Top prospect Chris Kreider skips senior season to join New York Rangers in playoffs-NHL News
Top prospect, Chris Kreider, has been promoted by the New York Rangers to join the main squad by foregoing the first of his three-year entry level deal the management awarded to him recently.
Rangers confirmed to have agreed to Kreider’s terms and signed the contract without disclosing the terms and value of the deal.
The team has facilitated the player to skip the mandatory senior season he needed to spend at Boston College before becoming pro.
He will join the Ranegers before the start of their first-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators by the end of this week.
He will burn the first year of his contract by joining the squad for practice on Wednesday, April 11, 2012. However, it is not certain that he will be playing the game against Senators.
Rangers are playing the Ottawa Senators for the Eastern Conference quarterfinals and there is no confirmation from either side that the player will be a part of the team for the game.
A former NHL scout, who is privy to the development process of the player at Boston College, has spoken high of the player’s talent and skills.
He said:
"I think he can help. He's got NHL speed and NHL-level puck-pursuit ability and he gives you another dimension with that speed that pushes opponents beyond their comfort level."
He added:
"He hasn't played an NHL game, but he's a quick learner and it's another asset and weapon that the coaching staff can use. He might help the team out in one game and that could put them over the hump in the series. I'd certainly like him in my arsenal."
Recently, Kreider helped Boston College team to win the title of Saturday’s Frozen Four Championship. The team beat Ferris State University in the final held in Tampa on Saturday, April 07, 2012.
His signing brings the total number of collegiate players taken on board by Rangers this year alone to four.
Other players were Carl Hagelin, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan. The main difference between their signings and Kreider’s is that they had more time to adapt to the changed conditions and requirements of the professional league.
Yet the team remains confident about Kreider’s ability and the management has already posed their confidence into him by taking him directly into the professional squad.
Some commentators believe the opportunity for playing in the playoff environment, which is more competitive phase of the league, presents the player with a great challenge as well as an opportunity to prove his mettle.
Although the player will face some difficulties in adapting to the challenging conditions in which the postseason games are played, he with more focus and concentration can overcome them and make his place in the squad permanent, they said.
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