Chris Kreider signs one-year deal with Montreal Canadiens
Veteran NHL forward Chris Kreider, 35, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens, days after the Anaheim Ducks moved to terminate his contract by placing him on waivers.
From the Ducks to the Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced on Saturday that the club has agreed to terms with forward Chris Kreider on a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season, according to NHL.com.
The signing came after The Athletic (The New York Times), citing anonymous sources, reported on September 9 that the Anaheim Ducks planned to place Kreider on waivers in order to terminate his contract — a decision described as mutually agreed upon by both the club and the player. Once the transaction was finalized, Kreider became an unrestricted free agent, giving him a say in choosing his next team.
A season in Anaheim
The Ducks had acquired Kreider along with a 2025 fourth-round draft pick from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick, after Rangers general manager Chris Drury sought to shed the winger's cap hit.
In 2025-26, Kreider played 75 games for Anaheim, recording 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) and 34 penalty minutes, with eight power-play goals — second-best on the team, per NHL.com. The Athletic notes that after a hot start (nine goals in his first nine games), his production fell off sharply: he went 15 games without a goal at one point and scored just once in his final 19 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he scored the series-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers but managed only one more goal across 12 postseason games.
Career milestones
Kreider recorded the 600th point of his NHL career on November 30, 2025, in Chicago, and reached the 20-goal mark for an eighth consecutive season. Since debuting in 2012-13, he has played 958 NHL games and totaled 632 points (348 goals, 284 assists), the bulk of them — 326 of his 348 goals — coming over 13 seasons with the New York Rangers. His 348 career goals rank 15th in the NHL since his debut, and his 124 power-play goals rank 10th. Kreider set career highs in 2021-22 with 52 goals and 77 points. A Boston College product from Boxford, Massachusetts, he was selected by the Rangers 19th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft.
The Ducks' decision to part ways with Kreider is tied to their salary-cap situation: the team reportedly needs room to sign leading scorer Cutter Gauthier, coming off a 41-goal season, whose camp turned down a four-year, $13 million-AAV extension offer. Anaheim's cap has also been squeezed by matching Leo Carlsson's offer sheet, extending defenseman Pavel Mintyukov at a higher rate than planned, and signing free agents A.J. Greer and Nick Jensen. Because Kreider's seven-year Rangers contract saw his salary decrease over its term, the Ducks were only on the hook for $5 million in 2026-27 and had already paid him a $1 million signing bonus.
