Two NHL stars asked to be on the Canadiens - and a major shift is becoming clear

A year ago it was Noah Dobson walking away from the Islanders to sign in Montreal.

This time it is Kreider, a 35 year old power forward who spent his whole career on the East Coast and still had other options.

He did not need to pick the Canadiens.

He wanted to.

Part of that comes down to trust.

Kreider played the final two seasons of his career alongside Martin St. Louis in New York, back when St. Louis was winding down and Kreider was still finding his footing.

The two stayed close after that.

Kreider has said before that no teammate taught him more, and the year before St. Louis took the Canadiens job, Kreider reached out on his own to work with him over the summer, watching film and skating together with no obligation on either side.

Kaiden Guhle is dealing with a lingering issue from an offseason procedure, and his timeline back is still being sorted out.

It is not a long term worry, but it does shape how St. Louis handles his blue line early in the season, and it puts more responsibility on the group around him while he works his way back.

Two respected veterans choosing Montreal in back to back offseasons is not nothing.

It suggests the culture St. Louis and Kent Hughes have built is starting to sell itself around the league, which matters just as much as any single signing.

Also read on House Of Hockey :
Connor Hellebuyck pre-emptively rejects six different trade offers