A case is starting to take shape for Chris Kreider and the Canadiens, and Renaud Lavoie is making the fit sound awfully hard to ignore.
The TVA Sports reporter laid out the connection in a full column, and he didn’t leave much room for doubt about where he thinks Kreider belongs. His view was blunt: the Canadiens would be better with him, and that alone should make Montreal take a serious look.
"If Chris Kreider joins the Canadiens, he'll make the team better.
So tell me with a straight face why they should pass on him?"
- Renaud Lavoie
That’s the core of the discussion. Whatever the circumstances around Kreider, the simple basketball-card version of the move is easy enough to understand: he improves the roster right now.
The fit goes beyond the numbers, too. Kreider already knows Martin St-Louis, Jeff Gorton and therapist Jim Ramsay well, which would make the transition smoother if he lands in Montreal. There’s also the detail that he reportedly asked Canadiens players during a game two years ago to trade for him, a telling little anecdote that adds another layer to the story.
On the ice, the production is still there. Kreider put up 50 points last season, with 22 goals, and that came at age 35.
The timing matters as well. The Canadiens’ training camp opens on September 16, and this could be settled before that date arrives. Since his contract was bought out by the Anaheim Ducks, Kreider is free to choose his next team, and Kent Hughes has reason to stay locked in on the situation given the urgency on Kreider’s side to get something done.
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Canadiens Just Settled One Summer Decision Fans Were Watching
A busy summer in Montreal took another turn when the Canadiens locked up Zachary Bolduc on a four-year deal worth $4.2 million, according to Elliotte Friedman. Bolduc arrived in last offseasons trade and quickly gave the organization enough reason to keep him in the fold, adding to a roster that has already seen Chris Kreider come aboard as part of an active stretch of team-building.
The move clears one item off the Canadiens to-do list, even as another remains unresolved. Restricted free agent Arber Xhekaj is still without a contract, leaving at least one more summer decision hanging over the club as it tries to sort out the next layer of its depth and identity. [Read more 🡒]
Kent Hughes Just Won Big In The Chris Kreider Sweepstakes
Chris Kreiders path to Montreal opened up because Anaheim was not willing to pay the price some teams were seeking to absorb his contract. Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast that interest in taking on the deal came with a hefty ask, with clubs seeking first- or second-round draft compensation from the Ducks before they would step in.
Pat Verbeek would not attach that kind of asset to move the money, and the Ducks instead terminated the deal. That left Kent Hughes and the Canadiens in position to sign Kreider as a free agent without surrendering anything in return, a tidy bit of business for Montreal in a market where cap space and draft capital usually come at a premium. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Kreider Changes Everything About How The Canadiens Are Viewed
Chris Kreiders arrival gives Montreal a different kind of weight entering the season, not just because he brings playoff mileage, but because he clearly views this group through contenders eyes. After leaving the Anaheim Ducks, he landed with the Canadiens on a one-year contract and instantly changed the way the organization is being discussed around the league, with his experience and track record adding a layer of credibility to a team trying to reestablish itself among the Easts better clubs.
The surprise is as important as the signing itself. Kreider had been tied more often to Boston and Philadelphia, so Montreal was not the destination many expected, especially for a player with his background and the kind of market interest he generated. Instead, the Canadiens got the player who believes they can chase a Stanley Cup, and that alone says something about how far this roster has come and how it may be viewed going forward. [Read more 🡒]