In the midst of a cap crunch, the Anaheim Ducks have mutually agreed with forward Chris Kreider to terminate his current contract.
With about a week until NHL training camps kick off, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Anaheim Ducks and left winger Chris Kreider are parting ways.
According to Friedman, the team and player have mutually agreed to terminate Kreider's contract, placing him on waivers. Once that transaction is completed, the 35-year-old veteran will become a UFA. The 2026-27 season would've marked the final year of his seven-year contract worth $6.5 million per season.
Now becoming the most intriguing UFA on the board, Friedman reported that Kreider prefers to go back to the Eastern Conference after just one season with the Ducks. He desires to move closer to where he spent the first 13 years of his career, with the New York Rangers.
Kreider's next destination matters to him, and if he is claimed by a team he doesn't prefer to play for, he will not report.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek reportedly sought out trade possibilities for Kreider, but was not interested in adding extra assets to the receiving team. In the end, there wasn't a trade option that Verbeek was willing to follow through on.
Nonetheless, Friedman says there is interest for the player. He scored 22 goals and 50 points in 75 regular-season games this past year. He also contributed two goals and seven points in 12 playoff games.
With Kreider's payroll coming off the books, Anaheim will receive a boost in salary cap space, which is much needed considering star right winger Cutter Gauthier still requires a contract extension in order to play this coming season.
The cap crunch for Verbeek and the Ducks was instigated by Leo Carlsson' five-year, $18-million offer sheet that was tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the off-season. Ultimately, a sacrifice had to be made to make some room for Gauthier, a player who scored 41 goals and 69 points in his sophomore year.
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