TAMPA — For all that’s gone on in and around the Rangers this season, Chris Kreider may have had one of the toughest rides.
The stout winger finally returned on Feb. 22 from a two-month absence because of a serious blood clot and rib resection surgery, coming back with a slightly different physique and a fresh perspective on his hockey career. Then in his seventh game back, a 5-3 throttling by the Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday night, he took a hit to the head and did not return after the first period.
“Medical staff kept him off for precautionary reasons,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “He passed the test, but they didn’t want to take any chances.”
Already Kreider has been through a tumultuous campaign, returning to a team that was dismantled before the trade deadline and left with a roster that was hardly recognizable.
“It’s weird just because I was out for so long and I come back and it’s a completely different team. Even my family commented, ‘I don’t know anyone in the green room anymore!’ ” Kreider told The Post on Thursday morning. “It’s just so much turnover. It’s nothing I’ve ever been a part of. We’ve always added, so it’s very different. It’s kind of inherent to the sport and the profession — there’s always change, just a matter of when, not if.”
It might be inherent to the sport, but it was foreign to the Rangers since Kid Chris hopped onto the scene in the spring of 2012, a nervous 20-year-old just two days removed from winning a national championship with Boston College. The only other holdovers from that team are Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello, and for the first time in seven years, just making the playoffs is a long shot.
“It’s amazing how fast it all goes,” Kreider said.
Speaking of fast, that’s exactly the one word Kreider had used to describe how he felt since returning, having lost more than 20 pounds as a result of the surgery. He was still unsure if this is the weight he wants to stay at, but as of now, he said he can’t see why he would go back to carrying that extra load.
“Physically, I feel the best I’ve ever felt,” he said. “I’m still pretty big and pretty strong, between 215 [pounds] and 220. No need to be 240. I’m not playing every Sunday. I’m playing every other day. So just call this a trial period and see how it goes.”
The rehab from the surgery was a grueling process, as first Kreider had to regain feeling in his arm, which went numb during a game Dec. 27 and, because of the nerves involved in the procedure, mostly remained that way until well after the surgery. That nerve involvement is likely what led the medical staff to be so cautious Thursday night.
But Kreider did fight his way back, first regaining strength and mobility, and when he finally started skating, there were times it felt like he was relearning the game all over.
“It was kind of cool, frustrating at first, but kind of cool,” Kreider said. “When I first starting skating, it felt like I never stickhandled in my life. And then I could see material improvement every time, like over the course of that individual skate.”
There is a bit more rehab for Kreider to do over this summer, and the hope was that this setback Thursday was not going to be anything long-term. He’ll turn 27 on April 30, and he has two more years left on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $4.625 million, with unrestricted free agency waiting.
And despite all of the changes to the Rangers that have already occurred, and more that might come this summer, Kreider was happy just to be back to playing hockey.
“It’s something that’s eye-opening, and you have to appreciate it and enjoy it,” he said. “It took a lot of hard work to get here. Nothing is really given in this league.I’m not going to kick my feet up and appreciate it, but hopefully be grateful for the opportunity to work hard and continue to get better.”
And the Rangers hope he can resume that work sooner rather than later.