I’ve lost count as to which installment this is, but none the less we continue our series as we get closer and closer to the drop of the puck on October 6, (which could mean the demise of the Player Study series) with one of our franchise players, someone who make make or break the success of the Montreal Canadiens, so far he has been a tad shaky but been there when we needed a big save. Today the man studied, is the same man that will carry our Habs to greatness. I am of course talking about, Carey Price.
Carey Price was brought into the organization via draft. He was the 5th pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Behind only, Sidney Crosby, Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson and Benoit Pouliot.
His years as a starter in Montreal have been sort of all over the place. In his first year (2007-2008) he was sharing the #1 goalie position with Cristobal Huet, but when Huet was traded at the deadline, Price assumed the #1 spot. He would help the team win the eastern Conference, the Habs first conference since 1991-1992. The Habs would end up being eliminated in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers.
The years to come after this solid season (2008-2009, 2009-2010) did not live up to his previous year. In the first of the two years, the Canadiens barely made it in to the playoffs, then were swept by the Bruins in the first round. The second year, I think we all remember very well. While we just squeaked into the playoffs for the second consecutive year, we ended up upsetting both the Caps and Pens to eventually meet our match in the third round. While this was all great for the Canadiens, Price contributed very little to their success that year, as Halak was the one who put the team in his back and got them as far as they did.
After both goalies became RFA, there was only room for one. After the Habs elected to trade away Halak and keep Price around, Price seemed to gain a ton of confidence, because in 2010-2011 he put up hiss greatest numbers yet. 38 wins (Tied for 1st in the league), 8 shutouts, 2.35 GAA, .923 SV%. these stellar stats help the Habs to a 6th place finish. But yet again we were knocked out in the first round by the Bruins.
Although goalies aren’t usually my strong hold, I can definitely tell the positives and negatives in Price’s game.
His major positive, is his size. At 6’3″ it’s fair to say he has a huge frame, that huge frame allows him to cover the majority of the net, making goaltending that much easier. Price also handles the puck extremely well. He is capable of getting fair assist totals and would be able to get more if the NHL got rid of the trapezoid. I’m just waiting for the day when Price nets one while the opposing goalie is pulled, he tried but failed a few times last season. A third positive, that I hear misconstrued as a negative by “fair weather fans” whenever Price isn’t playing well, Is how calm he is while playing. In good stretches I seem to hear “Look how calm he is”, and on the flip side, when Price isn’t playing his best, I hear “He doesn’t even care, it looks like he’s not even trying”. I can assure anyone who thinks the latter, that’s certainly not the case.
The only real weakness in Prices game, is in some small stretches, he becomes inconsistent and can give up some really weak goals.
For a goalie like Price, his positives and negatives can be compared to an elephant and mouse relationship. While there are so many positives in Price’s game, that help to make him one of the best goalies in the NHL, his one small negative can scare away all those good things and leave as a mediocre goalie within that time frame.
After the 2009-2010 season Price received a 2 year deal worth $5.5M, which of course means he will become a free agent this off-season. This worries me because both of my favourite players, PK Subban and Carey Price could potentially leave the Habs. Now I doubt that’ll happen, but it’s still a nasty thought nagging at the back of my mind.
I love Carey Price and I’d would love it if he played out his career in Montreal. We all know that he’s capable of great things. He’s also used to winning. He’s a World Junior Championship along with the WJC MVP, a Calder Cup again with MVP honours. He’s also won the CHL Goalie of the Year. It’s only a matter of time until he win the Stanley cup (maybe even the Conn Smythe).
The new season is getting closer and closer and I’m getting more and more excited. Follow me and Steven on twitter for updates on new posts, Habs stuff and a whole bunch of other stuff. @JScaresHabs @StevenEllisNHL