Canadiens are a better team after signing Chris Kreider without losing anything
What a steal.
Not only was Canadiens general manager Ken Hughes able to acquire Chris Kreider on Saturday, he was able to sign the 35-year-old winger to a one-year contract worth only US$2.15 million, with another US$3.125 million in possible performance bonuses, according to Puckpedia.
Hughes didn’t have to give up any assets to get Kreider, who became a free agent after the Anaheim Ducks placed him on waivers Wednesday for the purpose of contract termination — with Kreider’s permission. Kreider had one year left on that contract with a $6.5 million cap hit.
The Ducks couldn’t afford to keep Kreider for salary-cap reasons after matching the Philadelphia Flyers’ five-year, $90-million offer sheet for 21-year-old centre Leo Carlsson that carries an annual salary-cap hit of US$18 million.
Kreider, a 6-foot-3, 232-pound left-winger, had 22-28-50 totals in 75 games last season with the Ducks, which would have ranked sixth on the Canadiens behind Nick Suzuki (29-72-101), Cole Caufield (51-37-88), Lane Hutson (12-66-78), Juraj Slafkovsky (30-43-73) and Ivan Demidov (19-43-62).
Over the last five seasons, Kreider has scored 171 goals, which ranks 22nd in the NHL. His 66 power-play goals during that span — including eight last season with the Ducks — rank seventh in the NHL. In 2021-22 with the New York Rangers, Kreider scored 52 goals, including 26 on the power play.
Kreider has a history with Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and head coach Martin St. Louis, which certainly played a role in his decision to come to Montreal after 14 seasons in the NHL. Gorton was GM of the Rangers for six seasons when Kreider was there and St. Louis was Kreider’s teammate in New York for the last two seasons of his Hall of Fame playing career. Kreider also has a close relationship with Jim Ramsay, the Canadiens’ head athletic therapist, who spent more than 28 years with the Rangers before joining the Canadiens three years ago.
Kreider spent 13 seasons with the Rangers after they selected him in the first round (19th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft. The Ducks acquired the Massachusetts native in a trade last summer.
Without giving up anything except money, Hughes has acquired a top-six forward with size, experience and offence. The Canadiens still remain US$7.63 million under the NHL salary cap after signing Kreider, who will likely play on the second line with the 20-year-old Demidov. While Kreider might not be on the Canadiens’ first power-play unit, he can certainly help the second unit.
Kreider will be the oldest player on the Canadiens after 34-year-old Brendan Gallagher was traded to the Vancouver Canucks this summer.
Canadiens fans will remember Kreider for crashing into Carey Price in Game 1 of the 2014 Eastern Conference final when he was with the Rangers, knocking the goalie out of the series with a right knee injury that eventually led to the end of his career. The Rangers went on to win that playoff series in five games and Kreider was booed every time he returned to the Bell Centre after that.
But Price said in an interview with The Gazette last year that he didn’t personally hold a grudge against Kreider.
“I don’t harbour any animosity towards him,” Price said. “It was just a play and it was the playoffs and it was kind of a quick play. I definitely don’t harbour any ill will towards him.”
Going hard to the net is a big reason why Kreider has scored 348 goals in his NHL career.
It will be interesting to see if Canadiens fans are now willing to also forgive Kreider.
They really should.
Kreider makes the Canadiens a better team and the cost of acquiring him was minimal.
