Sunday, May 8, 2011

Chris Kreider Doesn't Think He Is NHL Ready Yet


Chris Kreider has been pretty clear that he wants to be an impact player when he comes into the NHL and not just another player on the ice.  At times during the 2011 IIHF World Championships Kreider has looked like he could be that player as soon as this coming season.  The problem is that has been against the lesser competition and against the NHL caliber players he has struggled.  The Rangers are still trying to convince Kreider to sign this summer, but according to Arthur Staple of Newsday Kreider seems set on going back to Boston College.
"I don't feel like I'm ready for the NHL," the Rangers' 2009 first-round draft pick told Newsday by phone from Kosice, Slovakia, where he's playing for the U.S. team in the World Championships. "Another year [at Boston College] can't hurt."

Kreider thinks what's best for him is to stay put. "The view I take is, if I'm there, I need to be ready and feel confident in my game," he said. "Whether it's trying to make the team out of camp or being the next guy called up from the minors, I have to be ready or they'll just go with someone else. I don't feel I'm there yet."
It is certainly possible that Kreider could make the adjustment from college to the pro level as smoothly as Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh did this year, but both Stepan and McDonagh showed more consistency in college than Kreider has to this point.  It is very encouraging to see Kreider want to be that kind of impact player and not, at least to this point, be swayed by the amount of money he could make as a professional.  Another year at Boston College is likely the best thing for him so he can dominate at that level before moving on to the professional ranks.