The Montreal Canadiens might have, to borrow from WWE vocabulary, worked themselves into a shoot, brother.
Friday night, reports surfaced that Carey Price waived his no-movement clause so the Habs could make him available in the Expansion Draft and protect backup Jake Allen (2.68 GAA, .907 SV%). The thought process here was that Price’s contract is so massive (bad) and that there are so many other good/better value goaltenders available, the Kraken would not think twice about drafting Price.
Except. They totally are. And now a section of Habs Twitter is losing its mind about it.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted Sunday afternoon, hours after the NHL protection lists were released, that the Kraken “are taking a deep dive internally” on whether or not to select the Hart Trophy winner.
It’s a hefty contract to be sure, but I’m told the Seattle Kraken are taking a deep dive internally on whether or not to take Carey Price in the expansion draft. My guess is they don’t in the end, but I do think there’s a better chance of it than I first thought. Intriguing.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021
FWIW, for those pondering the idea of Seattle selecting Price only to trade him back to Montréal, the Habs throwing picks/assets at Seattle for the Kraken to retain salary, etc: the NHL has informed both clubs that is a total no-go. League considers that a clear circumvention.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021
The Associated Press’s Stephen Whyno added this observation.
Put me in the camp wondering how Ron Francis sells #SeaKraken ownership, organization and potentially new fans on “We could’ve had a dominant goalie with Pacific Northwest roots who could be the face of the franchise and we took Chris Driedger.” And that’s no offense to Driedger. https://t.co/AuQJgDQ6yo
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) July 18, 2021
Price’s possible exit out of Montreal is excruciating for some Habs fans. Price is a huge fan favorite in Montreal and is fresh off leading the Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final after posting a 2.28 GAA and .924 save percentage in the playoffs.
Here were some of the responses on Twitter:
- Today is National Ice Cream Day in the States…After hearing the Carey Price news, today is National I Scream Day in Canada.
- I barely slept last night my god.
- Pourquoi pas #careyprice le meilleur d’entre tous ? Pourquoi pas #Suzuki ? Pourquoi pas #Caufield ?
- Imagine some scab Mgr official asking Carey Price to waive his no move clause for the expansion draft after he took a team of generics 3 wins from the Cup?! Hockey business sucks!
- If Price is gone it instantaneously erases any goodwill Bergevin built with the run to the finals. A ridiculous gamble.
There are other Habs fans who are somewhat more optimistic: that if Price is selected, the Habs would have a lot of cap space to remake the team… which Bergevin would then mess up.
I’m going to go ahead and take the advice of one user who wrote “Habs Twitter is a ****show until the expansion draft, best to leave for a few days!”
Update: Frank Seravalli is reporting the latest twist in Price’s availability. The goaltender’s health is now a concern and he may miss “significant time” next season with a hip injury.
Breaking: As #SeaKraken contemplate options, sources say Carey Price's health has clouded the selection process. It's too soon to say for certain, but he may miss significant time next season with a hip injury.
Full details on @DFOHockey:https://t.co/1fVIXMVQYy
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 18, 2021
Update: LeBrun is now reporting more about Price’s injuries. The knees are also bad.
As @frank_seravalli reported, I also believe Price will have his hip checked out. But the potential surgery I’m told is knee related
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021
