Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme met with the media yesterday when he was in town for his charity golf tournament.
The Dominque Ducharme Foundation helps underprivileged kids reach their full potential through sports, education and leisure. He took some time to answer reporters questions and of course, the topic quickly turned to the team he coaches.
Though most of the conversation was fairly generic, there was one particular tidbit about attendance that was interesting.
It appears that both Carey Price and Jonathan Drouin will be in training camp for the Canadiens when it opens late next month. This is terrific news that was somewhat unexpected, especially for the Canadiens star goaltender.
Price played every minute of the Canadiens run to the Stanley Cup Final. He was terrific as they ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the final.
However, there was quite a dramatic scene shortly after the season ended as it was announced Price was injured, and could be out long term. This came just days before the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, and Price was left available for the newest NHL team to select for nothing in return.
It appears this was a gamble Marc Bergevin was willing to take as he made the Price injury sound quite serious. However, the Habs goaltender should be good to go when the Canadiens begin training camp and that is wonderful news for Habs fans.
Drouin did not play in the Canadiens postseason run. He sat out with an undisclosed injury or illness and asked for privacy while dealing with the matter. There were many rumours swirling around the time that Drouin had played his last game with the Canadiens and would be traded in the offseason.
However, the offseason is nearing its completion and Drouin is not only still a member of the Canadiens but he is already training in their Bell Sports Complex. This is also very welcoming news to Habs fans who thought he may be gone for good.
Let’s hope we see a healthy Carey Price and a rejuvenated Jonathan Drouin on the ice for the Canadiens next season, It sure sounds like we are headed in that direction.