The Toronto Maple Leafs could have an interesting option available on the market. Specifically, we’re talking about the soon-to-be-terminated forward Chris Kreider.
News broke on Wednesday that the Anaheim Ducks and Kreider had an agreement to mutually terminate the veteran forward’s contract. The move is a desperation tactic as the Ducks have 40-goal man Cutter Gauthier sitting in limbo. The Ducks have been unable to trade Kreider and are getting set to start training camp.
If a player is willing to have his contract terminated, the team & player coordinate for him to breach his contract, the team terminates, and the player does not file a grievance for the termination.
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 9, 2026
Kreider is in the final year of a $7M cap hit contract. After receiving a $1M… https://t.co/s8BmdipAqa
As such, Kreider will become a UFA and could sign with any team he chooses. And that team could be Toronto.
So, why not at least check in on Kreider?
The 35-year-old is a former 50-goal scorer with the New York Rangers. While the season was ultimately an outlier, he has been a consistent 20-goal scorer. He’s put up back-to-back 22-goal campaigns after 36 and 39 goals with the Rangers following his massive breakout year.
Make no mistake. Kreider isn’t going to become a top-line player for the Maple Leafs. But he could be a solid depth player, especially if he can maintain his current 20-goal level. It wouldn’t be hard to see him on the Leafs’ third line, potentially replacing someone like Dakota Joshua.
The only problem to consider might be fitting Kreider under the cap.
Maple Leafs could get creative with Kreider
There may be an easy way to fit the veteran forward under the cap. Kreider is 35 and eligible for an incentive-laden contract.
Now, it’s worth noting that Kreider will be terminating a contract scheduled to pay him $6.5 million against the cap. However, he’s already collected a $1 million signing bonus, which effectively means he’d only leave $4 million on the table.
That’s where the Maple Leafs could get creative. The Buds could sign him to a $1 million base salary and offer incentives for games played, milestones, and so on, amounting to another $3 million. As such, Kreider would have a chance to earn the money he left on the table.
It’s worth pointing out that the Maple Leafs would hardly be the only team interested in Kreider. If anything, there might be a desperate team out there, like the Oilers, willing to sign Kreider to a guaranteed NHL deal.
But then again, a guaranteed deal would ultimately boil down to cap space. So, look for teams with enough cap space to make a move on the former New York Rangers winger.
It’s unclear whether the Maple Leafs actually have any sort of interest in Kreider. But if they do, there’s much worse that Toronto could do.
The Maple Leafs can’t afford not to kick the tires on Kreider, even if it doesn’t lead to a contract. At the very least, joining an up-and-coming club could be enticing to a forward who was clearly pushed out of Anaheim due to cap constraints.
While the Leafs might be better off giving a younger player a chance, the bottom line is that Toronto is in win-now mode. And Kreider could help the team win now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google