The Rangers and Ducks are working on a trade to send Chris Kreider to Anaheim, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
The deal is in advanced stages and involves the Rangers receiving a prospect and a draft pick, sources said, while the Ducks would take on the final two years of Kreider's contract, which pays him $6.5 million annually. That would create cap flexibility for the Rangers heading into free agency on July 1.
The deal could be done as soon as Wednesday but requires Kreider to waive his trade protection, sources said. Kreider has a 15-team no trade list and, according to sources, recently added Anaheim to the list. But he could be open to joining a team that features former Rangers in Jacob Trouba and Ryan Strome.
Daily Faceoff was the first to report on the potential of a Kreider-to-Anaheim deal.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury has been looking for ways to shake up his roster after missing the playoffs, continuing a trend that began early in the season when Drury traded team captain Trouba to Anaheim. The Ducks, meanwhile, and general manager Pat Verbeek are looking to take big swings to move forward and make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Last month, Anaheim hired three-time Stanley Cup champion Joel Quenneville as its coach. Quenneville is the second-winningest NHL coach of all time.
Kreider, 34, has played his entire 13-year career with the Rangers, who drafted him in the first round in 2009. He is the Rangers' all-time playoff leader in goals, power-play goals and game-winning goals. Kreider has 326 career goals and 582 points in 883 regular-season games.
He took a step back in production this season, with 22 goals and eight assists in 68 games. The veteran forward, one of the best net-front presences in the NHL, revealed in April that he dealt with several health issues during the season, including back problems and an illness that led to him experiencing vertigo. Kreider also said he battled through a hand injury that he suffered in the first game after the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he competed for Team USA. He said the hand injury may require offseason surgery.