Chris Kreider to Bruins ‘Makes Sense,’ but Leaves More Questions

The Boston Bruins are one week away from hitting the ice for training camp.

That does not stop the offseason rumor mill from churning, and this time, it involves a Massachusetts native who has a desire to play on the East Coast, “closer to family.”

Chris Kreider, a native of Boxford, MA, is now a free agent after mutually agreeing to a contract termination with the Ducks. Shortly after Elliotte Friedman broke the news on Sportsnet, social media erupted, and plenty of fingers were directed at the Boston Bruins.

ESPN’s John Buccigross hinted at the Bruins being a possibility, as did Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.

“I know there’s a lot of speculation about Boston. It makes sense,” Friedman said.

“We’ll see on Thursday.”

The speculation makes sense. The Boxford, Massachusetts native (and BC alum) who spent the first 13 years of his NHL career playing in New York wants to return “closer to family,” and you can’t get much closer than your hometown team.

Last season, at 34 years old, Kreider put up 50 points (22-28–50) in 75 games with the Ducks. He had seven more (2-5–7) in 12 playoff games.

He’s also an option for Steve Spott on the power play; he averaged 3:15 of power-play time on ice per game last season and picked up 17 points, which tied for third on the Ducks roster.

Don Sweeney talked about adding “speed and skill” this summer. While Kreider would be the oldest player on the Bruins’ roster, he ranked in the 82nd percentile among forward skaters in terms of max skating speed, and the 73rd percentile for 22-plus mph bursts, according to NHL Edge.

Add that he has scored 22 goals in each of the last two seasons, and more than 35 in each of the three seasons prior, and there’s your skill.

Kreider cleared waivers at 2:00 PM on Thursday. The contract is terminated, and the Bruins no longer need to absorb the last year of Kreider’s $6.5 million cap hit.

They are free to utilize the $5,390,417 of salary cap space they have for the 2026-27 season.

What’s Stopping the Bruins?

It all makes sense, but the only thing stopping the Bruins… is the Bruins themselves.

We know the Bruins have a logjam of defensemen, but the same can be said about the forward group. The Bruins re-upped with Alex Steeves, Lukas Reichel, and Ivan Ivan this summer, and Matt Poitras is at captains’ practices even without a new deal.

All four of those guys are fighting for a spot on the NHL roster, and adding a 35-year-old left wing leaves one fewer spot available.

JJ Peterka ($7.7M)Pavel Zacha ($4.75M)David Pastrnak ($11.25M)

Casey Mittelstadt ($5.75M)Elias Lindholm ($7.75M)Morgan Geekie ($5.5M)

James Hagens ($986K)Fraser Minten ($879K → $7.2M)Marat Khusnutdinov ($925K)

Tanner Jeannot ($3.4M)Sean Kuraly ($1.85M)Mark Kastelic ($1.567M)

Alex Steeves ($1.625M)Matt Poitras (RFA)Mikey Eyssimont ($1.45M)

Lukas Reichel ($950K)Ivan Ivan ($850K)

Also Read:Bruins Depth Chart: One Week After Free Agency

Casey Mittelstadt established himself as the second-line left wing last season, and that is likely where he slots in when training camp gets underway next week. Kreider, however, represents an upgrade in that spot.

That’s where things get complicated.

Moving Mittelstadt down the lineup takes away a spot that James Hagens or one of the other forwards would be competing for. Hagens’ spot on the NHL roster is not guaranteed, but Cam Neely said that he and the Bruins’ other young players should be “licking their chops” for a job in Boston.

That does not mean the Bruins should pass on Kreider. There’s a fit, and the Bruins match the description of what he is looking for in his new team.

However, adding him to an already crowded forward group may require another move to make everything work.

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