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.
