Waiver news on veteran forward Chris Kreider today

It's been a whirlwind year for Chris Kreider. After spending the first 13 seasons of his career in New York, the veteran winger was shipped to Anaheim in a trade back in June of 2025 and went on to have a solid campaign with the Ducks. He put up 22 goals and 50 points in 75 regular season games and chipped in with a couple of goals and seven points across 12 playoff contests as the Ducks made a legitimate postseason push. But the business side of hockey waits for nobody, and now Kreider's brief chapter in Southern California has officially come to an end.

Cap Crunch Forces Anaheim's Hand

Kreider cleared unconditional waivers on Thursday, allowing the Ducks to terminate his contract by mutual consent. The move wipes $6.5 million off Anaheim's books, which is no small thing for a team that has been feeling the squeeze of a rapidly evolving salary cap situation.

The financial pressure really started mounting this summer when the Philadelphia Flyers tendered a massive five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson. The Ducks matched, but absorbing that $18 million AAV commitment had a ripple effect across the roster. On top of that, 41-goal scorer Cutter Gauthier still needs a new deal, and the market for young stars has only gotten more expensive. Connor Bedard signed at $15 million per year, Macklin Celebrini locked in at $18.8 million, and Cale Makar blew past everyone with a $20.4 million AAV extension. Gauthier, who became just the third Duck ever to hit 40 goals in a season alongside Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry, is going to command serious money.

GM Pat Verbeek reportedly tried to move Kreider via trade but wasn't happy with the return packages being offered. Teams were asking for sweeteners to take on the remaining year of Kreider's deal, and Verbeek wasn't willing to attach additional assets just to dump the contract. That left contract termination as the cleanest path forward. Carlsson himself acknowledged the situation at the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Las Vegas, telling The Athletic's Mark Lazerus that Kreider was "really happy for me" despite the circumstances, adding simply, "It's a hard business."

What's Next for Kreider

Now 35 years old, Kreider is an unrestricted free agent and reportedly wants to head back to the East Coast to be closer to family. The Boxford, Massachusetts native spent the bulk of his career with the Rangers after being drafted 19th overall in 2009, and it sounds like proximity to home is a priority for him at this stage. Reports indicated that he had no intention of reporting to any team that might have claimed him off waivers if the destination didn't suit him.

Despite his age, Kreider should draw plenty of interest around the league. He's a 6-foot-3 power forward who still produced at a roughly 50-point pace last season, and his playoff experience is hard to ignore. He helped lead the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2014 and had a career-best 52-goal season in 2021-22. Over 958 career games between New York and Anaheim, he's racked up 348 goals and 632 points. He also represented the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, though he did not make the Olympic roster earlier this year.

Kreider walks away from the $4 million in salary that remained on his deal after a signing bonus was already paid out on July 1. It's a financial sacrifice, but it gives him the freedom to choose his next landing spot. For the Ducks, the termination opens up more than $15.5 million in cap space, which should be more than enough to get a Gauthier extension done and continue building around their exciting young core. It's a tough way for Kreider's time in Anaheim to end, but both sides seem to be walking away feeling like this was the right call.