Montreal Canadiens Weekend Wrap-Up: Chris Kreider Joins Habs & Zachary Bolduc Inks 4-Year Deal

It's been quite a busy weekend for the Montreal Canadiens organization and it all started off in Gatineau, Quebec for the NHL Prospect Challenge with a game on Saturday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets.

Meanwhile off the ice, General Manager Kent Hughes was able to get some important business done in order to help his team's forward group in the short and medium term, with the goal of going beyond the success they had during the 2025-26 season.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Free Agent Forward Chris Kreider

Chris Kreider is a name that Montreal Canadiens fans haven't been too fond of over the last 12 years. In Game 1 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, Kreider, who was a member of the New York Rangers, fell and collided with Carey Price, ending the star netminders season and ultimately, Montreal's chances of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

Canadiens fans haven't forgiven Kreider for that and each time he made the trip to the Bell Centre over the last 12 years, he's been booed heavily. Well, that's likely going to change this season as the unthinkable happened over the weekend.

Before we get to that, we should probably take a look at how Kreider even became an unrestricted free agent, as we was gearing up for his second season in Orange County with the Anaheim Ducks.

Last Wednesday, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Anaheim Ducks were placing Chris Kreider on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, a move that was mutually agreed upon by both sides. The decision for Anaheim came down to money. They had to match a very large offer sheet for Leo Carlsson in the offseason and still have to re-sign another key RFA - Cutter Gauthier.

"I want to thank Chris for his efforts last year and recognize the professionalism he and his representatives demonstrated throughout this process. Our rationale here is straightforward: We needed to create salary cap flexibility, and this accomplishes that." Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek said after Kreider cleared unconditional waivers.

Kreider reportedly had three or four teams that were showing serious interest in signing him for the 2026-27 season, but it was the Montreal Canadiens who landed the 11-time 20+ goal scorer. The Canadiens announced on Saturday that they've signed Kreider to a one-year deal with a cap hit of $2.15 million. With performance bonuses, Kreider could earn as much as $5.4 million (in total) for the upcoming campaign.

Familiarity with a few members of the Montreal Canadiens organization played a key role in getting Kreider to sign. Head coach Martin St. Louis played with Kreider in New York for two seasons, while Canadiens Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton served in a number of roles, including General Manager, while the 35-year-old suited up for the Rangers. Kreider will also reconnect with former New York Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay, who is the Canadiens' Head Athletic Therapist.

While there might be some frustration among Canadiens fans regarding Kreider, at the end of the day, this move makes Montreal better right now, regardless of where he plays in the lineup. Kreider can still produce and is coming off a 50-point campaign with the Anaheim Ducks, along with his eighth straight season with at least 20 goals.

Zachary Bolduc Signs Four-Year Deal Ahead of Training Camp; Still No Contract For Arber Xhekaj

Heading into September, the Montreal Canadiens had some big decisions to make with a pair of restricted free agents - forward Zachary Bolduc and defenseman Arber Xhekaj. Both players became restricted free agents back on July 1st and since then, there hadn't been a ton of movement towards new deals, until today.

This afternoon, the Canadiens announced that they've signed Zachary Bolduc to a four-year contract worth $16.8 million ($4.2 million AAV). Bolduc's contract takes him through the 2029-30 season, after which he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

"Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced on Sunday that the team has agreed to terms on a four-year contract (2026-27 to 2029-30) with a $4.2 million AAV with forward Zachary Bolduc." the club said on Sunday.

Bolduc, a native of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, joined the Canadiens through a trade with the St. Louis Blues last summer, with defensive prospect Logan Mailloux going the other way. In his first season with Montreal, Bolduc had 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists), 28 penalty minutes and was a minus-six in 78 games. He went on to add seven points in 19 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Canadiens expect the 23-year-old to be an integral piece of their forward group over the next four years and potentially beyond. With the addition of Chris Kreider, Bolduc will likely begin the season on Montreal's third line, but we'll have to wait and see what Martin St. Louis has in store for his forward lines during the team's first on-ice session of training camp later this week.

As for Arber Xhekaj, it appears that as of Sunday evening, things are status quo between him and the Canadiens. Montreal is holding their annual golf tournament tomorrow, so there's no doubt there will be plenty of questions directed at Kent Hughes about Xhekaj and if there has been any progress in contract talks with his agent.

Xhekaj's role for the 2026-27 season, if he's signed, is a bit unclear, as we've talked about quite a bit on here over the summer. The Canadiens have a handful of blue liners in Laval knocking on the door and looking to make that opening night roster. We'll see how things shake out in the coming days, but it goes without saying that Arber Xhekaj probably was hoping to have a new deal signed well before training camp.

Training camp officially opens on Wednesday for the Canadiens and while they haven't announced their schedule just yet, it's safe to assume that the first on-ice session at their practice facility in Brossard will come on Thursday morning.