On December 28, 2017, Chris Kreider was shutdown for an indefinite amount of time after a blood clot was discovered in his right arm. That was right around when the decline of the 2017-18 New York Rangers began, and management publicly announced their plans of rebuilding. Nearly two months passed before a much lighter Kreider was allowed to return to game action and he came roaring back with 15 points in the final 21 games of the season.
Despite missing 24 games, Kreider was able to reach the 37 point mark and it was fairly evident that his presence was missed during those two months.