The Montreal Canadiens landed a player nobody expected them to land, and that alone says plenty about where this team sits now.
When Chris Kreider and the Anaheim Ducks mutually terminated his contract, the assumption was that he’d head back east. He’s a Massachusetts native, he played at Boston College, and most of his career was spent with the New York Rangers.
A return to New York was floated by fans, though there were no reports indicating he seriously considered it. The early buzz pointed toward playoff teams, with Boston getting plenty of attention because of Kreider’s ties there and the Philadelphia Flyers also mentioned.
Instead, he chose Montreal.
That’s the twist. Kreider didn’t end up with the club people expected, and he certainly didn’t end up with a team that’s ever been on friendly terms with him.
If there’s one franchise that has a deep grudge against Kreider, it’s the Canadiens. The memory that still hangs over that matchup is Kreider barreling into Carey Price in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.
Clearly, some things are bigger than rivalries.
The fit matters because the Canadiens are no longer trying to prove they belong in the conversation. They were in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and they were two series away from winning Canada’s first Stanley Cup since 1993. This is a young roster, and a lot of the core is locked in long term, which is why the expectation around the team has been rising.
Still, plenty of people saw Montreal as a year or two away. The Carolina Hurricanes remain strong.
The Tampa Bay Lightning still have star power. The Florida Panthers are expected to bounce back with Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk returning to full healthy, along with the addition of Brady Tkachuk.
Kreider doesn’t sound like someone buying the “wait a little longer” version of the Canadiens.
He signed a one-year deal worth almost half of what he was making in Anaheim, and that contract choice speaks loudly about what he thinks of Montreal’s chances. He also brings exactly the kind of playoff production contenders lean on.
Kreider has 50 career playoff goals, and last season he posted seven points in 12 playoff games for the Ducks. He’s no longer a point-per-game scorer, but he still brings value, especially on the power play.
Whether Kreider is right about the Canadiens is something that will play out later. But his decision says something important right now: players on the outside are looking at Montreal differently.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Former Canadiens Pick Had An Alarming Moment Overseas
Alex Galchenyuks start with Spartak Moscow has already drawn attention back home, and not just because the former Canadiens forward is producing right away in the KHL. In his second game with the club, he picked up another assist and continued to settle into a new role overseas, giving Montreal fans a reminder that there is still some skill there even after a winding career path.
The unsettling part came during Spartaks win over SKA St. Petersburg, when Galchenyuk left the game with a visible eye injury after taking a slap shot in the face area. He stayed upbeat afterward, but the moment was a jarring one for a player who was later recognized by the club following the victory, and it adds a fresh layer of concern to an otherwise encouraging beginning in Moscow. [Read more 🡒]