Chris Kreider linked to Canadian team, but his history with the fanbase could make things complicated

Chris Kreider is not walking through the door in Montreal anytime soon, but that has not stopped speculation from bubbling up again.

The Anaheim Ducks winger is locked into his contract through the 2026-27 season, so a real homecoming to Quebec is still a ways off.

Still, the connection keeps getting floated, and it is not hard to see why some fans think it is worth a mention.

The latest nudge came from an NHL reporter noting Kreider once shared a Rangers locker room with current Habs bench boss Martin St. Louis.

With St. Louis now turning a rebuilding roster into a genuine playoff threat, adding size and scoring punch like Kreider brings is not the wildest idea in the world.

Here is the problem. Ask any Habs fan over the age of 25 about Kreider and the conversation goes straight to May 17, 2014.

That is the night Kreider crashed into Carey Price during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, an injury that ended Price's playoff run and, depending on who you ask in Montreal, changed the trajectory of that entire era.

The clip still circulates every spring.

Kreider has always maintained it was a fluke, the product of getting tripped up on the play, and Henrik Lundqvist backed that version at the time.

Montreal never really bought it.

That history is exactly why any Kreider to Canadiens buzz, however distant, carries an edge most trade speculation does not.

Winning over the Bell Centre crowd would take more than a heavy shot and a strong wall presence.

It would take time, and a very short memory from a fanbase that rarely forgets.

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