The New York Rangers announced on Sunday that Chris Kreider is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. UPDATE: Chris Kreider (upper body, day-to-day) will not play today. — NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) January 5,

The Rangers ruled out Chris Kreider for Sunday’s game against the Blackhawks and the forward is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

That hadn’t been the case recently, though, at least not to most folks’ memory. Not until Peter Laviolette left the 33-year-old Kreider out of the lineup that faced the Devils on Monday, in the Rangers’ final game before the NHL’s holiday break.

Currently, we're in the middle of an NHL roster freeze. The New York Rangers are in the middle of a freeze themselves, but that one stops them from playing well

His natural hat trick in the third period gave the Blueshirts an improbable Game 6 win at Carolina to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

Things somehow keep getting worse and worse for the New York Rangers. On Sunday, fresh off of a loss to the Metropolitan Division leading Washington Capitals on Saturday night, the Rangers announced that one of their top forwards will be out of the lineup today as he deals with an injury.