The Montreal Canadiens made the surprising move of signing free agent Chris Kreider on Saturday night. It is hard to imagine Kreider, who has been a franchise villain for well over a decade, as a member of the Canadiens.
However, it was a smart move by general manager Kent Hughes and one that absolutely makes the roster better today than it was earlier in the week. With a move like this, though, comes a ripple effect throughout the rest of the roster as some players benefit from this addition while others might not have the role they were expecting.
With that in mind, these are five players who are likely to be impacted the most by the addition of Chris Kreider.
Oliver Kapanen
The big winner of this addition, in my opinion, is Oliver Kapanen, as he had an up-and-down rookie season that leaves plenty of questions entering this season. He finished the regular season of his rookie season with 22 goals and 15 assists but struggled down the stretch with five goals and two assists in the final 27 regular season games.
Kapanen's struggles carried over into the playoffs and he was a healthy scratch for a majority of the Canadiens playoff run.
Entering training camp, Kapanen once again will need to compete for that center spot on the second line. If he is able to win it, then playing on a line with Ivan Demidov, who they already showed incredible chemistry, but a veteran like Kreider could be the best thing for him early in his career.
Alex Newhook
The player most impacted is Alex Newhook, who was entering training camp and was expected to be on the wing opposite Ivan Demidov on the second line. Newhook was coming off an incredible playoff run with seven goals and three assists in 19 playoff games.
However, with Kreider now expected to be opposite Demidov on the second line, this creates a little more uncertainty for Newhook. The Canadiens essentially have two options for the forward going into training camp and will need to determine where he fits best.
The first is the obvious one, and the most likely, and that is him moving down to the third line and playing with some combination of Phillip Danault, Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier, Josh Anderson, or Jake Evans.
Another potential option would be to have him move inside to center on the second line, and in that scenario, he would be competing with Kapanen. However, the Canadiens are going to likely give Kapanen every chance to win that spot, and Newhook is probably a better fit on the wing.
Zachary Bolduc
Zachary Bolduc probably now has the widest possible outcomes after the addition of Chris Kreider, as he is still a restricted free agent and looking for a new contract. The addition of Kreider really limits Bolduc's chances of having an expanded role this season, and he is looking at a bottom-six spot now.
Does this change Bolduc's desire to sign a long-term deal? Could he consider signing an offer sheet elsewhere? Do the Canadiens now consider including him in a trade to add a big-name star?
At this point, all options seem to be on the table for the young forward, but time is running out with training camp beginning in just a few days. If the Canadiens are able to re-sign him, he will be fighting for a spot on the third line, but it is a crowded group.
Owen Beck/Florian Xhekaj
The addition of Kreider now gives the Canadiens 12 forwards under contract, with Zachary Bolduc still unsigned. If the Canadiens bring back Bolduc, that gives them 13 and likely doesn't leave a roster spot for prospects like Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj.
Both players were expected to be competing for that final roster spot during training camp, and it was probably a coin flip between the two. However, unless there is an injury during training camp, both are almost certainly going to begin the season in Laval.
The addition of Chris Kreider was a great move for the Montreal Canadiens this close to the 2026-27 season, but it does change expectations for several players entering training camp.
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