Canadiens: In Other News… Price out Long-Term, Tokarski Named Backup

Carey Price Enters the NHL’s Player Assistance Program

The NHL has certainly had to deal with it’s fair share of controversy in the aftermath of yet another bold statement from mental health advocate and Vegas Golden Knights starting goaltender Robin Lehner. After coming out with claims about the NHL’s overuse of non-prescribed drugs (such as benzodiazepines and Ambien) on players, Canadiens franchise goaltender Carey Price has decided to take his own steps towards focusing on his mental health, entering the NHL’s player assistance program on Thursday.

Price, 34, made a long-awaited return to form in the Canadiens surprise run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021, putting up a 13-9-0 record with a 2.28 GAA and .924 SVP. After yet another up and down regular season stiffened by continued injury troubles, Price acted as the Canadiens defensive backbone once more as the Habs pulled off shock after shock on their way to falling three games shy of hockey’s ultimate prize.

Going into 2021-22, Price was expected to miss the beginning of the season after undergoing knee surgery earlier in the off-season. Yet, after the announcement was made that Price was taken time away to focus on himself, the Canadiens will be without their star goaltender for a while longer. With Price’s, wife, Angela, making a heartfelt post on Instagram detailing her husband’s journey to this decision, it would be unjustified and without right to speculate on why Price came to this decision, and instead give the former Hart Trophy Winner the time he needs, to return to the elite-level performance he’s continually shown to be capable of.

Canadiens Defense Will be Tested with Tandem of Montembeault, Allen

The Canadiens waiver-wire addition of Samuel Montembeault is something I talked about not too long ago, but after speculating as to where the 24-year-old goaltender will fit into the Canadiens organization, it seems as though he’ll be donning the blue, blanc, et rouge for at least the foreseeable future, with Price out long-term. Getting the majority of the starts in the meantime, will be Price’s backup last season, former St. Louis Blues starter Jake Allen. In many ways, Allen’s value to the Canadiens last season was underappreciated by many, especially after Price’s near-superhuman performance in the 2021 playoffs. After being acquired by Montreal in what was primarily a salary-dump move by St. Louis, Allen stepped up big for the Canadiens after Price went down with a concussion in a game against the Edmonton Oilers.

While his 11-12-5 record, 2.68 GAA and .907 SVP don’t necessarily jump off the page, the Canadiens wouldn’t have made the playoffs in the first place had Allen not been the starter during Price’s absence. While he wasn’t perfect, he got the job done when needed, and saved the Canadiens from a nightmarish juggling act of Charlie Lindgren and Cayden Primeau in goal. Now, once again, Allen has the keys to the Canadiens crease, and I have reason to believe Montreal will be just fine with him in goal to start the season. A former second round pick of the Blues in 2008, Allen posted back-to-back seasons of 61 and 59 games played in 2016-17 and 2017-18, before struggles with inconsistency led to St. Louis turning to similarly inconsistent starting option Jordan Binnington.

While Binnington has been remarkably hit or miss in St. Louis since being named starter, Allen has given the Canadiens the reliable second option they’d long been lacking in. As for Montembeault, while the former Florida Panther hasn’t posted incredible numbers at the NHL level, he’s reliable above all else and will give Primeau a chance to further develop in Laval. In the end, Bergevin has managed to navigate Price’s absence well enough for the time being, and it’ll be interesting to see how these two fair as the Canadiens one-two tandem in goal.

Michael Pezzetta Impresses in Pre-Season

How about that Michael Pezzetta, eh? The former Canadiens sixth round pick and long-time member of the Laval Rocket’s bottom-six was given a noticeable chance to prove himself with the Canadiens in this year’s pre-season and didn’t disappoint. From their nightmarish first season in 2017-18, the Rocket have been no stranger to checking bottom-six forwards, the majority of which don’t amount to much beyond the occasional injury fill-in. Hayden Verbeek, a former undrafted pick-up of the Canadiens in 2018 and son of Hall-of-Famer Pat Verbeek, has been the most noticeable, being a surprise call-up candidate for the Detroit Red Wings last season after being traded for Jon Merrill.

Personally, I thought Pezzetta would be lumped into a similar category, but the 23-year-old took his opportunity with Montreal and ran with it, to the tune of an impressive two-goal performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and an inspired tilt with Leafs forward Kurtis Gabriel. While his offensive abilities leave something to be desired, the Toronto native has a wicked release and an utterly tireless work ethic. Not to mention, his sweet, sweet flow. While he’s been sent down to the Rocket to start this season, Pezzetta has become a surprise call-up candidate for the Canadiens, and a player to look out for in 2021-22.

Former Canadiens Prospect Charles Hudon Hits Waiver Wire

For a quick bit of ancillary content, a few notable former Habs have found themselves exposed to the waiver wire, in particular, Charles Hudon. For Hudon, his surprise return to the NHL after a year spent playing in Switzerland, is something I honestly didn’t see coming. After struggling both offensively and defensively with the Canadiens over a three-year period from 2017-18 to 2019-20, Hudon signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning in hopes of keeping his NHL dream alive.

Now with his sights likely set on the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, Hudon will take his $250 k AHL salary and look to put up yet another impressive season. A former fifth round pick of the Canadiens in 2012, Hudon quickly became a routine top scorer for their AHL affiliates, yet it wasn’t until the 2017-18 season that he would see a regular shift in Montreal. With three 20-goal and three-40 point seasons at the AHL level, Hudon is a proven offensive talent, albeit one who has seen little expect bottom six minutes in the NHL. Playing for a spot on one of the NHL’s most stacked teams offensively now in Tampa Bay, it’s unlikely Hudon sees regular playing time barring injury troubles.

Dustin Tokarski Earns Backup Job with Buffalo Sabres

Now, to finish things off here, I’d like to bring up one of my favorite storylines to come out of the past two seasons, Dustin Tokarski’s surprise return to the NHL, with the Buffalo Sabres. For Canadiens fans of a certain era, Tokarski’s name might ring a bell as a one-time backup of Price, who nearly carried the Canadiens to Stanley Cup Finals glory in the 2014 playoffs. A former fifth round pick of the Lightning in 2008, Tokarski has yet to find a stable home since departing Montreal in the 2015-16 season, failing to reclaim the backup job after a solid 2014-15 campaign, with a 6-6 record and 2.75 GAA.

After bouncing around the AHL for the next five seasons (mainly a 1B/Backup option) Tokarski’s NHL minutes during this span, consisted of a five-minute appearance with the Anaheim Ducks in 2016-17. That was until, his current run in Buffalo. After signing with the Sabres as a late free-agent pickup, a plethora of injuries, several players requesting a trade, and a nightmarish 18-game losing streak led to Tokarski seeing a part-time starting role for the Sabres, putting up a 2-8-2 record with a less than ideal 3.54 GAA.

Now having earned the backup job behind Craig Anderson, beating out Aaron Dell, Tokarski’s stint in Buffalo will continue and quite frankly, I’m all for it. After struggling to earn starting minutes at most levels since leaving Montreal, it seems as though this former Canadiens backup has earned a surprise chance to re-invent himself, at the NHL level.