Chris Kreider is officially a free agent after the Anaheim Ducks terminated his contract Thursday.
He went unclaimed on unconditional waivers, ending one year remaining on the seven-year, $45,500,000 deal he originally signed with the Rangers back in February 2020.
Anaheim needed the cap flexibility. Cutter Gauthier still needs a new contract after leading the team with 41 goals and 69 points last season.
The Ducks had already matched Philadelphia's five-year, $90,000,000 offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, plus new deals for A.J. Greer and Pavel Mintyukov this summer.
GM Pat Verbeek called the move straightforward, and reports suggest it was somewhat mutual, with Kreider wanting to return east closer to family.
He grew up in Massachusetts and spends his offseasons in Connecticut and the New York area, according to reporting on the situation.
Kreider spent just one season in Anaheim after the Rangers traded him there in June 2025 for prospect Carey Terrance and a third-round pick.
Chris Kreider becomes free agent after Ducks terminate $45.5 million contract
He still delivered, putting up 50 points on 22 goals and 28 assists in 75 games, then adding 7 points in 12 playoff contests as Anaheim made the postseason for the first time since 2017-18.
Age hasn't slowed him much. Kreider ranked in the 82nd percentile for max skating speed last season and posted his 11th career 20-goal campaign, the eighth in a row.
Over 14 seasons between New York and Anaheim, he's racked up 632 points on 348 goals and 284 assists across 958 regular season games.
His career-best 52-goal season in 2021-22 remains tied for second-most in a single season in Rangers franchise history.
It's the hockey equivalent of a veteran getting let go right after his best annual review, not for performance, but purely because of the budget.
Several Eastern Conference teams make sense here. Boston is his hometown team but only has about $5,400,000 in cap room to work with.
Carolina has roughly $9,000,000 available and could use the depth with Seth Jarvis expected to miss time after shoulder surgery.
Philadelphia has the most flexibility of any suitor at around $13,800,000, and finished dead last on the power play last season.
Buffalo lost Alex Tuch this summer, while Tampa Bay has a clear top-six opening if Kreider is willing to stretch his geographic preference.
Is a 35-year-old still producing like this actually a bargain, or is his market simply being underestimated because of how he became available?
My take: a player still hitting 20 goals for eight straight seasons doesn't become a reclamation project just because his exit was unusual.
Camp opens next week, and a player of Kreider's caliber isn't likely to stay unsigned for long once a contender finally makes the call.
Source : Chris Kreider is now officially a free agent
Which team should sign free agent Chris Kreider?
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