Montreal Canadiens make their move with new one-year signing
Montreal Canadiens have brought Chris Kreider back into the fold, agreeing to a one-year contract with the experienced forward for the 2026-27 season.
Kreider’s return comes after a single season with the Anaheim Ducks, where he remained a productive presence throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Chris Kreider returns to Montreal on one-year deal
The 35-year-old featured in 75 games for Anaheim last season, recording 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points. He also finished the campaign with 34 penalty minutes.
His contribution on the power play was particularly notable, with Kreider scoring eight goals in those situations to rank second among Ducks players.
Kreider also reached the 20-goal mark for an eighth consecutive season during the campaign. He recorded the 600th point of his NHL career on November 30, 2025, in Chicago.
The forward now joins Montreal with 958 NHL games under his belt. Across spells with the New York Rangers and Ducks, he has accumulated 632 points, including 348 goals and 284 assists.
Kreider originally entered the NHL after the Rangers selected him 19th overall in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft. He spent 13 years with New York before moving to Anaheim in June 2025.
His career-best season came in 2021-22, when he recorded 52 goals and 77 points, including 26 goals on the power play.
Kreider’s career numbers also place him among the NHL’s leading goal scorers. His 348 goals rank 15th in the league, while his 124 power-play goals put him 10th.
The Canadiens will now have Kreider back after his year in Anaheim, with the left winger set to continue his NHL career in Montreal on a one-year contract.
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