Chris Kreider Left A Lot Of Money On The Table To Join Canadiens
Turned Down $6.5 Million Elsewhere
When Anaheim terminated the final year of Kreider's contract, which still owed him $4 million, it briefly looked like a straightforward buyout situation.
It wasn't.
Pierre LeBrun reported that four or five teams were actually willing to claim him off waivers at his full $6.5 million salary, only for his camp to talk them out of it because Kreider wanted to pick his own destination as a free agent.
According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, Kreider's agent Matt Keator confirmed his client then turned down additional higher-paying offers on top of that to sign with Montreal for a one-year deal worth just $2.15 million guaranteed, with performance bonuses that could push the total value up to $5.4 million.
Even Chris Kreider had to laugh after the reporter asked about his infamous crash into Carey Price in 2014 😂 pic.twitter.com/9GfNq3Pxff
— BarDown (@BarDown) September 14, 2026
Familiar Faces Pulled Him East
The money wasn't the draw.
Kreider wanted back in the Eastern Conference, and Montreal gave him more than geography. Habs president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton was his general manager for years in New York, and head coach Martin St. Louis is a former Rangers teammate.
KREIDER TO MONTREAL 🤯
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) September 12, 2026
The Canadiens have signed Chris Kreider to a 1-year deal ✍️ pic.twitter.com/X2kkacACMA
Kreider is coming off a 22-goal, 50-point season in Anaheim, so this wasn't a courtesy contract for a player teams had given up on.
