Kreider being moved would still be a shock, as many felt his inclusion in the memo was a tactic to scare a veteran core into playing better -- one that hasn't worked, for the record. Kreider has three years left on his contract, with a $6.5 million average annual value, and a 15-team no-trade list.
An NHL executive texted me recently to ask, "Chris Kreider for Brad Marchand ... who says no?" Once you hear it, you can't stop checking boxes for why that would make sense, from the infusion of competitive tenacity onto the Rangers to the Bruins getting a younger local product under contract beyond this season. The kind of trade proposal that makes you fall in love with trade proposals all over again.