’m lucky to work with who I believe is the best strength and conditioning coach in the world, Ben Prentiss, all summer.

So for me, it’s getting in the gym with him. It’s getting in the pool in the afternoons, doing all the things that’ll, I guess, the first bit is bulletproofing. Not only getting stronger, getting faster, getting more mobile, getting more explosive, more powerful, but also putting yourself in a position to play a full 82-plus season. Do that, and come out on the other side healthy.

You mentioned Coach Quenneville a couple of times. Have you spoken to him, and if not, what have you heard about him as a coach?

We spoke a little bit throughout the process, the general manager, Verbeek, and Coach Q. Yeah, we had some very good conversations, and I’m super excited. Excited not only by the players, but the coaching staff they have and the way they want to play. He talked a lot about what it takes to win at the NHL level these days, and it’s something that I think I identified with. I think there are some elements in my game that I can bring that could help this team.

A couple of those are penalty kill and power play, special teams. The Ducks were near the bottom in both categories. Have you spoken to those guys about your fit within the organization, in terms of on the ice, and how do you feel it’s going to work?

I think there’s an opportunity there for me to help. I primarily played a role as a net front guy on the power play, and that’s something I think I can bring to the table. I’ve really taken a lot of pride in penalty killing in the last four or five years, and I’m continuing to work on that. I think that’s something that I look forward to doing and helping out with.

Really, at the end of the day, any role they ask me to play, I know what my strengths are as a player, and I know that getting to the inside, getting to the net, and putting the puck in the net is a massive part of my game. Whatever that is within the team system, just looking forward to joining the group and doing those things.

Trevor Zegras, someone you work out with in the offseason. Have you guys spoken yet, and what do you see in his game, and what has he told you, specifically about some of these guys, whether it’s McTavish or Carlsson, and how you’d fit with their games?

I’ve actually been able to meet McTavish through Trevor. He’s come out and done the “Shoulder Check” charity game that we’re doing next month. Carlsson, I’ve spoken to Mika (Zibanejad) a bit about, and seeing him play, playing against him. He’s a special player for being that young and for being able to do some of the things that he can do. Those kinds of players, every team doesn’t have a player like that. He’s a very special player. To have McTavish, Carlsson, and Strome down the middle, that’s incredible center depth.

When I talk to Trevor, I talk to him every day, and see him at the gym every day. He comes in with a whole lot of energy. I always say that he was born caffeinated. He is high-energy and he’s a lot of fun, and he’s got a lot of talent, so he really energizes the room. He’s fun to be around, and I think his game speaks for itself, some of the things that he’s able to do, and the way he sees the ice.

Building off the conversation about Trevor and seeing the social media response to you leaving New York, people are posting compilations of clips of you, and you seem to have a fair amount of fun yourself. What’s your vibe when you come into a locker room, especially coming into a new one?

We’re incredibly lucky to be playing this game for a living. It’s a dream come true, something the longer I play, the more and more I appreciate. So, to come into a group like the Mighty Ducks—or is it just Ducks now?—We’ll keep the “mighty” in there. It’s a heck of a roster with a ton of youth, and anytime you have that kind of youth and that kind of talent, that’s energizing.

It’s fun. At the end of the day, though, you’re never going to have more fun than when you’re winning hockey games. So if we can win hockey games, if we can make the playoffs, if we can go on a nice run, that’ll be the most fun year-round.

I want to ask a bit of a broader question, just the concept of no-move clauses, no-trade clauses. It’s something that players like yourself and others fight for in negotiations, and they’re important to you. You feel like you’ve earned them. So I’m curious, people from the outside will just see the nuts and bolts, “will he waive it, will he not?” For you, what’s behind that, because it’s an important decision for you and the other guys that have done that. I have to imagine there’s a lot more than just “this team looks appealing, I’m going to waive it.” Is there any way you can elaborate just how big a decision that really is?

It differs based on a player and their priorities. I think there’s a lot of thought that goes into the living situation. Some guys prefer x, some guys prefer y, some guys prefer z. I think there’s some thought that goes into that. Maybe some guys don’t necessarily like a big city or a big market.

Speaking of my own experience, I think when you compile a list and you sign it on July 1, I think a lot can change over the next calendar year. I do think it’s an important thing for players to negotiate and have some control. But at the same time, when the opportunity presents itself and you want to go to a team, when you’re going to be traded, you want to go to a team you think is going to be a good fit. It’s important to have that flexibility and that ability to waive like I did.

You took some time between the first initial reports of this trade happening and then making the decision to waive your clause. Could you elaborate on just what those 24-plus hours were like for you in terms of doing your due diligence?

I think a lot of it is just having conversations with your family. Just make sure everyone’s on the same page, and make sure it’s something you want. Speaking about no-movement clauses, you negotiate those for a lease. It’s not something you take lightly. It’s not a decision that you just kind of make off the cuff. I just wanted to do my due diligence, have those necessary conversations with my family, with my agent, with the staff, with the Ducks, and with some of the players. I think I’d be remiss if I hadn’t gone that route and done my homework.

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