Anaheim clears vital salary cap space to re-sign Cutter Gauthier, parting ways with the veteran winger
Premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Wednesday morning that the Anaheim Ducks are expected to place forward Chris Kreider (35) on waivers for the purposes of contract termination.
The Ducks acquired Kreider in June 2025, along with a 2025 fourth-round pick (Elijah Neuenschwander), in exchange for Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick (Artyom Gonchar).
Kreider gave the 2025-26 Ducks an early boost, scoring nine goals in his first nine games with the team, paving the way for the organization to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. He finished the year with 50 points (22-28=50) in 75 games, a significant bounceback from his disappointing 30-point season in 2024-25.
He added 7 points (2-5=7) in 12 playoff games, as the Ducks advanced to the second round, where they were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
The decision to move on from Kreider comes two months after the Ducks matched the historic five-year, $18 million AAV offer sheet signed by center Leo Carlsson, offered by the Philadelphia Flyers. Matching the offer put the Ducks firmly in cap trouble and forced them to pay their RFAs more than they were likely projecting.
As of now, prior to Kreider clearing waivers and the contract’s termination, the Ducks have a projected $9 million in cap space. Star forward Cutter Gauthier remains an unsigned restricted free agent, and his extension is projected to come in at an AAV of close to $15 million. With the last year of Kreider’s contract, which carries an AAV of $6.5 million, off their books, the Ducks will have a projected $15.5 million in cap space.
Kreider reportedly desires a return to the East Coast of the United States, where he grew up, played his college hockey at Boston College, and played the first 14 years of his NHL career with the New York Rangers.
Even with a Gauthier extension seemingly inevitable in the very near future, Kreider joins a long list of departures from the Ducks in the 2026 offseason, as they hope to simultaneously hand the majority of responsibilities to the young core, adjust to the new salary cap landscape created by Carlsson’s offer sheet, and fend off a step back from their 92-point season that landed them in third place in the Pacific Division in 2025-26.
