Chris Kreider hopes he isn’t next moving piece as injury-filled season ends with a Rangers pitch

To say this season was a challenge for Chris Kreider would be an understatement.

Between a laundry list of injuries, being the center of a league-wide trade memo early in the year and the impact it all had on his on-ice contributions, the physical and emotional toll it took on the longest-tenured Ranger was evident as he fielded questions in front of his stall inside the locker room at MSG Training Center on breakup day on Monday.

The fact that it might’ve been one of his last times in there as a Blueshirt only made the air heavier.

“I mean, this is home for me,” said Kreider, who still has two years remaining on his contract with a 15-team no-trade list. “This is the organization that gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. I’ve developed so many incredible relationships and grown up and spent so much time in this area. So, obviously, this is where I want to be and this is the group I want to help in whatever fashion and win hockey games.”

Chris Kreider skates after the Rangers’ game against the Lightning on April 17.

Given the way this season unfolded for the Rangers, there is an expectation that big changes will be made.

Kreider was just one of several marquee players to underperform this season, finishing with his lowest point total since the 56-game 2020-21 season (22-8-30).

The 33-year-old gave some insight as to why on Monday.

Chris Kreider fights for the puck during the Rangers’ game against the Golden Knights on Feb. 2.

After spending the first half of the year trying to figure out his back problem, which he detailed in November as back spasms, Kreider came down with a “weird illness” that went to the inner part of his ear and caused vertigo coming out of the Christmas break.

Once he finally felt like he was back in a rhythm, Kreider suffered an injury to his left hand in the first game back from the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 22.

He has to convene with a hand doctor to see how to move forward, but it may require surgery.

“Third period, against Buffalo, late power play — it was 7- or 8-2 at that point,” he said of how he injured his hand. “Went to rim a puck and got a little pressure from behind, jammed it up and bone, tendon, muscle, bunch of different things. Got some pictures taken and tried to tape it up a bunch, play through it. Took a couple weeks off there and then I think I might need to do some stuff to fix it up next couple weeks.”

Since Kreider doesn’t have a full no-move clause like Mika Zibanejad or Artemi Panarin, the Massachusetts native is naturally the easier option to trade.

Chris Drury evidently already looked into it earlier this season, when it came out that the Rangers president and general manager specifically named Kreider — and ex-captain Jacob Trouba — in a memo to all 31 other GMs soliciting trade partners.

Kreider has maintained that it wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last time, but he still tried to show up and do his job to the best of his abilities.

Chris Kreider skates during the Rangers’ game April 17.

Several other players spoke about how the memo impacted the locker room, as well as the departures of Trouba and alternate captain Barclay Goodrow.

Kreider, who is part of the leadership group as an alternate, admitted that it was challenging to get through the loss of those two players.

“It’s part of professional sports, but, obviously, at a certain point it becomes somewhat of a distraction,” he said. “I’ve used the word multiple times, therein lies the challenge of dealing with that and showing up and doing the job to the best of your ability. Those are two guys that were massive leaders for us and a big part of our room. I just think there was this dynamic and it’s changing an environment like that.

“Not even to get into the personal relationships we all had, what good people they are, things that they did. Not just around the rink and for our team on the ice, but in the community. The positive impact that they had. Just two very good humans.”