The Montreal Canadiens would like a healthy Carey Price to be leading them onto the ice every night. But since that’s not a possibility right now, taking the entire year (and perhaps the rest of his career) off might actually be the best option for the team. Eric Engels’ latest column for Sportsnet examines the Price situation, his current injury status, and how his absence actually might benefit the team in the long run, thanks to the salary cap system.
In it, he also suggests that the Canadiens’ competitive window likely won’t be until 2025, at which point even a healthy Price would be 38. Even if it happened sooner than that, the veteran goaltender’s time leading Montreal is all but over.
- With Sean Monahan undergoing his own hip surgery earlier this year, Canadiens fans were wondering whether he would even be ready for the start of the season, after acquiring him yesterday. The veteran center is hoping so and told the media that he’s already back on the ice four times a week preparing for the season. He feels healthy and ready to “play hockey again at a high level.” While the Canadiens landed a first-round pick for Monahan already, if he can reclaim any sort of semblance of his former self, they may be able to flip him for even more.
- The Denver Pioneers are having a good week, and it continues with the commitment of top prospect Brendan McMorrow. The 16-year-old will be joining the U.S. National Team Development Program this year, with his sights set on the 2024 draft and a freshman season at DU in 2024-25. So much for the second-round pick that the Spokane Chiefs used on the young forward in the 2021 WHL US Prospects draft.
Seems like the same thing was said about Price last year, yet he eventually played a bit in the end. Why the premature postmortem on his career. He’s not healthy enough to play YET. Maybe it stays that way, but why assume?
@DarkSide830 – Eric Engels isn’t the only one saying this. Price’s meaningless five games last year don’t reflect well, even though everyone knows how historically bad the team was. Several other commentators on TSN 690 have been saying this for the last year+. And, it’s no secret that not being able to get healthy has taken its toll on Carey. I feel for him, as he doesn’t want to face the possibility that his career is coming to an end faster than he would like. I’m sure seeing it up close and personal with Weber left a strong impression on him, too.
It absolutely is in Montreal’s best interest for Price to be on LTIR. Except for *most* of the 2021 playoffs — people conveniently forget that he tanked in the Finals — it’s been over five years now since Price was as much as an average goaltender. Be he ever so healthy, there’s no reason to presume that at age 35 he’s going to reverse that sharp decline, and if he was making half as much as he is now he’d be overpaid. (Exhibit #XXXXIV why max salary+max term to ANYone is an idiotic move.)
Even without the full no movement clause, that contract is buyout proof and no one would take it in a deal, so given Montreal’s cap woes, their only salvation is Price on LTIR, for good.
They should have kept Halak and traded Price!
Only 10 million dollar contract to go to the finals and he played amazing even in the finals, best goalie of his generation and its not close