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Montreal Canadiens Expected to Make Emotional Trade on Monday

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 6:20 PM ET

The Canadiens are expected to move Carey Price's contract this off-season, and now a top analyst has predicted a trade that could send him to the Western Conference.

Carey Price's NHL career officially came to an end a few years ago, but currently, the former star goaltender remains on the Montreal Canadiens books, with the 2025/26 regular season set to be the final year of that contract.

As a result, the Canadiens have reportedly explored dealing the veteran to a team looking to reach the salary cap floor, and now that potential deal is becoming more realistic.

Kent Hughes Exploring First-Round Pick Package to Land Top Center

According to analyst Jean-Charles Lajoie, the team are pushing hard to make a deal happen on September 1st, with General Manager Kent Hughes also preparing to attach significant draft capital to the deal to land a centre that can help them win in 2025/26.

Canadiens fans, stay alert. The costly September 1st will see C. Price's contract move elsewhere. Kent Hughes is reportedly inclined to give up draft picks, including first-rounders, in order to add a natural center to the roster. A complex but efficient deal, just the kind the GM likes, appears to be taking shape. The Western Conference is the one to watch and all of this is very exciting! The 2025-26 season will be a fascinating one!!

Western Conference Partner Emerging in Complex Canadiens Deal

In his report, Lajoie mentioned that the trade partner would be a Western Conference team, and while he didn't reveal which one, there are several (Anaheim, San Jose, Calgary) that find themselves with plenty of salary cap space.

Regardless of if he is retired or not, trading Price's contract would still be an emotional one for the Canadiens, but with the team looking to use the assets they have to free up cap space and find players that can help them now, it's one they need to make, and will likely make in the next week.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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