Chris Kreider is a Montreal Canadien now, and this signing carries a lot more weight than a simple depth move.
RDS confirmed Friday that Kreider chose Montreal and agreed to a one-year contract worth $6,500,000.
Don't underestimate what his arrival means for Juraj Slafkovsky specifically.
Kreider has spent his career as one of the league's best power forwards. Forechecking, net-front presence, hits that mean something, puck protection, driving hard to the net.
At 35 years old, he still posted 22 goals and 50 points in 75 games last season, adding 12 more playoff games with 7 points.
Slafkovsky, at 22, put up 30 goals and 73 points in 82 games this year, a real step forward for a player still figuring out his identity.
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That identity is exactly where Kreider comes in. Few players in the league fit as naturally as a mentor for a young power forward still finding his game.
Why Martin St-Louis needed this exact type of veteran
Head coach Martin St-Louis has built a young, fast group in Montreal, but there's a difference between speed and the nastiness Kreider brings every night.
Kreider chipped in 8 power play goals and 9 power play assists last season, numbers that should translate into an immediate net-front role on Montreal's man advantage.
GM Kent Hughes has been aggressive filling out this roster, and locking in a $6,500,000 veteran for one season is a low-risk swing with real upside if Slafkovsky takes the leap everyone expects.
Montreal finished 48-24-10 for 106 points this season, sixth overall, a group already trending in the right direction before this addition.
This isn't a move that changes Montreal's identity. It's a move that could speed up Slafkovsky's development by a full season or more, if the fit works the way it's supposed to.
Whether Kreider still has enough left in the tank at 35 to actually deliver that impact night after night is the question Montreal is betting on.
Will Chris Kreider's arrival accelerate Juraj Slafkovsky's development this season?
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