Last week, the New York Rangers and the rest of the NHL received news that former player Chris Kreider was waived by the Anaheim Ducks to free up cap space. The reporting from Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Kreider was looking to head back to the East Coast. The Rangers never felt like a feasible destination for Kreider, so the fanbase cringed wondering if he would join a team like the Boston Bruins or Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, they heard Kreider was signing a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens.
It wasn't entirely surprising that Kreider would join the Canadiens, as they are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, and he reunites with former Rangers like head coach Martin St. Louis, president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, and director of sports medicine Jim Ramsay. But since joining the Canadiens, the Carey Price controversy still won't go away for Kreider. Of course, this is in reference to Kreider's collision with Price during the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, which knocked the goalie out for the remainder of the series. The Rangers went on to win the series and reach the Stanley Cup Final. There are still some hard feelings from Canadiens fans, who believe Kreider deliberately skated into Price.
Kreider and the Canadiens learned that this week whie speaking with reporters.
Chris Kreider and Canadiens face questions over Carey Price controversy from 2014 Eastern Conference Finals
On Monday, Kreider met with reporters for the first time since signing in Montreal while at the Canadiens' preseason golf tournament. Of course, Kreider's collision with Price back in 2014 was a point brought up, with one reporter jokingly asking the new winger if he had "bumped" into the legendary Canadiens goalie over time. Kreider responded with "No, I"ve never bumped into him."
Kreider said that he knows that Canadiens fans are very passionate about the team, and that he hopes he can win them over with his play.
“I think they’ve got long memories, so either way I’m going to go out there and work as hard as I can and do whatever it takes to help this team win hockey games,” Kreider said, h/t NHL.com's Sean Farrell.
Gorton spoke about the controversy surrounding that incident in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, saying that they knew Price didn't hold a grudge, and says based on his time with the Rangers, he knows Kreider wasn't trying to deliberately injure the goalie.
"We always knew that Carey never held a grudge and that helps it," said Gorton. "Listen, I was on New York when it happened, so I had a different perspective than I think some people here did. When you're going 30 miles per hour like that, anybody can actually stand here and say that was an intentionally done move. If you know Chris, he's played almost 1,000 games. If you go ask anybody in the NHL, he's never tried to hurt anybody. So I wouldn't worry about any of that. I think it's going to all work out."
Rangers fans know Chris Kreider will provide immediate boost for Canadiens
Rangers fans know Kreider well. At times he was frustrating to watch, if there was one thing he was consistent in, it was his ability to stand near the crease and use his power to put the puck in the back of the net. That's just what he does. That's why he is third all-time in the Rangers' goals list, and why he has the most playoff goals amongst any player in franchise history.
The Canadiens shocked the world last season not just for making the playoffs, but also because they got past favorites in the playoffs like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where they ultimately lost in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. This offseason, they haven't addressed a need for another top six forward, and they lucked out once Kreider became available.
One of the main criticisms for the Canadiens in this past playoff run was the ineffectiveness of their top line in Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky. Adding a player who can score goals in crunch time under the bright lights should help them if they find themselves in playoff position.
Canadiens fans might still hold a grudge against Kreider for what happened that ultimately cost them a shot at the Stanley Cup over 10 years ago. But it will be water under the bridge if Kreider can help Montreal reach the Stanley Cup Final and ultimately win it all.
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