Winnipeg could emerge as a surprise destination for the veteran sniper, leveraging a championship-ready roster to sway the winger away from his reported desire for an Eastern homecoming.
One of the more shocking bits of news to come out of the tail end of the offseason is that the Anaheim Ducks are moving on from veteran winger Chris Kreider.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Anaheim is expected to place the 35-year-old on waivers for the purpose of mutually terminating his contract, a move that requires Kreider's approval and will make him an unrestricted free agent.
The decision stems from a cap crunch in Anaheim after the Ducks matched Philadelphia's five-year, $90 million offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson, leaving them roughly $9 million in space while still needing to lock up restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, who scored 41 goals last season.
Kreider is coming off a solid 50-point season and has shown he still has plenty left in the tank. It begs the question of whether the Winnipeg Jets should consider making a run at him, given how badly the club could use the kind of depth scoring it's been searching for, and given the Jets' status as a legitimate contender, something they could lean on to sell Kreider on a move.
It's been tricky in the past to convince certain players to come to Winnipeg, but Kreider is on the back nine of his career, and the Jets' front office could try to make the case that no roster gives him a better shot at finally winning a Stanley Cup, especially if the return they bring in from a Connor Hellebuyck trade ends up being as promising as expected.
The bigger hurdle is Kreider's own preference. Friedman has reported that the Boxford, Massachusetts, native, who spent his first 13 NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, wants to head back East to be closer to family, and he won't report to training camp if claimed by a team he doesn't want to play for. The Boston Bruins are currently viewed as the frontrunner given his ties to the area and his college days at Boston College.
Still, if Winnipeg can convince him that a genuine chance to win outweighs geography, and can meet him on price, the former 50-goal scorer would be a legitimate difference-maker for a Jets offense that could use exactly that kind of scoring punch.
It's an unlikely signing, but the NHL has a way of producing surprises, and with Anaheim's cap crunch forcing its hand, there's at least a chance an elite goal-scorer like Kreider could end up falling into Winnipeg's lap.
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