Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price is still a Hab, at Least For Now

Whoa there, cowboy!!! Slow DOWN, Tex! Folks! Dudes! Dudettes! Carey Price is still a member of the Montreal Canadiens, and likely will be until trade deadline day.

Jeff Gorton has come into his position with many valuable assets, but one is of limited duration and incredible value – a fresh set of eyes. Half the team is on the IR or LTIR. We’ve been watching this tire fire for three months now, but he’s been here two weeks. The team might be the worst its ever been.

Rumors already trading Carey Price are somewhere on the chart between premature and sensational. It might be true that he is on his way out, but it might not be. Just because it’s written doesn’t make it so.

Editorials saying he must be traded right away may well be right but bringing that sort of heat after two weeks is coming on pretty strong, don’t you think?

Because its Carey Price. A top 5 goalie. A sure-fire hall of famer. The only superstar on this franchise for the last 15 years, unless you include the brief appearance of Alexei Kovalev. If the return for a franchise player is a late first round pick and a middle six forward while retaining ½ salary its not a palatable trade nor a feasible one.

Right now I estimate six teams are in the mix to fit Price’s salary under their cap starting from trade deadline day. No team is going to look to trade for him before then, his contract sees to that.

In what scenario can Carey Price get traded for a boatload of assets?

The Canadiens have to cover salary. I estimate that covering ¼ his annual cap hit from trade deadline day onwards it on target. Couple this with the front-loaded nature of the contract and the actual price tag of what is left, before the Habs pitching in – I can see it happening.

Just not yet.

Each of the presumptive cup favorites has a really strong goalie this year. Bobo, Soupy, Vasi, Kuempy, and Tweety. Trading for Carey Price elevates a team into this category. So you have to think a few who are missing a significant piece like Price or like Marc-Andre Fleury chomping at the bit.

In the last post-season Carey Price reminded us how amazing he can be. He willed this team to the finals. Think of the overtimes where the opponents had no chance of scoring. That was vintage Mr. Price. When Daddy says no, he means NO.

Jeff Gorton may initiate a rebuild. He might make a few hockey trades that retool this team and we might be in a completely different situation next season. There are some really great pieces on the Canadiens that shouldn’t be traded. Marc Bergevin was great at getting individual pieces of value. It was team building where things fell apart a bit.

Even if Gorton already has a handle on the value of Price to the team and what the trade market looks like for him trade deadline day is still three months away. My guess discussions will involve a first and a young center with significant upside. There might be more, but there might not be, not with Fleury out there.

Complicating matters for the Canadiens is the lack of replacement. As deep on paper as the Habs appear at the goaltender position the value of that depth on the market or compared to other organizations is questionable. The players with the best chance have an outside chance. Who knows how long McNiven, Primeau, and any other candidate would last? Jake Allen will need someone to take the pressure off him.

As important as getting a good return for Carey Price would be, trading him wouldn’t just signal a sea change within the Canadiens organization, it would signal a seismic shift in organizational thinking. Its been 15 years since he started playing for the Habs, and all that while its been a goalie-first team. The countdown to trade deadline has begun.