Chris Kreider’s next move could put the Colorado Avalanche on the board if they want to take a swing.
The 35-year-old forward is heading toward free agency after news broke that the Anaheim Ducks and Kreider will be mutually terminating his contract. That instantly turns a former 50-goal scorer into one of the more interesting names available, and Colorado should at least check the price.
There was already buzz that Anaheim might trade Kreider, but his $6.5 million cap hit apparently proved too steep for the teams in the market. Now that he can choose his own destination, the equation changes.
He wants to return East, according to the report, and he will not report if claimed somewhere he does not want to play. But if the market opens up, the Avalanche have to be part of the conversation.
The fit is easy enough to imagine. Colorado is in win-now mode, and Kreider still brings a real scoring punch. He could land on the third line with Nic Roy and Jaden Schwartz, and he’d also give the Avalanche another option if injuries force them to shuffle the lineup.
The harder part is the money.
Kreider’s cap hit was $6.5 million, though he is actually owed $5 million in real money this season. He already collected a $1 million signing bonus this summer, which means he would be walking away from $4 million if the contract termination goes through.
That’s where the Avalanche would have to get creative. A deal similar to the one they have with Brent Burns could be the template. Because Kreider is 35, an incentive-laden contract could make sense, especially if he were willing to take a league-minimum deal and let incentives make up the rest of what he’s giving up in Anaheim.
Kreider has said he prefers an East Coast team, so Colorado would not be his first obvious stop. Still, if there’s a real chance to chase a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche, it would be hard to ignore.
For Joe Sakic and Colorado, this looks like the kind of low-risk move that could turn into something much bigger. It would require interest from both sides, and it might mean squeezing someone out of the lineup. But the Avalanche are in a spot where they can’t afford to leave options unexplored.
Kreider may be one of those rare chances that simply shows up. The Avalanche would be wise to at least look.
In Other News...
Avalanche Roster Watch Just Got More Interesting As Camp Nears
The NHL media tour is underway, and Gabe Landeskog is front and center for the Colorado Avalanche as camp creeps closer. It is the kind of late-summer stretch when roster chatter starts to matter again, and around the league there is already no shortage of storyline fodder, from contract talks to sudden openings created by moves elsewhere.
Quinn Hughes added another wrinkle by saying he is not feeling pressure to rush his negotiations with the Minnesota Wild, while Chris Kreider is back on the market after mutually ending his deal with the Anaheim Ducks. Kreider is said to be looking toward an Eastern destination, with his old team in New York not seen as a likely landing spot, and those kinds of twists are the sort that can keep an Avalanche watch list a little more crowded than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Ilya Nabokov Could Force A Fast Avalanche Goalie Shakeup
Ilya Nabokov has become a name to watch in Colorados goaltending picture, and not just because of his long-term upside. The 23-year-old prospect is now in the conversation as a player who could put real pressure on the Avalanches current setup, with Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood already part of a situation that is tied closely to performance, roster planning and cap management.
For a team trying to keep its books and its crease in order, Nabokovs progress matters on multiple fronts. If he pushes hard enough for an NHL job, the Avalanche may have to make some quick decisions about how they want their goaltending depth arranged, and whether the current mix can survive a strong enough showing from a young prospect who is starting to look like more than just a future option. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche First Rounder Just Revived A Familiar Colorado Debate
Tyson Jost is getting another crack at an NHL roster spot, this time on a Professional Tryout Agreement with the Nashville Predators as training camp opens. For a player once taken in the first round by the Avalanche, it is the latest stop in a career that has already stretched across several teams and 564 regular-season games, a reminder of how much promise, patience and persistence can shape a long NHL path.
For Colorado fans, Josts next step inevitably brings back an old conversation about draft pedigree and what a team is really buying when it spends premium capital on a young player. He is now trying to turn a camp invitation into a contract in Nashville, leaving the familiar Avalanche debate right where it has lingered for years - in the space between what was expected and what actually developed. [Read more 🡒]