Star goaltender Carey Price to return to Canadiens Monday

Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters earlier this week he expected star goaltender Carey Price would return to the team "soon." Price surprisingly entered the NHL/NHL Players' Association player assistance program on Oct. 7 after it was previously said the netminder would miss the start of the season while recovering from a non-COVID-19 illness and also offseason knee surgery. 

Per Sean Farrell of the NHL's website, Ducharme updated the situation on Friday and said Price will be back with the Canadiens Monday. 

"He's going to be here on Monday and obviously we haven't seen him in a month, we haven't talked to him," Ducharme explained. "So he's going to be coming in and he'll see our therapist and see where he's at. And then from there, we'll build a plan." 

Ducharme added Price will need time to get back into game shape. 

"There's a build-up for sure," the coach continued. "I don't think it's a full medical like when they come before the season. But for sure he's coming off an injury and surgery so we've got to see where he's at with that. And then from there I think it's the gym, then on the ice by himself, and then with the goalie coach, with shooters, with the team, so there's a buildup for sure. And the timeline, it's tough to really go deep and have a plan, like a date today, because we have to see him." 

Price could complete a stint with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League to prepare for the resumption of his NHL career. 

Neither Price nor the Canadiens offered an official reason for why he entered the program, but his wife cited mental health via Instagram. 

Price won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie and also the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player in 2014-15. He posted a record of 13-9 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .924 save percentage with one shutout during the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Playoffs.