Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has had one of the most unique and hectic months for an individual player in recent memory.
After guiding the Canadiens to one of the more unexpected Stanley Cup Final appearances in recent memory, many justifiably assumed that Price’s future in Montreal was as secure as ever. It quickly turned out to be that wasn’t the case.
Price waived his no-movement clause for the purposes of the Seattle Expansion Draft and was left exposed when the protection lists were announced Sunday morning, an absolutely shocking move. Many assumed that Montreal had a side deal in place so that they could retain both Price and Jake Allen, but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t the path general manager Marc Bergevin had chosen.
Then came the injury news. Later yesterday, there were multiple reports of varying injuries that Price may miss significant time for. Reports from both Frank Seravalli and Pierre LeBrun stated that Price is dealing with problems in his hip and knee and will see a specialist this week. But with Seattle taking a long and hard look at Price’s current medical records, the injuries may not be enough to sway the Kraken away from taking Price.
However, it can’t be ignored that Price is coming off a pair of subpar regular seasons and is still under contract for five more seasons with a $10.5MM cap hit. It’s a hefty pill to swallow for the Kraken if Price can’t return to elite form, something that unfortunately seems like a possibility.
So, PHR readers, we ask you – where do you think Carey Price will play this season? Will Seattle salivate over the opportunity to pick up a potential elite franchise goalie? Or will his age and health concerns let him pass through unselected? Vote below:
[Mobile users, click here to vote]
Seattle.
He either returns to form or also hides on LTIR.
Dreiger signed for a fairly cheap return,where he can resign with Seattle in three years when Price can be bought out.
Montreal is rolling the dice…on Jake Allen. They will soon be free of Price & Weber. Think about it.
The CBA will expire before Price’s deal turns rotten. Bank on it.
You got to be heavy medicated if you think Seattle is going to take him. They ain’t taking the blues bandaid either. Fans have no idea how to build hockey teams.
Well I mean Montreal managed to build a roster just fine.
I do think Seattle will take at least one of the high priced guys, but who knows if they will flip them or not
OK, @Josh, have you looked at those percentages from the poll? I don’t think there are that many people in the Solar System to account for those numbers! :)
@Mac – You should see some of the turnout numbers at election time in Philadelphia county! :0
@Gbear – Does it, by chance, resemble a lineup of characters reminiscent of a well-known movie, with Bart and The Waco Kid sneaking in at the end of the line to find out about the plans for the “Choo-Choo”? :)
I’m guessing you’re using the app or an iPhone. The numbers appear correct from the website version on my android, but if I go to the link to the poll it shows wack numbers.
@wreckage – The numbers are proper now, but I have two screenshots showing the fun stuff. Not using a mobile device here, so whatever the cause was initially, it’s fixed now. I kind of liked it the other way.
not out of the question he’s taken, but i kinda feel with Driedger likely in the fold and Kaapo almost a certainly, Price’s likelihood of going to SEA is fairly low.
Price remains in Montreal. The Kraken don’t take Price. It isn’t only his $10.5 million a year contract that is a deterrent. He’s also due to be paid an $11 million bonus at the beginning of September. That’s $21.5 million up front for an injured goalie. Seattle passes on that. It makes more sense for the Kraken to draft Kahkonen or Vanecek at a much lower cap hit. If they want to take a gamble on an injured goalie, Bishop is a available on a far more reasonable contract
I’m not really sure that’s how it works. Yes, he receives the $11 million, but his actual salary for next year is only 2 million. Many players signed these bonus heavy contracts to ensure they get paid in case of any lockouts.
Yeah I just checked…next year he is paid total $13 million, and the remaining 4 years on his contract is between $7.5 and $8.5 million in real money each year. I get the feeling Carey wants to go to Seattle, he would be so much closer to his hometown in Vancouver.
His pay is actually really low. Like 1-2M per, but he gets huge bonuses every year. Ensures he gets paid incase of a lockout/strike.
And Price is from Anahim lake, not Vancouver. It’s quite a ways up north from Vancouver. Probably a solid 5-6 hours away.
Well not “huge” bonuses every year. Huge for you and me maybe lol but for Carey…he gets total cash of 7.750, 8.5, 8.5, and 7.5 million over the next for years. The singing bonus is 1, 2, 2, 2 for those years and the rest is salary.
*next four years. Pardon me.
Sigh. I might have that backwards. Wreckage is right, the bigger chunk is the signing bonus
@wreckage- Price grew up in Anahim Lake but lives in Kelowna. He met his wife while playing in Tri-Cities, as she was a local. They were married in Washington and they spend a decent amount of time there. I could see it being a pull for him.
Or both to go with Dreiger
If they were not already committing to Drieger, maybe it’d be worth thinking about, but…the way the lists shake out, it just works out perfectly to snag Kakhonen to pair with him and have both a veteran (in age, at least) and young goalie signed for cheap, either (or both) of whom could end up as #1’s.
What are those 650% thinking?
@Pax vobiscum – See what happens when we both let the grass grow under our feet? Now, they’re all rapidly approaching one billion! Or, in science terms, that poll will either hit escape velocity soon, or reach critical mass. Either way, @Josh is in for a helluva cleanup! :)
The amount of people who think a startup franchise is taking a 34 year old 10 million AAV goalie is comical. Montreal exposed him for a reason.
on the LTIL…
Yeah. $10 mm contract for a 34 year old goalie with a no-movement clause for five more seasons. $11 million signing bonus due this fall. Guy is injured. And guy has played only one season in the last four above league average. Either a lot of people are smoking whacky weed, or they think Francis is.
Never mind all the “his wife’s from the area” and “he’s from the area” garbage. Who cares? It doesn’t matter worth a spit in the bucket whether Price is hankering to be mayor of Seattle: it is NOT HIS DECISION at this stage. It’s the decision of a GM who has several reasons not to take Price and none, really, to pick him.
(And my answer to the “ooooo, LTIR” is simple too: how about just not picking the guy in the first place? “LTIR” doesn’t mean they don’t have to pay the guy his salary all the same. It just means it doesn’t count against the cap hit.)
Seattle has no need to take on banged up goalie with that type of contract when they have so many good options available to them.
Habs trade price a pick and prospect to Seattle and get dreager back, wouldn’t that be sick. Seriously as a Habs fan they have to get them to pick price to get out of that money even if they have to pay them to take him. working in a trade for a goalie they pick is a good idea aswell
Getting Seattle to pick Price? A guy with a contract they can’t buy out for a year, and is structured so they get no relief from it anyway? Sure, if I’m Francis, I’ll deal. The price is Caulfield and a couple second rounders. Take it or leave it.
Because, after all, if Price is so great a goalie right now, why wouldn’t a Habs fan want to *keep* him?
Seattle goes with Driedger, K, and Holtby as their three goalies. You heard it here first
Seattle isn’t taking Price. Hell, the team that signed him and went to the cup doesn’t want him, either. $$$. Seattle isn’t going to do the charity work for nothing…
hoping PHR puts out a mock expansion draft today
Better story that PHR chose to ignore, as did many blog sites or any with a comments section…
Good job Luke Prokop. Much respect given. This opens the doors for those whom have been afraid to “man up” in the past or “be a man” in the future. Proud of you to step up and be a face of the future in pro sports.
For those of you afraid of this, you are gonna see a lot of men come out in the future. Men of the future, current, and past. And of all leagues. Will make you a bigger man to realize the world is passing you by and not only accept it, but realize it.
to be fair, it’s not a transaction. they dont fully cover topics like this one.
May not be a “transaction” but in the past something like this could have cost a guy his career.
It’s transactional for how the league and his teammates have reacted and would be a positive spin for the game if more sites reported and supported this.
It is as transactional as the Mailloux story for pro hockey and they posted about that.