Chris Kreider is getting his wish and heading back east − and north.
The Montreal Canadiens announced on Saturday, Sept. 12 that they had signed the free agent forward to a one-year contract. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that the deal is worth $2.15 million with another $3 million in performance bonuses.
Kreider, 35, had become an unrestricted free agent when he and the Anaheim Ducks agreed to place him on waivers in order to terminate his contract. That move will help give the Ducks the cap flexibility to eventually re-sign leading scorer Cutter Gauthier with Kreider's $6.5 million cap hit off the books.
It also gave Kreider control over where he went. He had expressed a desire to return east after playing his first 13 seasons with the
New York Rangers before being traded to the Ducks in the 2025 offseason.
Kreider reunites with former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton in the move as well as Martin St. Louis, the Canadiens coach and Kreider's former teammate. He also joins a team that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season and will be a veteran presence on a team filled with rising stars.
Though his numbers have dropped off recently, Kreider has scored 22 goals in each of the last two seasons.
Chris Kreider contract details
He'll make $2.15 million with a potential $3 million extra in bonuses. Kreider was due to make $5 million this season in Anaheim and already received a $1 million signing bonus.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Montreal Canadiens sign Chris Kreider to one-year deal
