The Montreal Canadiens made a savvy move on Thursday, acquiring the contract of Sean Monahan from the Calgary Flames and in the process also added a conditional first-round draft selection.
To make room for Monahan’s contract, Habs general manager Kent Johnson plans on eventually placing goaltender Carey Price on long-term injured reserve. The former Hart Trophy winner has seen zero improvement in his knee injury through rehab.
Price is not expected to suit up during the 2022-23 season and it’s possible that this could be the end of his career.
“At this point in time, the news in terms of Carey’s knee is pretty discouraging in the sense that there hasn’t been any improvement through the rehab process all last season,” Hughes said to the media on a Zoom call. “Obviously, it continued to create problems for him. This summer, he went through the process of (getting) a shot to the knee, seeing if that would help. It did not, and at this point, we don’t expect Carey to be available for the start of the season. Quite frankly, I don’t know that there’s a path for Carey to return this season through the rehab process.”
The 35-year-old netminder returned to play last season after missing the first 74 games of the year following knee surgery last summer. He also entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in October 2021, and then rejoined the team in November.
Price played in just five games for the Habs, recording his only win in the team’s final game against the Florida Panthers in Montreal. After the season, he was selected as the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
“We’ll probably have more to add after Carey does his physical during training camp,” Hughes continued. “At that point in time, in all probability, we will have another media availability with Carey and myself and one or more of the doctors.”
The GM finished his presser stating that Price will not be able to continue his career unless he gets another knee surgery.
If it’s truly time to call it quits, the likely future Hall of Famer will finish his career with 361 career victories, seven All-Star Game appearances, and an Olympic gold medal. He also won the Hart, Lindsay, Vezina, and Jennings Trophies.
Derniers moments de Price?
🔵⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/1THUFo3BEr— Marc-André Perreault (@MA_PerreaultTVA) August 18, 2022
