Chris Kreider’s new level of ‘confidence’ propelling him to elite status

Jimmy Vesey has seen Chris Kreider from both sides now, returning following a three-year hiatus after playing the first three seasons of his career with No. 20 on Broadway.

“If there’s a difference, it’s confidence,” the Blueshirts’ Masterton nominee told The Post ahead of Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to Buffalo at the Garden. “Chris was always a good goal-scorer and was always good in front as a net-presence but last year was a big year for him.

“I think scoring 50 put him on another level with added confidence and maybe even provided some validation with how good he actually is.”

The culture of brand promotion has completely escaped Kreider, who deflects accolades as expertly as he does pucks around the net. Self-glorification is a foreign concept to the native of Boxboro, Mass., who is climbing the Original Six franchise’s all-time goal-scoring ladder, rung after rung after rung.

Entering play Monday, Kreider is linked with Rangers immortals at a career 265 goals in moving from 11th to fifth on the list, his 36 goals this year elevating him past Brian Leetch, Steve Vickers, Mark Messier, Camille Henry and, last week, Vic Hadfield. He trails only Rod Gilbert (406), Jean Ratelle (336), Adam Graves (280) and Andy Bathgate (272), all members of the Rangers’ royal family.

“That just reinforces the gratitude I have for this organization, the players I’ve had as teammates and the teams that I’ve been on,” Kreider, selected by the Blueshirts No. 19 overall in 2009, told The Post. “Individual achievements are always a product of your team, right?”

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Kreider has scored 88 goals over the past two seasons, seventh in the NHL behind luminaries Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin and Mikko Rantanen. The 36 he has recorded this year is eight more than his personal-best over his first eight full seasons.

If he hadn’t gotten 52 last year, his production would be hailed. Instead, the year has been perceived as somewhat of a letdown. That’s what happens when a bar is set that high. That’s what happens when there are still games in which Kreider doesn’t seem to make an impact if he is not scoring.

So I asked Kreider if he thought he’d had a good season. The question caught him by surprise. It is one of the select few of the thousands I have posed to him since he made his first appearance in the room ahead of the 2012 playoffs that evoked that response.

“You don’t think I had a good year?” he asked, without waiting for an answer to his rhetorical musing.

“I think I’ve had a good year,” he said. “I haven’t had those crazy heaters like I did last season but I think I’ve added value to the team.”

You have to understand. In Kreider’s world, these self-evaluations, albeit modest as possible, represent the equivalent of Rickey Henderson holding third base over his head while proclaiming, “I am the greatest of all time!”

When Kreider scored 52 last year, half came on the power play on which he had a shooting percentage of 39.4 percent, redirecting pucks brilliantly while screening netminders or playing just off the back post. This year, Kreider has only eight goals with the man-advantage though he has gone to the same spots and has had the same opportunities. Except this year, he has a shooting percentage of 13.1. This number seems like more of an aberration than last year’s.

“I think I’ve been a little bit snakebitten this year,” Kreider said. “I’ve missed a few pretty good opportunities on my own, but I know there have been pucks that would have gone in last year that haven’t this year. So I’m just staying at it.”

Vesey noted that Kreider’s portfolio has expanded with penalty-killing duties added while the Harvard product was gone. It took until last year with the hiring of Gerard Gallant as head coach for the now 31-year-old to get the chance.

“That’s what stands out to me on the ice,” Vesey said. “He’s got more responsibility, he’s on our top PK unit, he leads us in shorthanded goals. He plays a strong 200-foot game these days.

“It’s confidence.”

Kreider has four SHG’s this year partnering with Mika Zibanejad after getting the first three of his career last year.

“Penalty-killing is something I take a lot of pride in, but it’s a fairly easy job playing with Mika,” Kreider said. “It’s been a new challenge. It’s been fun.

“You add things, you learn more. Speaking to what Jimmy said, I hope I’ve gotten better while he was gone. I’ve grown as a person and a player.

“Or at least I like to think so.”

This will be Kreider’s eighth crack at the postseason. He’s been to the Cup final in 2014 and to the conference finals in 2012, 2015 and 2022. Personal accomplishments are the least of it.

“We have a humble group of guys here who are entirely invested in team success,” Kreider said. “It’s easy to stay in the here-and-now and day-to-day with the leaders, staff and coaches we have here. There’s only one objective.

“You asked me if I’m satisfied with the year and my part in it. There’s nothing to be satisfied with until you’re the last team standing.”