Observations:

August 2014 – Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers have agreed to a two-year contract and avoided arbitration on July 23. He will earn 2.35 million for this coming season and 2.60 million in 2015-16. He is due to a massive breakout season next year, if he maintains his top-six spot on the Rangers. Jozsef Kurtosi

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May 2014 – In his second NHL season, Chris Kreider scored 17 goals and 37 points in 66 games. In March he broke his hand causing him to miss 18 games. Kreider’s return from the injury has impacted the Rangers greatly as the team rung off three straight wins and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. His speed, size and finishing ability makes Kreider a dangerous player and gives the Rangers good scoring depth. He is a threat on every shift when he plays. His speed is extraordinary and could be the best in NHL. Besides his point production, his 72 penalty minutes and 146 hits makes him very intriguing option in multicat leagues next year. Jozsef Kurtosi

January 2014 – Kreider’s pro career has now come full circle in his second full season, yet still has more upside. His current 30 points put him just shy of a 50 point pace for the season. His two shots per game, positive rating and better than penalty minute per game pace, make him a very solid LW in roto leagues now and in the future. His positive 14 rating leads the Rangers and so does his six tallies while on the man advantage. The Rangers have a solid team on paper, but leave you wanting more production, Kreider will be a key player in evening out the organization to how they should be preforming on the stat sheet. Jason Banks

March 2013 – Rich Dillion mentioned Kreider’s well-known struggles early this year and hit the nail on the head with his discussion on his ‘need’ for AHL seasoning. The Rangers eventually assigned him and now we have seen a glimpse into what may be the turning of the tide for him. For eight games in early March, Kreider reeled off six goals and averaged over three shots-per-game for Connecticut. Tortorella and management recalled him looking to inject new life for team that is much better than it has shown. The short AHL stint has not translated back into NHL production yet, but it shows that the talent we all witnessed in last year’s playoffs is very much still in him. He is still likely to bounce down to the ‘farm’ after the deadline as the Rangers are looking for more forward depth. Jason Banks

January 2013 – Kreider has really struggled in his rookie pro season, where he has posted a meager 12 points in 33 AHL games when most people expected him to excel. After the lockout, Kreider was given a top-six position and failed to record a point in his first three games and landed in the press box for the fourth. He needs to find his game, and that is more likely to occur in the AHL than in the shortened NHL season. Rich Dillon

May 2012 – Kreider is quickly shooting up draft lists for next season. Chris scored his fifth playoff goal in his NHL career today. Tortorella has shown large faith in him to handle regular minutes and has been rewarded. Jason Banks

April 2012 – Kreider has fit in perfectly as the Rangers start their Stanley Cup charge.  Debuting in Game 3 of their opening series against Ottawa, he has three points in his first seven NHL games, with both goals counting as game winners. The Rangers have shown quite a bit of confidence in him, putting him in all types of high pressure situations.  With examples such as being on the ice during the last thirty seconds of the Game 7 win vs the Senators, and being trusted with important powerplay minutes, the 2012 playoffs seem like a sign of good things to come. Dan Turner

February 2012 – Returned to Boston College for his junior season, and has grown as a player and taken on a leadership role for the Golden Eagles. Kreider has power forward size, with the skill of a smaller player. More of a scorer than playmaker, but seems a sure bet to be a top-six forward, as soon as next season. Rich Dillon

Fantasy Outlook: A-

His size and speed all but guarantee Kreider will get plenty of opportunity to succeed. Top six forward with first line potential, average hockey sense is the only thing that could hold him back.

Footage:

First career Hat trick.

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Launches an absolute ROCKET!

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Kreider learns about Twitter at the Upper Deck rookie Bootcamp.

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Chris Kreider shows his skill:

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