Peter Laviolette Reveals Why The Rangers Decided To Bench Chris Kreider

Peter Laviolette made Chris Kreider a healthy scratch against the New Jersey Devils.

The decision, more or less backfired as the New York Rangers suffered an abysmal 5-0 loss at the Prudential Center.

Following the game, Laviolette was asked about why he decided to bench Kreider and was straight to the point with his answer.

“It was just a lineup decision,” Laviolette said. “We just need more.”

It was assumed that Laviolette was trying to send a message by benching a player of Kreider's magnitude. That may not have been the case though.

“If I have messages for the rest of the room, I'll tell them myself,” Laviolette said.

Laviolette did not get into the specifics of his conversation with Kreider, but emphasized that it wasn’t easy.

“At the end of the day, we're not playing a brand that we need to play in order to be successful,” Laviolette said. “He's a guy that we count on to help deliver that. For me, those conversations aren't easy, but that's the decision that I made today.”

This season hasn't been without controversy for Kreider. He’s been the subject of many trade rumors and continues to see his role diminish.

The 33-year-old has recorded 11 goals, one assist and 12 points in 30 games while averaging 17:26 minutes.