With the 2026-27 National Hockey League regular season just two weeks from opening, the free-agent market has already thinned out fast. Most clubs have plugged their holes, and the names that drew the biggest buzz have either stayed put or moved on to new teams. Still, a few intriguing options remain, and Chris Kreider is one of them.
For the Edmonton Oilers, the challenge is cap space. They no longer have quite as much room as they did right after the Darnell Nurse trade, but general manager Stan Bowman could still make a modest addition before training camp if the right deal comes along.
Kreider is available without an NHL contract this week, and at 35, he’s not in position to command the same money he once did. He just came off a 7x$6.5 million deal, so any new agreement would likely need to come at a steep discount or be built around bonuses if he wants to keep playing NHL hockey for another year or longer.
The appeal is easy to see. Kreider scored 22 goals last season while averaging only 12:40 of ice time per game.
Eight of those came on the power play, and that’s not a role he’d be likely to win in Edmonton. Even so, his 6'3" frame could be useful around the crease if Zach Hyman ever needs a breather or time to recover.
And 14 even-strength goals from a player used in that kind of limited role is the sort of production plenty of teams would welcome.
There’s also a fit argument from Kreider’s side. If he lands in a lower-lineup role, it could work in his favor too.
In real dollars, he already gave up about $4 million when he and the Anaheim Ducks mutually agreed to part ways. A smaller workload might help him make some of that back while giving a team’s bottom six a real boost.
The numbers don’t suggest he’s a burner at this stage, but NHL Edge data showed he was still able to keep pace with younger linemates Leo Carlsson and Beckett Sennecke last season. And even if the wheels slow a little more, his shot should keep him dangerous. Kreider’s career shooting percentage sits at 15.1%, the exact same mark as Connor McDavid’s.
Bowman would still have to make the money work, but Edmonton would be a better team with Kreider in the mix.
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