The trade of Chris Kreider Thursday to the Anaheim Ducks was jarring, no doubt, given that Kreider was the longest-tenured Rangers player, and the franchise’s third-leading all-time regular season goal-scorer, and No. 1 all-time playoff goal-scorer.

But the move had certainly been expected, ever since that memo from GM Chris Drury to the rest of the league listing Kreider and then-captain Jacob Trouba as on the trading block leaked back in November.

As soon as the Rangers’ miserable 2024-25 season was over, Drury had a long summer to-do list to try and get them back into the playoffs next season. Job No. 1 was addressing the coaching situation, which he did when he fired Peter Laviolette two days after the season ended, and two weeks later hired his dream coach, Mike Sullivan.

Trading Kreider was Job No. 2. Drury needed to get as much of Kreider’s $6.5 million salary cap hit off the books as he could, to create room under the salary cap to sign his 11 restricted free agents, and maybe bring in a player or two to freshen up the roster. Anaheim took the entire hit, and sent the Rangers a promising 20-year-old prospect, Carey Terrance, plus a pick swap that gives them an additional third-round pick in this month’s draft.

In his introductory Zoom call with the Anaheim media, Kreider – who revealed he had surgery to repair a broken hand he suffered during the season – said Drury had been open with him about his desire to move him. Kreider acknowledged the Ducks were on his 15-team no-trade list, but gave Drury the go-ahead to talk to Anaheim, and was willing to waive his no-trade clause after doing his due diligence, including talking to former teammates Jacob Trouba, Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano as well as Trevor Zegras, a Westchester County native who is one of his training partners in the summer.

Still, he admitted, leaving New York, where he said he “grew up,’’ was difficult.

“I think I probably went through the spectrum – anger, sadness, grief, whatever you want to call it – but I keep on arriving at gratitude, for how I was treated, the opportunities I was given, for the connections I was able to make, the friendships, the experiences I was able to have,’’ he said.

“I spent a childhood in the Boston area, went to school there, but I feel like I came into adulthood in the City of New York, became a man, and matured and grew up, started a family. A lot of emotions, but at the end of the day, just so much gratitude and appreciation.’’

With Kreider gone now, Drury can get on with all the other business he’s got to take care of.

First, there are all those restricted free agents who need new contracts, the most notable being defenseman K’Andre Miller, and wingers Will Cuylle, Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom. Miller, Edstrom, Zac Jones, Arthur Kaliyev and Matthew Robertson have arbitration rights.

With the cap space he now has – between $15 million and $17 million available under the NHL’s $95.5 million cap for 2025-26 – Drury should probably get to work signing some of his RFAs, and not risk having them sign offer sheets with other teams. Cuylle, who built on a solid rookie season with an even better second year, might be a target for an offer sheet, as might Rempe and/or Edstrom.

There were also reports that the Rangers had put Miller’s name out there as being available for trade, so maybe now would be the time to take care of that, before free agency begins July 1. That way, when the free agent signing period begins, Drury would know what the roster needs, and how much money he has available to spend.

There’s also the decision about what to do with their first round pick in the June 27 NHL draft. The Rangers traded the pick to Vancouver as part of the J.T. Miller deal, and Vancouver moved it to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline in the deal to get Marcus Petterson. The pick is No. 12 overall, but was top-13 protected, so the Rangers have the option to keep it, and give the Penguins their first rounder in 2026 instead.

The thing is, no one can predict where next year’s pick will be. If the Rangers have a bounce back year under Sullivan – and remember, they’ve had great first years under their last two new coaches, Gerard Gallant and Laviolette – they could make the playoffs, advance in the playoffs, and next summer’s pick could be in the 20s. (Or, in a best-case scenario, No. 32, if they win the Stanley Cup!)

But if they end up being as bad as last season or worse, then next year’s pick could be a lottery pick again, and what if it ends up being No. 1?

The Rangers have to let the Penguins know 48 hours before the draft if they are keeping the pick or handing it over.

Getting back to K’Andre Miller for a minute, is it really prudent to trade a 25-year-old defenseman entering his prime who is clearly the second-best defenseman on the roster? Especially when your team is thin on quality left-handed defensemen and is trying to find a suitable partner for Adam Fox on the top pair?