Chris Kreider’s next stop could be one of the offseason’s stranger twists, and the Winnipeg Jets have at least been floated as a team that might try to jump in.
Anaheim’s move on the veteran winger is tied to a tight cap situation. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Ducks are expected to put the 35-year-old on waivers so the two sides can mutually terminate his contract. That would need Kreider’s approval and would send him into unrestricted free agency.
The squeeze in Anaheim comes after the club matched Philadelphia’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson. That leaves the Ducks with about $9 million in space, and they still have to sort out restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, who scored 41 goals last season.
Kreider, meanwhile, still has something left in the tank. He’s coming off a 50-point season, and that production is enough to make him more than a name on a waiver wire.
For Winnipeg, that matters. The Jets have been looking for the kind of depth scoring Kreider can still provide, and they can also sell him on something else: a real shot at a championship.
That pitch could be the club’s best card. Winnipeg has not always been an easy sell for outside free agents, but Kreider is in the back nine of his career, and the Jets could argue that their roster gives him the best chance to win a Stanley Cup. That case could get even stronger depending on what comes back in a Connor Hellebuyck trade, if that return turns out to be as promising as expected.
The obstacle is Kreider’s own plan. Friedman has said the Boxford, Massachusetts, native wants to return to the East and be closer to family, and he reportedly would not report to training camp if he were claimed by a team he didn’t want to play for. Right now, the Boston Bruins are viewed as the favorite, thanks to his ties to the area and his college days at Boston College.
If Winnipeg can persuade him that winning outweighs location, and if the money works, Kreider would give the Jets a legitimate scoring jolt. The former 50-goal scorer would fit the exact need Winnipeg has been trying to fill.
It’s still a long shot, but Anaheim’s cap crunch has opened the door. In a league that never stays predictable for long, Kreider could wind up as one of those late-summer surprises, with Winnipeg at least in the conversation.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Pressure Is Only Growing For The Jets
Connor Hellebuycks trade situation has only gotten trickier for Winnipeg, with the Jets continuing to work the market while trying to line up a deal that fits a goalie of his caliber. The ask is complicated not just because Hellebuyck is a major name, but because his preference is tied to finding a place where he can win, which naturally widens the list of possible destinations and makes the process harder to map out.
Even so, the pressure is on the Jets to get something significant done, and the challenge has only grown as the trade landscape has shifted around them. A deal that may have looked workable earlier no longer has the same shape, and with the situation still unsettled, Winnipeg is left waiting for the right club and the right package to line up at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Fans Suddenly Have A New Chris Kreider Question
Training camp is getting underway in Buffalo, and there is no shortage of moving parts for the Sabres, from rookie Konsta Helenius to new arrival Olen Zellweger. But the larger organizational question hangs over the rest of the offseason: Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has asked for a trade, and Buffalos front office has stayed engaged in the pursuit while keeping an eye on its own cap flexibility and roster fit.
Chris Kreiders sudden availability only adds another layer to the picture. After mutually terminating his deal with Anaheim, the veteran winger is now a free agent, and Buffalo has the space to at least consider the fit if the market goes in that direction. The challenge for the Jets side of the equation is that the landscape around any Hellebuyck deal has shifted, and the pieces discussed earlier in the summer are no longer all on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Blue Line Plans May Be Bigger Than This Depth Move
The Hurricanes kept a familiar depth piece in the fold by bringing back Mike Reilly on a one-year, two-way deal, a modest move that still matters for a club trying to keep its blue line organized for another run. Reilly got into 42 games last season and was part of the organizations championship picture, enough of a footprint to make his return more than just a camp body signing.
But the re-signing also sits against a much larger backdrop, with Carolina still being mentioned in connection to goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and with Alexander Nikishins future drawing attention around the league. For Winnipeg, that kind of buzz is worth watching because it suggests Carolina may be thinking bigger than simple maintenance on defense, and the next move could say a lot about how aggressive the Hurricanes plan to be. [Read more 🡒]