The New York Rangers made the tough decision to move on from Chris Kreider a year ago, and fans will now have to come to terms with him reuniting with some familiar faces after signing a new contract after his contract was terminated by the Anaheim Ducks.
On Saturday it was announced that Kreider was signing a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, and this move reunites him with former General Manager Jeff Gorton, former alternate captain Martin St. Louis, and long-time athletic trainer Jim Ramsay. Kreider is joining a Canadiens squad on the rise, and the move brings back to the forefront some ancient history.
Kreider contract is $2.15M base with performance that could make the deal $5.4M total if maxed out.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 12, 2026
Kreider's signing in Montreal causes dilemma for fans
The Rangers and Canadiens squared off against each other in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, and it was a series in which the Blueshirts ultimately won in six games. There were many memorable moments in the series, my personal favorite is St. Louis' overtime winner in Game 4. But for Canadiens diehards, Game 1 stands out in a big way for many reasons which are being revisted following this signing.
In Game 1 Kreider was sprung on a breakway, and he was subsequently tripped by Alexei Emelin which resulted in him crashing into Carey Price. Price's season ended after he suffered a knee injury, and to this day fans are mad at Kreider for impacting their franchise goaltender's career.
Kreider injured Price so badly that the netminder made a complete recovery in the offseason, and went on to capture four trophies during the 2014-15 season. Price's statline that year include 44 wins in 66 games, a .933 save percentage, and a 1.96 goals against average which led to him winning the Hart Trophy, the Vezina Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Trophy, and the William M. Jennings Trophy.
In total, Price appeared in 343 games after the incident with Kreider, and it is safe to say that it was something else that resulted in the downfall of his career. Even if the injury in 2014 did set off some chain reaction, it wasn't even Kreider's fault in the first place!
That didn't stop Price from going after Kreider the next time the two teams played. All of that being said... I wonder if there will be any interaction between the two now that Kreider is a member of the Canadiens' organization.
Kreider in a position to provide some great value for Montreal
At age 35, Kreider is toward the end of his career, and joining an up-and-coming contender like Montreal could revitalize him. He's coming off a season in which he scored 22 goals and added 28 assists for 50 points in 75 games, and that type of production will be valuable.
Even though he's yet to win a Stanley Cup, Kreider brings with him 135 games of playoff experience, and a stat line of 50-33-83. The Canadiens could use him in a number of different ways, and there's a good chance Kreider ends up being a difference maker for a team that aims to try and win a Stanley Cup before this decade is over.
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