Apr 19, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) makes a save against Minnesota Wild during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images

Canadiens Expected to Move HOF Goalie's Contract

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Carey Price hasn't played for the Montreal Canadiens since the 2021-2022 season. The future Hall of Fame goalie suffered a career-ending knee injury, but the Canadiens organization is still on the hook for his remaining contractual financials.

Despite Price not playing a single game in over three years, the Canadiens are finally looking to move his contract and get his huge salary off the books. According to a new report from Marco D'Amico of RG, a path to making this deal is about to open.

D'Amico reports that with the Canadiens about to pay Price's annual signing bonus of $5.5 million, they've cleared a hurdle to facilitating a trade. Despite a $10.5 million salary cap hit for the 2025-2026 season, he's owed just $7.5 million in actual cash. Without having to pay out the signing bonus, an NHL source informed the RG writer that a trade is becoming more likely.

"I’ve heard Price’s contract being in play for a while, things should shake loose as of September 1st or soon after,” the source told D'Amico. "I can’t see the Canadiens going into the season with that anchor on their salary cap."

The suggestion of moving Price's contract makes a ton of sense for the Canadiens. With one season left on the deal, they would free up a space on their Long-Term Injured Reserve and give the organization more flexibility financially. The Habs have made it clear all offseason that they will continue adding to their roster if it makes sense, which is another reason why taking care of this contract first is so important.

“I’ve heard the Canadiens would move Price’s contract to help line up another trade," another source told D'Amico. “It’s simply a question of when, and the market will dictate that."

The market has dictated that no trades happen lately. It's been over a month since the last NHL trade occurred, and it's been a remarkably boring offseason around the league. The Canadiens must break that trend and buck the market's dictations by finalizing a trade for Price's contract and finally getting that financial freedom they are seeking.

The good news for the Habs is that multiple NHL teams have the salary cap space available to take on the large salary cap number. Just a few weeks shy of training camp opening, eight NHL franchises have over $10 million in salary cap space according to PuckPedia. That leaves eight potential destinations to work out an arrangement with, and with an aggressive determination, Montreal can make something happen before the preseason begins.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: