Chris Kreider will not be in the Rangers' lineup on Monday afternoon despite being healthy enough to play.
Chris Kreider will serve as a healthy scratch for the New York Rangers’ Monday afternoon game against the New Jersey Devils.
This comes one day after the Rangers suffered a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Rangers have lost 12 out of their last 16 games, so it seems Peter Laviolette is sending a clear message by benching one of his top veteran forwards, showing that nobody is guaranteed a spot in the lineup.
According to Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today, Kreider has been dealing with an achy back, but is healthy enough to play.
The 33-year-old has recorded 11 goals, one assist and 12 points in 30 games while averaging 17:26 minutes.