The saga of Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has taken a variety of unexpected twists and turns over the weekend. After he was left exposed with his no-movement clause waived, his future with Montreal suddenly became extremely uncertain. Now, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Price might miss significant time next season with a hip injury.
It complicates what’s already a very uncertain goalie-selection process for the Seattle Kraken. General manager Ron Francis has a bevy of options from which to choose. It’s been widely reported that the Kraken have immense interest in Florida Panthers netminder Chris Driedger, so the question of who his partner in the crease will be remains. While many suggest Price due to his legendary status, this news about his health may sway them otherwise. It’s a similar situation with Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop, who was left exposed but didn’t play a single game this season due to injury. Other potential options include Braden Holtby and Kaapo Kahkonen, among others, but Seattle has a tough choice ahead of it.
For Montreal, this could be a decently sized blow to its success next season. It’s softened a bit with the guarantee that Jake Allen will be back with the Habs next season. But even though Allen posted better regular-season numbers than Price, the Canadiens won more with Carey in the crease. With no specific guidelines on how much time Price will miss, it’s extremely hard to project how this news could affect both Montreal and Seattle. Still, it’s certainly a development that shifts both their plans.
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