Chris Kreider is officially an unrestricted free agent after he cleared waivers, and he is now free to sign with any team he wants. While Kreider has a rocky relationship with the Montreal Canadiens from his time with the New York Rangers, he would be a perfect fit for what the team needs and an upgrade going into the season.
It certainly wouldn't be the addition that anyone really expected, but it makes sense on a number of levels. Here are three reasons why Canadiens fans should love the idea of signing Chris Kreider.
Top 6 upgrade without having to trade any assets
The first is that Chris Kreider would be an immediate upgrade for their Top 6, and he could play up on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to move Juraj Slafkovsky down to a line with Ivan Demidov. The other option is to have him on the second line with Demidov, but in either situation, it helps the Canadiens.
While Kreider's season total in goals has gone down over the past few seasons, from 52 in 2021-22 to 22 in each of the past two seasons, it has been more due to him taking fewer shots. Over the past five seasons, he has stayed around 15% in shooting percentage, and it is clear that when given the chance, he is still highly effective.
The best part of a move like this is that it won't cost the Canadiens anything, as their only path prior to Kreider being a free agent was in a trade. Now, at this stage of his career, Kreider is not a long-term solution or be confused with Kirill Marchenko. However, as a short-term fix on a one- or two-year deal then it makes perfect sense.
Delivers in the playoffs
Any move the Montreal Canadiens make is with the end goal in mind of not only reaching the playoffs but also making a run at a Stanley Cup. Chris Kreider has yet to win one in his career but that hasn't necessarily been due to him or his performance in the playoffs.
Over 11 seasons between the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks, Kreider has appeared in 135 games and has 83 points (50 goals, 33 assists). Even at this point in his career, he is still playing at a high level, with seven points in 12 games with the Ducks.
If he were to sign with Montreal, he would not be expected to have to carry the offense and in fact, he might not even be their Top 3 forward with Suzuki, Caufield, Demidov, and Slafkovsky already on the team. However, a veteran like Kreider, who has plenty of playoff experience, would be an excellent secondary option and be a boost for this team.
Size and physicality for their forwards
This is another point that really impacts the playoffs more than anything, but against the Carolina Hurricanes, it was clear that the Canadiens were out-muscled. They need to add a little more size up front, and Kreider certainly would be able to bring that.
At 6'4", he is not afraid to make a hit with 1,662 hits in his career, but that number has gone down over the past few seasons. He also is not afraid to crash the net, as Canadiens fans unfortunately know all too well from his hit on Carey Price back in 2014.
A decade later, Kreider still can do those things and make that impact for this Montreal team. The on-ice fit makes a lot of sense and is something that Kent Hughes has to seriously consider now that Kreider has cleared waivers.
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