Chris Kreider’s first day at Montreal Canadiens training camp brought the kind of update Rangers fans probably saw coming from a mile away: he was on the top line.
Kreider opened camp Thursday on the right side with center Nick Suzuki and left wing Cole Caufield, a setup that gives Montreal the veteran scoring touch it wanted when it added him just before camp. The Canadiens were looking for a top-six forward, and Kreider fits that bill while also bringing the kind of playoff résumé that stands out immediately. His 48 playoff goals are the most in Rangers history.
The line placement also helps Montreal avoid leaning too heavily on its best offensive names in one spot. With Kreider up top, Juraj Slafkovsky moved down to the second line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. That gives the Canadiens a little more balance across their forward group.
Kreider was also seen working on tip drills in front of the net during practice, which is no surprise to anyone who watched him with the Rangers. That crease work has long been part of his game, and NHL.com stats expert Chris Meaney noted that Kreider has the most tipped-in goals since entering the league in 2012-13, with 100 - 33 more than the player in second place.
For the Rangers, the optics are familiar and a little painful. They’ve already watched former players find quick postseason success after leaving, with K’Andre Miller winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes last season and Niko Mikkola and Vladimir Tarasenko doing the same with the Florida Panthers in 2025. Kreider could be next.
Montreal’s push this season has real momentum behind it after a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Canadiens upset the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres before running into the Hurricanes, and the result made one thing clear: the roster still needed another veteran piece to help push it forward.
Kreider lands in a spot that could work well for everyone involved. Skating beside Suzuki and Caufield gives him a chance to thrive, and if that line clicks, Montreal will have a better shot at staying in the mix all season and into the playoffs.
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Rangers Leave One Big Future Question Hanging Over Gabe Perreault
The Rangers have been careful not to let contract chatter spill into public view, especially when it comes to young players whose futures matter to the organization. General manager Chris Drury has said he would not discuss any contract conversations publicly, and that approach has left the team's plans around extension-eligible players in a bit of a gray area as the front office continues to balance the present with the next wave of talent.
Gabe Perreault fits squarely into that conversation, even if the details are still being kept close to the vest. There has been plenty of outside interest in how New York will handle its young core, but so far the club has not given any public indication of movement on Perreault's situation, which keeps one of the more interesting future questions hanging over the Rangers as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
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Former Rangers First Rounder Just Took The Next Step Away From New York
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Now he is expected to be in the Flames training camp this fall, with a spot on the NHL roster still to be earned. If he does not win one, the likely fallback is another stint with the AHL Wranglers, a reminder that the former Rangers first-rounder is still trying to turn promise into a permanent place in the league. [Read more 🡒]