Canadiens Sign Chris Kreider to One Year Deal
Montreal adds the 35-year-old winger days after Anaheim placed him on waivers for the purpose of contract termination.
Chris Kreider is a Canadien. Montreal announced a one-year contract with the 35-year-old winger on Saturday, days after the Anaheim Ducks placed him on waivers for the purpose of contract termination.
The deal carries a $2.15 million average annual value, according to sources, with a bonus structure that could push his earnings toward $5 million if he hits each of his conditions.
Kreider reunites with Martin St. Louis, his former New York Rangers teammate and now the Canadiens' head coach.
Anaheim's decision to move on was about money. "Our rationale here is straightforward: We needed to create salary cap flexibility, and this accomplishes that," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement, in which he also thanked Kreider for his professionalism through the process. The Ducks matched an offer sheet for Leo Carlsson earlier this offseason at $18 million per season, and Cutter Gauthier, who led Anaheim in goals and points last season, is due for a new contract.
Kreider had one year remaining on the seven year, $45.5 million contract he originally signed with the Rangers, a deal with a $6.5 million AAV.
He has played 958 NHL games, almost all of them in New York, and has reached 20 goals in 11 of his 14 seasons. Last season he put up 50 points, including 22 goals, in 75 games, then seven points and two goals in 12 playoff games.
Montreal fans know him for a different reason. In the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, Kreider collided with Carey Price on a breakaway, and the knee injury cost Price the rest of the series. The Rangers went on to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final last spring before losing to Carolina, which went on to win the Cup.
