Canadiens, Chris Kreider Agree To Terms

The fit was speculated about since Kreider officially hit unrestricted free agency two days ago, and there’s on-ice sense to it. The 35-year-old is a significant middle-six improvement on the wing after a resurgent season in Anaheim, even if he’s not the second-line center the Habs are still eager to find.

Nonetheless, there will be shock. Kreider has long been one of the more vilified names among the Montreal fanbase. Way back in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, Kreider lost an edge on a breakaway as a result of contact with Montreal defender Alexei Emelin in Game 1 and caused a season-ending knee injury to star Habs netminder Carey Price as a result, robbing Montreal of one of its best chances at a Stanley Cup in recent memory.

Still, Kreider, who’s become increasingly injury-plagued in the twilight of his career, has started to hit his stride again. A disastrous 2024-25 campaign in New York limited him to just 30 points (22 goals, eight assists) in 68 games, the only time he’s averaged under half a point per game in a full season in his 14-year career. In an unfamiliar system in Anaheim, the goal-scoring stayed relatively sluggish, but his overall game saw improvement. He finished the year with a 22-28–50 line in 75 games, his sixth time hitting the 50-point mark. His 15.8% shooting rate was above career average as well, but he mustered only 1.85 shots on goal per game – also a career-low, excluding his 23-game run as a rookie with the Rangers in 2012-13.

Kreider can still munch minutes, having averaged 17:03 per night for the Ducks. He will undoubtedly get his fair share of power play time, although the Habs’ plethora of younger star power will likely keep him off the top unit. Where he slots in at even strength remains to be seen. There is an argument for him to get a look as the second-line left wing opposite of youngster Ivan Demidov, a role he held for several years in New York behind Artemi Panarin on the depth chart, but Alex Newhook’s strong 2026 playoff run may have earned him that job to start. It’s hard to imagine him slotting in any lower than a third-line role.

For now, the move doesn’t carry many salary cap implications for Montreal. They had $9.78MM in projected space to start the season before the signing, per PuckPedia, so they’ll still have a bit of clearance even if Kreider nets all his performance bonuses. They still do, however, need to re-sign RFAs Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj. If their combined cap hits exceed $4.63MM, Montreal could end up incurring a bonus overage penalty in 2027-28 if Kreider collects his maximum $5.15MM in compensation and the Habs aren’t smart about in-season cap accrual.