I'm not saying Noob > Kreider in terms of potential. But it is just a fact that when you have 10 forwards and 4 defensemen on a minor league team outscore a top prospect, something went haywire.
To say that he's not doing well in Hartford because it's a bad offensive team incapable of creating offense is just false. It is an above average offensive team, as good as any other squad in the AHL. The Whale's problem is that they are the worst defensive team in the league (not counting Talbot), but that doesn't prevent Kreider from succeeding offensively.
Everyone likes to cite that he did well in the WJC. Do you realize that the quality of his line mates in the WJC was significantly worse than what he has in Hartford? So it wasn't his line mates who are the problem, it's that he doesn't get to beat up on Latvian and Italian semi-pros who are already out of hockey, probably working as store clerks somewhere.
And no, what he did in the NHL playoffs is NOT more important than the rest of his career. He's proven before (in various tournaments) that he can hold his own for a few games, but never for long stretches. Nobody doubts that he can be good for a dozen games or so. The question is whether he can hold it up over the course of a full season.
Kreider is not ready for the NHL. He may not have been ready for the super-charged AHL when he was there. But now that all the NHLers and half the borderline guys have left the AHL, he might have an easier time down there. Kreider needs to go back and learn how to be a pro.
I'm still hopeful he can develop into a 25-25 or even 30-30 player, just not at the age of 21.