Kreider has been average during the preseason and might have played himself off of New York's roster. “A lot of players are close but really haven’t shown me they can play at this level on a consistent basis,” head coach Alain Vigneault said. “There are still guys [with a chance] who are going to play [against the Kings] but they have to play better.”
Granlund collected eight points (2-6=8) in 27 games with Minnesota this season. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound native of Oulu, Fin., recorded 28 points (10-18=28) in 29 games with the Aeros this season and added two points (1-1=2) in five playoff games.
Kreider was a minus-1 in 8:23 in Game 1.
Gudas recorded his second career NHL goal on Wednesday. He had two goals and three assists 22 games with Tampa Bay.
Granlund recorded just one goal and one assist with a minus-2 in his last eight games. Minnesota is limping into the playoffs right now, so they are looking for a spark.
Brian Boyle was injured Tuesday.
Granlund is not fantasy relevant this season.
Trouba had 12 goals and 17 assists (29 points) in 37 games as a freshman at the University of Michigan.
Granlund scored six points (1-5=6) in 19 games with Minnesota this season and registered a goal in his NHL debut vs. Colorado on Jan. 19. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound native of Oulu, Finland has recorded 28 points (10-18=28) in 29 games with the Aeros this season.
Kreider had a strong run in the playoffs last season posting five goals and two assists in 18 games. With his play in the playoffs the Rangers were expecting more out of him this year. He has just two goals and one assist in 17 games.
Kreider has 19 points in 42 games in the AHL this season. He had two points in 11 games with the Rangers earlier in the season.
The highly touted Finn and 2010 first-round pick had been scratched in four of the past eight games and needed to get playing. He hasn't scored a goal since opening night and had six points in 19 games.
Granlund has all of the potential in the world but has hit a rut similar to what we've seen with other rookies in this shortened season. The best case scenario would be for Granlund to spend some time in Houston playing instead of playing limited minutes with the Wild, where he won't be producing. We aren't downgrading Granlund for keeper league status, yet, but all yearly league owners should have Granlund dropped until he shows some signs of life.
With Kreider going back to the AHL this basically guarantees Rick Nash will be suiting up tonight.
No word on if Kreider will go if Nash can play or if he will suit up anyways. It's unlikely that Kreider will find himself at the forefront of the Rangers' offense on Sunday.
Howard needed the break and Mrazek is a good play vs. the Wild at home as they haven't been finding the net as much as expected prior to the season.
Kreider has 1 G, 1 A and +2 in 7 games this season.
This will mark Mrazek's NHL debut. He is 16-7-1 with a 2.26 GAA and .916 SV%, so if he can translate those numbers into the NHL he could prove to be a great backup to Jimmy Howard. However Howard is a workhorse so his backup will likely not see much action. And when Jonas Gustavsson returns from injury Mrazek will likely return to the AHL.
Granlund has struggled to start his NHL career. He is still only 20 years old and is tremendously skilled. He will find his groove eventually but for now he is only valuable in deep keeper leagues until he gets back into the lineup and starts scoring.
