Yes but what do you do with him? You can give him third line minutes as a rookie but you're still running into the whole problem of the size and length of the contracts that you already gave your top 2 LWs. I don't think they're bad contracts because they're both good players,
even if Kreider is a dirty goalie-running freak
and the contracts are both a little big, but you've got them both for the next 6 years and you're not moving either of them so how do you fit three talents into two spots?
I think that trading out of #1 to 2 or 3 and taking Stutzle or Byfield is the definition of looking beyond 20/21; your 2C is Ryan Strome who isn't great and only has a year left on his deal, and Byfield and Stutzle both project to be top centers. Byfield in particular is big, strong and skilled, he's still only 17 albeit for a few more days, I think that if you can trade #1 to LA for #2 and a good prospect then it makes sense in all sorts of ways.
Kreider-Price: 2014.
Price-Kreider: 2015:
https://twitter.com/MarcPDumont/status/654839044527013889 Moving on, the only NYR with goon in him might be Brendan Lemieux (son of Claude). Kreider's no Nazem Kadri, or Tom "I'm just playing physical" Wilson, or Antoine Roussel, let alone that dbag Marchant.
While Byfield's a legit argument, I'm going to count on the Ranger brass to address the center/defense issue down the road (the NYR LW/ Jets DT argument be damned)--this kid's playmaking vision is just too intriguing imho. Just spitballing: taking SFD's Kreider to RW into consideration, why not Panarin whose game can be more 'east-west' fluid. If they do trade the pick to the Kings and tab Byfield so be it; I'm just going partially on emotion and hoping they don't.
