Montreal Canadiens Sign Veteran Winger Chris Kreider

The Montreal Canadiens added more depth to their forward group on Saturday by signing veteran winger Chris Kreider to a one-year, $2.5 million and bonus-laden contract.

The one-year deal between the Canadiens and Kreider includes up to $3.25 million in performance bonuses.

The 35-year-old forward was placed on unconditional waivers by the Anaheim Ducks for the purpose of contract termination on Wednesday in an effort to clear salary space. Kreider cleared waivers on Thursday, making him an unrestricted free agent and eligible to sign with any team. Kreider, via his agent Matt Keator, had made it clear to the other 31 NHL teams that he wanted to move back to the Eastern Conference, where he played the first 12 seasons of his 14-season NHL career with the New York Rangers after being drafted 19th overall  in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. 

Chris Kreider, and a 2025 fourth round pick were acquired by the Anaheim Ducks on June 12, 2025 in exchange for center Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick. The Boxford, MA native and former Boston College star had a bounce-back season as he scored 22 goals to go with 28 assists in 75 regular season games. He followed that up with two goals and five assists in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games as the Ducks made the postseason for the first time since the 2017-18 NHL season. In 14 NHL seasons, Chris Kreider has 348 goals and 284 assists in 958 regular season games and 50 goals and 33 assists in 135 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He has scored at least 20 goals in eight consecutive seasons.

Before mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with the Anaheim Ducks, Kreider was heading into the final season of a seven-year $45.5 million contract that carried a $6.5 million salary cap hit. Excluding the potential $3.25 million in peformance bonuses, Kreider is giving up $4 million base cap earnings.

Chris Kreider also has connections to the Montreal Canadiens in former New York Rangers general manager and current Canadiens President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton, Canadiens head coach Marty St. Louis, who played with Kreider in his rookie season with the Rangers, and Canadiens Director, Sports Medicine, Performance and Head Athletic Therapist, Jeff Ramsay, who was the head Athletic Trainer for the Rangers during Kreider’s tenure in New York.