Chris Kreider Signs Absurdly Bonus-Heavy Deal With Canadiens

Chris Kreider is officially a Montreal Canadien, and his new contract looks like it was drawn up by a guy trying to beat a fantasy league loophole. The veteran winger signed a one-year deal with the Habs that is essentially a masterclass in performance bonuses.

The base salary is a highly relatable $850,000, but that is just the appetizer. Kreider gets a $1.3 million signing bonus right out of the gate, plus another $2 million the second he plays his 10th game. That means Montreal is handing him a couple million bucks just for surviving the first month of the season without pulling a hamstring.

The rest of the money is tied to doing what Kreider does best, which is standing in front of the net and tipping pucks. He gets $250,000 bumps at 10, 20, and 30 goals, plus a $500,000 kicker if he somehow hits 40. If he maxes it out, the total average annual value hits $5.4 million, but the actual cap hit stays at a very manageable $2.15 million.

This is a brilliant piece of cap gymnastics by the Montreal front office. They get a proven goal scorer and power-play menace without blowing up their salary cap structure. For anyone looking at NHL futures, adding a guy who can still reliably clean up garbage around the crease makes the Canadiens a much more interesting offensive unit.

Kreider also secured a full no-move clause, meaning he controls his own destiny if the Habs fall out of the playoff race by the trade deadline. For now, he just needs to suit up 10 times to cash a check most of us would need three lifetimes to earn.