The Anaheim Ducks may suddenly have one of the NHL’s most interesting salary-cap decisions to make, and veteran winger Chris Kreider could end up directly in the middle of it.
NHL.com discussed a report that Cutter Gauthier turned down a four-year, $52 million contract offer from Anaheim carrying a massive $13 million average annual value. Gauthier certainly has leverage after erupting for 41 goals and 69 points in 76 games last season, leading the Ducks in both categories.
Here is where the situation gets interesting.
PuckPedia currently projects the Ducks at roughly $9.07 million in salary-cap space. If Anaheim eventually signs Gauthier for $13 million per season, the Ducks would need to create approximately $3.93 million in additional room just to fit that contract into their current projection.
That makes Kreider’s contract impossible to ignore.
The 35-year-old carries a $6.5 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season, meaning Anaheim could create substantial breathing room with one trade.
My read on the situation is simple: Anaheim wouldn’t necessarily trade Kreider because it wants to lose Kreider. It could trade him because his contract may be the easiest solution to a much bigger financial puzzle.
Why Chris Kreider Could Become an Anaheim Ducks Trade Candidate
Kreider still has value.
He produced 22 goals, 28 assists and 50 points in 75 games during the 2025-26 regular season with Anaheim. That’s legitimate middle-six production from a veteran winger who can still score around the net and contribute on special teams.
Anaheim acquired Kreider from the New York Rangers in June 2025, taking on his full $6.5 million cap hit. His current contract expires following the upcoming season, when he can become an unrestricted free agent.
That expiring contract is precisely what makes him intriguing from a trade perspective.
Teams are usually far more willing to absorb a veteran’s salary when they aren’t committing to multiple additional seasons. Kreider also remains productive enough that Anaheim shouldn’t necessarily view moving him strictly as a cap dump.
There could be actual trade value attached.
PuckPedia had already identified Kreider and Alex Killorn as veteran forwards who could potentially become trade candidates because both are entering the final year of their contracts. More recent rumor coverage has also raised Kreider, Killorn and Frank Vatrano as possible options if Anaheim needs additional flexibility.
What Trading Chris Kreider Would Do to the Ducks Salary Cap
This is where the numbers make the rumor much more interesting.
| Cap Scenario | Projected Space | Cap Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Current Anaheim Ducks Projection | $9.073M | Anaheim’s starting point before a new Gauthier contract. |
| Gauthier at $13M – No Trade | -$3.927M | Anaheim would need to create additional cap room. |
| Trade Kreider’s $6.5M First | $15.573M | Creates enough space to comfortably reopen negotiations. |
| Trade Kreider + Gauthier at $13M | $2.573M | Gives Anaheim useful breathing room after the extension. |
| Trade Kreider + Gauthier at $14M | $1.573M | Workable, but Anaheim’s remaining flexibility becomes tighter. |
| Trade Kreider + Gauthier at $15M | $573K | Possible mathematically, but leaves very little operating room. |
The calculation uses Anaheim’s current $9.073 million projected space and Kreider’s $6.5 million cap hit.
That’s the biggest reason I believe the Chris Kreider trade rumors deserve attention.
Even if Gauthier and Anaheim ultimately agree around the reported $13 million figure, moving Kreider would turn a projected shortage into approximately $2.57 million of remaining flexibility.
And if Gauthier’s camp is actually looking for $14 million or $15 million annually, Kreider’s contract becomes even more important.
Chris Kreider Career NHL Stats
| Type | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 958 | 348 | 284 | 632 | 117 |
| Playoffs | 135 | 50 | 33 | 83 | -11 |
The Ducks Have to Prioritize Cutter Gauthier
The larger issue isn’t really Chris Kreider.
It’s Cutter Gauthier.
Gauthier’s 41-goal campaign placed him alongside Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya and Corey Perry as one of only four players in Ducks history to record a 40-goal season. He also led Anaheim with 69 points and 285 shots.
Players with that combination of age, shooting ability and goal-scoring upside become franchise pieces.
If I’m running the Ducks, there is little debate about the priority.
You make the financial structure work around Gauthier.
That doesn’t mean giving his camp absolutely anything it wants. General manager Pat Verbeek still has to protect Anaheim’s long-term cap structure. But if the choice eventually becomes keeping an aging veteran through the final year of his contract or securing one of the organization’s best young scorers long term, the younger player has to win that argument.
And that is why Kreider becomes such an interesting name.
Anaheim doesn’t have to give him away. In fact, his production and expiring deal should give Verbeek the ability to wait for a team seeking size, net-front scoring, playoff experience and power-play help.
Is a Chris Kreider Trade Actually Coming?
For now, this should remain classified as trade speculation driven by Anaheim’s cap situation, rather than a report that Kreider has officially been placed on the trade block.
The reported Gauthier offer has received national attention, including discussion from NHL Network/NHL.com, but the Ducks have not announced a new Gauthier contract. Anaheim’s current official roster also continues to list Kreider as a member of the Ducks.
That distinction matters.
But training camp has a way of creating urgency.
If Gauthier remains unsigned and his eventual price lands around or above $13 million per season, Anaheim will eventually have to address the math.
Chris Kreider may be one of the cleanest ways to do it.
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