Tremendous tools--------------- say tremendous tool. speed. And why would you take on a huge project with your 1st round draft pick?
Speed, size, strength, and a decent shot. He's also a very underrated passer. He's one of the few forwards we have this season that will actually win a board battle.
Why would you pick a project with a 1st rounder? For the potential payoff, obviously. Kreider has tremendous upside. Also, the kid was the 19th overall pick, not a can't miss Top-5 pick. Plenty of picks in the second half of the first round bust.
Just look at his comparables, Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole. He's pretty much bang-on their development curves, at least in terms of PPG. Pacioretty broke out in his 4th pro season, Cole in his 6th. Kreider's only in his 3rd year right now. The intelligent thing to do is be patient with him.