Chris Kreider Has Made Progress

[Johnnydollaz89]

Chris Kreider ranks tied for second in the NHL in points by a rookie with 18 (8 goals and 10 assists) and has gotten his 18 points in six fewer games than the players he is tied with.
Kreider is emerging as a serious threat to win the Calder as Rookie of the Year and is becoming one of the NHL’s most immovable forces from in front. (NY Post).
Dave Maloney said, after Kreider’s hat trick against Vancouver, that Kreider makes a lot of good little plays and that while the headline will be the Hat Trick, the little things Kreider does like creating space, using his size and speed are what make him effective.
Joe Micheletti added, “Kreider has improved in every area. He is hitting, skating, fore-checking, scoring, setting up plays and it’s been impressive.”
Rick Nash, via the Rangers, said “Kreider has all the skills to be an All Star in this league.”
Corey Pronman, who has had questions about Kreider in the past, wrote at ESPN Insider, that Kreider has turned a corner and is finally starting to fulfill his potential.
Pronman spoke with Rangers Director, Player Personnel Gordie Clark who said that Kreider’s progress has been “quite evident” and that the biggest obstacle for Kreider in his career was his need to learn how to play defense and play away with the puck.
Maloney said before the Rangers played the Caps, “Chris’s game has become a full game. He is firm on the puck, get into position and gets the puck to the net. He is doing all the things to create room for himself.”
After scoring to tie the game in the third period against Calgary, Kreider said that he is trying to get to the net on every shift and create opportunities from there.
Derek Stepan told Dave Maloney after the Calgary game that Kreider is a big part of his success and Benoit Pouliot said that Kreider is doing what he needs to do and using his size and speed to score goals.
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Behind Nash, he has become our second best forward. Finally playing like the power forward he was drafted to be. Using his size more, dishing out hits, using his body to protect the puck more, looks much stronger on the puck. Love what i've seen out of him.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Props to Kreider, I recall a lot of people saying he was a bust during the preseason. I myself thought they should call up JT Miller over Kreider this season. He's really lived up to his potential so far this season. Good for him.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Props to Kreider, I recall a lot of people saying he was a bust during the preseason. I myself thought they should call up JT Miller over Kreider this season. He's really lived up to his potential so far this season. Good for him.

Well it helps when he actually has a coach who has faith in him, not like Torts who was mis-using him with the constant up and down and the line swapping. AV put him in a role to succeed and he's done that thus far. He's only going to get better from here on out.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

True, coaching change was very important. Torts was ruining him with the way he was using him or not using him.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

True, coaching change was very important. Torts was ruining him with the way he was using him or not using him.

That he did, I mean AV had him up but then sent him back down to better condition himself and focus on other aspects of the game as well. But since coming back into the lineup, he is nowhere near the player he was last year, much better out there. Doing everything he is supposed to, kid can become a legit goal scorer in the future for us and still just 22 years old. I'm so happy I never lost faith in him, he just took time to get used to the NHL style of play and learning how to use his body more.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Little follow up on this.

"Ever since he's been back, he's been one of our more efficient players," coach Alain Vigneault said. "He uses his strength; he's a good skater, he's a strong skater, he could push the defense back and make them pay on the forecheck, and he's real tough to handle in front of the net. When he goes there -- he loves those tough areas -- he gets rebounds. He's been a real good player for us."

Even without the puck, Kreider imposes his will and his presence has pumped life into a team 24th in scoring (108 goals) and 24th in goals per game (2.39).

"You can't play the game without some level of intrinsic motivation, passion or whatever term you want to use to describe it," said Hartford coach Ken Gernander, who watched Kreider perform like he never wanted to see the AHL again. "It's not like where you check in, put in your time and you'll get rewarded. It has to be done passionately if you want to get results from it."

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