Chris Kreider has never played in an NHL game before, but the New York Rangers decided to go with him in Monday’s important playoff contest. With their first round series tied at 1-1, Kreider is taking the roster spot vacated by the suspended Carl Hagelin.
Kreider was selected by the Rangers with the 17th overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He spent the 2011-12 campaign with Boston College and recently won a national championship with them. He agreed to terms with the Rangers last week.
It’s worth noting that, according to Boston College’s men’s hockey twitter feed, Kreider is the first player in 25 years to participate in an NHL playoff game and win an NCAA title in the same season.
In his first shift, Kreider played with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik. Clearly they feel comfortable giving Kreider a fair amount of responsibility, even in a high pressure game like this one.