MONTREAL — Chris Kreider is heading to Montreal after the Canadiens agreed to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season, the team announced on Saturday. The deal is worth $2.15 million and could reach $3 million with bonuses, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, adding a veteran scorer on a short-term commitment.
The 36-year-old native of Boxford, Mass., skated in 75 games last season and registered 22 goals and 28 assists, extending a streak of at least 20 goals in every season since 2017-18. He enters the season at 958 career games with 348 goals and 284 assists, putting the 1,000-game milestone within reach with Montreal. The Canadiens are adding that veteran presence to a roster coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Kreider spent last season with the Anaheim Ducks after 13 seasons with the New York Rangers, where he built the bulk of his career production. Anaheim waived him for the purposes of contract termination on Wednesday in an effort to ease its salary-cap crunch, clearing the way for him to hit the market.
His move to Montreal also revisits a long history at Bell Centre. Kreider has been booed in Montreal since colliding with Carey Price during the 2014 playoff series between the Rangers and Canadiens, a collision that resulted in a knee injury that kept Price out for the remainder of that spring.