Public enemy No. 1 in Montreal is coming to play for the Canadiens.
Forward Chris Kreider signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens, the team announced Saturday afternoon.
Kreider, 35, became an unrestricted free agent when 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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
Fan awkwardness aside, 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.
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.
It was 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.
The Canadiens have been searching for a top-six forward all summer, and the Kreider signing essentially punts that search down the road. Adding Kreider for one year was the only way this made sense, and the bonus structure means the $2.15 million average annual value fits easily under the salary cap without necessitating a corresponding move.
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’s speed and hard forechecking style should be an excellent fit on that line, and he has a long history of producing strong play-driving numbers on the wing.
There may be some question as to whether Kreider can continue playing that way in his age-35 season, but the one-year term mitigates that risk.
Price, who is entering the Hall of Fame, will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony at the Bell Centre on Nov. 10.