The Montreal Canadiens may have spent the last 20 years viewing Chris Kreider as a villain, but that history is now colliding with a very real roster need.
The Anaheim Ducks placed Kreider on waivers for contract termination, and that alone should have Kent Hughes and the Canadiens paying attention. Kreider has been linked to a desire to head back East, and suddenly the player many Montreal fans remember for all the wrong reasons is sitting there as a possible answer to one of the team’s biggest offseason questions.
The memory that still sticks is the 2014 incident with Carey Price. Canadiens fans have not forgotten that Kreider might have cost Montreal a Stanley Cup when he slid into Price and caused the knee injury that ended the goalie’s playoffs.
That moment has lingered for years. Now, though, the same player who was once viewed as a nightmare for Montreal could end up helping them.
There are two paths if the Canadiens want to get involved. They could claim Kreider on waivers, but that would mean absorbing his contract, which carries a $6.5 million AAV and has one year left. There is also the issue that Kreider has already said he will not report to a team he does not want to play for.
If he clears waivers, the situation shifts again, because then Kreider becomes an unrestricted free agent. That would not make life easier for Montreal. Even at 35, and coming off a 50-point season, he would draw interest around the league.
From a hockey standpoint, the fit is obvious. Montreal has been unable to land a true Top 6 upgrade this offseason, with free agency offering little and the trade market not giving them much to work with.
Kreider does not solve the center issue, but he would give the Canadiens more size up front and some physical presence. He is not as punishing as he once was, but at 6'3", he would still rank among the bigger forwards on the roster.
He also gives Montreal something it has been chasing: a real shot at adding another proven scorer who could help now. Kreider may be hoping to win a Stanley Cup at this stage of his career, and the Canadiens could be one of the few teams that offers that possibility along with Top 6 minutes. One possible fit would be beside Ivan Demidov on the wing, with Alex Newhook moving inside to center.
If Montreal does make the move, there will be plenty of fans wrestling with what it means to bring in the player tied to that 2014 memory. But if the Canadiens are the ones lifting the Stanley Cup this season, that old wound might not disappear - it could just finally be forgiven.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Chris Kreider Option Worth Debating
Chris Kreiders availability has changed the conversation for Montreal in a pretty meaningful way. Instead of needing to engineer a trade to get him out of New York, the Canadiens can now consider a straight free-agent signing, which opens the door to a shorter-term add that would not cost them assets. For a team still shaping its forward group, that kind of flexibility matters, especially when the player in question brings a track record of scoring, playoff experience and a heavier style that can play in more than one type of game.
The fit is easy to see from Montreals side because Kreider checks a lot of boxes the Canadiens have been missing at different points. He could provide a useful layer of immediate help without forcing a long-term commitment, and his physical presence would give the roster a different look. The unanswered part is whether Montreal sees enough value to move quickly on the idea, or whether this stays one of those tempting options that makes sense on paper but never quite reaches the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face One Big Kirill Marchenko Trade Problem
Kirill Marchenkos name has quietly entered the trade conversation around the Blue Jackets, and that is enough to make the market worth watching for Canadiens fans. Columbus general manager Don Waddell has said he is willing to listen if teams come calling, even if he is not actively working the phones on a deal right now. Montreal has been mentioned as one of the clubs with interest, alongside the Islanders, which is no surprise given how hard it can be to find young scoring help without paying a premium.
The problem is the price tag and the type of return Columbus would actually require. Waddell has made it clear that any move would have to bring back a roster player who can help replace Marchenkos offense, and that is where the fit gets tricky for Montreal. Canadiens analyst Pierre McGuire has also expressed skepticism about whether the sides line up, saying he does not see a realistic match between what Columbus would want and what Montreal would be willing to part with. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Risk A Costly Distraction With Martin St. Louis Unsettled
Martin St. Louis has become one of the most important steadying forces in Montreal, and that matters even more now that the Canadiens are trying to turn their young core into a legitimate playoff group. His work behind the bench has been a big part of the development arc for key players, and the teams progress has made it harder to imagine the next step coming without some continuity at coach.
Still, the contract situation hanging over St. Louis adds a layer the Canadiens do not need as they try to keep moving forward. With a roster built around growth and internal belief, Montreal would be wise to settle the coaching picture before the next season becomes a backdrop for questions about his future. The Canadiens have enough to manage on the ice without letting uncertainty become part of the story around their bench. [Read more 🡒]