Anaheim Ducks place Chris Kreider on waivers to terminate contract as veteran looks east

The Anaheim Ducks are putting veteran winger Chris Kreider on waivers so they can end the last year of his contract, according to ESPN. If he clears, the 35-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign wherever he wants.

Notably, Kreider still has one season left on a seven-year deal that carries a $6.5 million cap hit. His actual cash due for 2026-27 is $4 million after a signing bonus paid July 1. That number is no longer a luxury the Ducks can carry.

Why Anaheim Ducks are moving on now

The timing is not a coincidence. Anaheim Ducks are still trying to finish a new contract with restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier, the 22-year-old who led the club with 41 goals last season. Those talks got far harder after the Ducks matched a five-year, $90 million offer sheet that Leo Carlsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Carlsson’s $18 million average annual value is the highest of any NHL player next season.

General manager Pat Verbeek needed cash off the books. Contract termination, with the player’s approval, became the cleaner option. It is a path more teams have used lately, though it is still unusual for a 50-point forward.

Chris Kreider wants to play closer to home

According to reports, Chris Kreider has indicated he desires to return east, closer to family where he spent the first 13 years of his career, and will not report if claimed somewhere he prefers not to play. However, he has not picked his next team yet. Interest around the league is already there.

The 6-foot-3 power forward is heading into his 15th NHL season. Fourteen of those years were spent with the New York Rangers. He waived his no-trade clause in June 2025 so the Rangers could send him to Anaheim. In 75 games with the Ducks, he scored 22 goals and added 28 assists. He had two goals and five assists in 12 playoff games.

What he still brings

Career totals sit at 348 goals and 284 assists in 958 games. Kreider’s game has always been the same: occupy the crease, finish on the power play, and make life miserable for goalies. That skill set still has value for an Eastern Conference club that needs a net-front presence without a long-term commitment.

His one season in Orange County was productive enough. It just no longer fits a roster that has to pay Carlsson like a superstar and still lock up Gauthier before the season starts.

Looking ahead

Chris Kreider must pass through waivers first. If a team claims him, it takes the remaining contract. If no one does, the deal is terminated, and he can sign as a free agent, almost certainly somewhere on the East Coast.

For the Ducks, the cap space is the point. For Kreider, it is a chance to finish his career closer to home after one year on the West Coast.