It’s Daniel Brière’s fault, and Kreider’s hit on Bolduc and Slafkovsky

Raphael Simard
It’s Daniel Brière’s fault, and Kreider’s hit on Bolduc and Slafkovsky
Credit: Capture d'écran/YouTube

It's all Daniel Brière's fault.

No, Luc Gélinas hasn't written a new book. It's literally Daniel Brière's fault that the Habs acquired Chris Kreider for a song.

Let's go back to July 3. Daniel Brière offered Leo Carlsson a five-year contract worth $18 million a year—a deal that Anaheim eventually matched. The problem now is that there's no money left for Cutter Gauthier.

The result: Pat Verbeek had to get rid of Kreider, who is still a respectable player.

Last year, he racked up 50 points. Montreal got him for $2.15 million for one season plus a ton of deferred bonuses.

All in all, Kreider is a good acquisition for the Habs, and he'll have an impact on two players in particular: Juraj Slafkovsky and Zachary Bolduc.

In Slaf's case, the newcomer's impact will be slightly more positive. He won't cut into Slaf's ice time or, in any sense, take his spot on the line.

The Slovakian is still improving, and what better way to learn a few tricks than from one of the best in the business?

They probably won't play on the same line, but I wouldn't mind seeing Slaf learn from Kreider.

In Bolduc's case, the impact is a bit less positive. Kreider is coming in to “steal” a spot in the top six from him—and potentially some ice time on the power play… Although I can see the two wingers playing together on the second power-play unit.

Will Kreider's arrival hurt negotiations with Bolduc? After all, the Quebec native wanted a more offensive role, and the arrival of the former Ranger will certainly hurt his case a bit.


Quick Thoughts

– Well, yeah.

– One to watch.

– Big win.

– Too bad.

– Interesting.

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