Chris Kreider put out a bold statement by signing with the Montreal Canadiens, as he was the one who initiated contact with them, not the other way around.
With the Canadiens holding a press conference ahead of their preseason golf tournament, all eyes were on new acquisition Chris Kreider, who recently signed a one-year deal after being let go by the Anaheim Ducks.
With the chance to make over $5M with bonuses, Kreider is no doubt going to be motivated to put up another 50-point season, and be the piece that helps push the Canadiens from simply Eastern Conference Finalists, to Stanley Cup Finalists. It was a deal that came out of nowhere, and certainly made Montreal one of the best teams in the East.
Chris Kreider sends a clear message to the NHL: Montreal was always the number-one choice
But it was also a deal that came about because of Kreider, not because of Montreal's top-six pursuit. According to Team President Jeff Gorton, Kreider was the one who initiated contact with the team, and that he was kind of stunned how the veteran kind of fell into his lap:
Obviously, I wasn't expecting for him to be available. If you go back a couple weeks, when he became available, we were looking at our roster and (thought) he would be a good fit for a couple reasons. Size, speed, experience. His playoff record is really good.
Once he called us and said he wanted to come to Montreal, that he liked our group, we were really excited.
Kreider, who also revealed he will wear #22 with the team, also followed up on that with his own comments. He mentioned that the team was aggressive when it came to money and term, as he had just simply discussed his worth - and let the front office do the rest:
Montreal was pretty aggressive right out of the gate. Everything they're doing here the last few years now, the group that they have.
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It wasn't the fact that Montreal was blowing up Kreider's phone, but more that once they were able to negotiate, they weren't going to let anything stop them from bringing him aboard, even if it costs them a bit of money at the end of the day.
Does Chris Kreider make Montreal the best team in the Atlantic?
For all intents and purposes, on paper - yes. It certainly pushes them into that upper echelon of the division alongside Florida and Tampa Bay. The Panthers added some firepower this summer but are also relying on a brand-new goaltending tandem which could be their downfall if it doesn't work out.
Tampa lost a big name in Darren Raddysh, but replaced him with Jacob Trouba and are going to have a fully healthy and committed Victor Hedman available too. With a forward corp mostly unchanged and a new backup in Dennis Hildeby, they're still a threat.
But when you look at what the Canadiens did: add Kreider, extend Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes, while also bringing back a lineup that was so dominant led by Selke winner Nick Suzuki? It's hard to argue how Montreal isn't one of the division favourites.
Which is likely what drew Kreider to them in the first place, as he knew what they were capable of, and he knew they needed his scoring touch to put them over the top.
Who is the best team in the Atlantic Division?
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