Chris Kreider has agreed to a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, the team announced Saturday. Contract details were not made public.
The 35-year-old forward became a free agent after the Anaheim Ducks terminated his contract Thursday. Anaheim placed him on unconditional waivers a day earlier, and he went unclaimed. He had one season left on the seven-year, $45.5 million agreement he signed with the New York Rangers on Feb. 24, 2020, which carried a $6.5 million annual average value.
Kreider’s Impressive Performance and Career Stats
Kreider produced 50 points last season, recording 22 goals and 28 assists in 75 regular-season games. He added seven points in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. It was his first season with the Ducks following a June 11, 2025 trade from the Rangers that sent forward prospect Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round draft pick to New York.
Over 14 NHL seasons with New York and Anaheim, Kreider has amassed 632 points (348 goals, 284 assists) in 958 regular-season appearances and 83 points (50 goals, 33 assists) across 135 playoff games. He has reached the 20-goal mark 11 times, including a career-high 52 in 2021-22, which tied for the second-most in a single season for the Rangers, trailing only Jaromir Jagr’s 54 in 2005-06.
Kreider joins a Canadiens team that finished third in the Atlantic Division last season at 48-24-10 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, where it fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. This acquisition could prove vital as Montreal looks to build off their successful season and make a deeper playoff run in the upcoming year.