Also, unless it's as the centerpiece in a deal for Taylor Hall or Leon Draisaitl and the 4th overall, I'll scream bloody murder if Kreider is traded.
A few years ago we had a few guys that could've competed for the absolute fastest skater in the league.
Hagelin
Kreider
Gaborik
2/3 are already gone.
Pittsburgh won The Cup with dominating possession numbers, but that's not because they always had the puck; it's because they had the speed and energy to always go take it back.
After being bounced in 5 games, they started off the season looking like a joke. Hagelin (speed) & Sullivan / the coaching change (commitment to team philosophy, commitment to team-defense, and commitment to getting the puck back).
Pittsburgh outshot and outchanced their opponents all playoffs. Speed kills. So does the mentality of "get everything to the net" when an entire team is on the same page, committed to it.
More than "fixing the defense" or any one thing, this team needs speed and heart/hustle/energy.
Trading Kreider is going backwards even further, unless it's for an elite talent. Even with his inconsistent production, he has the skillset (size, speed, strength) to take over and dominate shifts. If he ever puts it all together, he could score 40 & 40 but even if he doesn't, he's still a very valuable multi-dimensional asset as is.