The Anaheim Ducks placed Chris Kreider on waivers for the purpose of terminating his deal, and his desire to return East leaves the Maple Leafs as a potential home.
On Wednesday afternoon, Elliotte Friedman spared no time in getting the NHL news mill churning, as the highly-connected insider reported that the Anaheim Ducks and veteran forward Chris Kreider were going to be parting ways, with the team placing him on waivers for the purpose of contract termination:
In an effort to ease their sudden salary-cap crunch, the Anaheim Ducks are expected to place Chris Kreider on waivers for the purposes of contract termination. According to several sources, Kreider has indicated he desires to return east, closer to family where he spent the first 13 years of his career, and will not report if claimed somewhere he prefers not to play.
Friedman also reported that Kreider needs to approve the move, however with that desire to return home and the Ducks in a cap crunch and Cutter Gauthier still needing a contract - it was a mutual split.
Kreider costs no trade assets, but Toronto doesn't currently have a contract slot to sign him
But once that move goes through and Krieder becomes an unrestricted free agent, then he is free to sign with any team. He'll have his suitors, especially in Montreal and Buffalo, but another Atlantic team could certainly benefit - the Maple Leafs.
Kreider's termination is an odd one, as you don't typically see a 50-point player hit the market out of nowhere, but Toronto could certainly use him. Kreider not only has 20-goal scoring potential, and has actually got a 52-goal season under his belt, but he provides another veteran scoring threat alongside Auston Matthews.
The 14-year veteran has 348 goals and 642 points in 958 games, the majority of which came with the New York Rangers - who drafted him 19th overall in 2009. He's a reliable power-play contributor, who also adds a towering presence at 6-foot-3, 232 pounds - and has absolutely no issues getting physical.
Plus, this type of scoring production normally doesn't come this easy either. Toronto doesn't need to give up NHL-ready players, draft picks, or prospects in order to get things done however it does create another issue that the Maple Leafs have still yet to address despite only being weeks away from the season opening up.
A $1.5M Kreider deal would force Toronto to clear at least $4.25M before opening night
The only way the Maple Leafs are going to be able to get their hands on Kreider though is if they are able to first clear up an open contract in order to even approach him, but then find a way to fit his future salary in.
The team is already $2.75M over the projected cap, so they would need to make a roster move in order to clear up space. For argument's sake, if Kreider signed for the same as Eeli Tolvanen ($1.5M) then Toronto would need to find $4.25M to get rid of just to break even.
That means a player like Dakota Joshua ($3.25M) could be on the way out, and with how much Toronto made an effort to change their bottom-six, they have enough players to replace him. They could even trade off a piece like Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($3.5M) who while good - is aging - and his departure could open up more playing time for Emil Andrae.
Realistically, Toronto would need Kreider to have desires to play closer to home much more than adding to his bank account, and there is a chance that he would sign for under $1-million and take near a league minimum - but for a player of his nature that's highly unlikely.
While it would take a lot of maneuvering and lineup changes, the Maple Leafs do have an avenue to pick up Kreider and add a former 50-goal scorer to their ranks.The only question is if they can make the room necessary before another team swoops in.
Where willChris Krieder end up?
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