Forward Chris Kreider signed a one-year, $2.15 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens after the Anaheim Ducks terminated the final year of his deal. The 35-year-old veteran winger arrives in Montreal following a season where he scored 22 goals and 50 points across 75 regular-season games.
Forward Chris Kreider signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens, the team announced Saturday afternoon.
Kreider, 35, became an unrestricted free agent after he and the Anaheim Ducks mutually agreed to terminate the final year of his contract. He was placed on unconditional waivers Wednesday and had his contract terminated once he cleared on Thursday. He had one season remaining on the seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) he signed with the New York Rangers on Feb. 24, 2020. Kreider had 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) in 75 regular-season games and seven points (two goals, five assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season, his first with the Ducks after being traded by the Rangers for forward prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on June 11, 2025. In 14 NHL seasons with New York and Anaheim, Kreider has 632 points (348 goals, 284 assists) in 958 regular-season games and 83 points (50 goals, 33 assists) in 135 playoff games. He has scored at least 20 goals 11 times, including a career-best 52 in 2021-22, tied with Adam Graves for second-most in a season for the Rangers behind the 54 by Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06.
Contract Terms and Salary Cap Impact
According to multiple league sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss contract details that aren’t public, Kreider will make $2.15 million plus performance bonuses that could make the contract worth $5.4 million. The modest average annual value allows the contract to fit easily under the salary cap without necessitating a corresponding move.
It was Leo Carlsson’s massive $18 million-a-year offer sheet, signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and ultimately matched by the Ducks, that made Kreider a cap casualty in Anaheim.
Overcoming History at the Bell Centre
Kreider has been consistently booed at the Bell Centre since the 2014 Eastern Conference final when he collided with Canadiens goaltender Carey Price in Game 1, knocking Price out of the series. The Habs lost their starting goalie for the remainder of the campaign, they lost the game 7-2 and they lost the series in six. Price, who is entering the Hall of Fame, will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony at the Bell Centre on Nov. 10.
Despite the complicated past, personal connections steered Kreider toward Montreal. Kreider’s decision came down to three teams, league sources said, with Montreal winning out due in part to his comfort level with St. Louis and history with Gorton. Kreider was with the New York Rangers in 2014, where he was a teammate of now-Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. Current Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton was an assistant general manager on that team before taking over as Rangers general manager one year later. In 2020, Gorton signed Kreider to the contract that was just terminated by the Ducks.
Filling a Top-Six Void for Montreal
The Canadiens have been searching for a top-six forward all summer, and the Kreider signing essentially punts that search down the road. Kreider joins a Canadiens team which finished third in the Atlantic Division last season (48-24-10) and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. Following a deep playoff run that included edging out the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres in seven-game series before falling to Carolina, the addition of a seasoned veteran provides a proven scoring punch.
Presuming Kreider slots in at left wing on the second line, likely alongside Demidov and either Alex Newhook or Oliver Kapanen, Zack Bolduc and Kirby Dach would be prevented from competing for that spot, at least to start. Kreider brings a skill set the Canadiens were lacking in their top-six forward group. He scored 22 goals and 50 points in just over 17 minutes a game with the Ducks last season, his eighth consecutive season scoring at least 20 goals. He scored 22 goals and 50 points, finishing sixth on Anaheim in scoring and fourth in goals, while also averaging 17:03 of ice time in 75 games last year.
The Canadiens have a hole on the second line opposite Ivan Demidov that Kreider should help fill, though he is unlikely to get the same power play usage he grew accustomed to in New York and even last season in Anaheim, where only Leo Carlsson played more among forwards. He notched 22 goals and 28 assists in 75 games, while ranking second on the team with eight power play goals. He tallied three points in a 5-2 Game 6 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, helping the franchise clinch a series win for the first time since 2017.
Following 13 years with the New York Rangers, the Northeast-born Chris Kreider was traded to the Anaheim Ducks last offseason, and fans have a couple weeks to sort out their feelings before Chris Kreider and the team take the ice at the end of the month.
Worth a look
