What If Price Was Traded?
Now we are dealing in the world of hypotheticals and it’s a two part what if question really. Firstly, what could the Canadiens have gotten in a trade for Price had they elected to keep Halak instead? Surely more than Lars Eller and Ian Schultz but how impactful could the trade have been.
The truth is, it’s impossible to quantify what a trade for Price would have even looked like. While he had the pedigree, Price was from a sure thing at the time. He had struggled with consistency and had not yet proven that he could be relied upon to carry the load. So while it’s easy to suggest that Price would have fetched a haul of picks and prospects or could have been flipped for a true impact player, the truth is the Habs were likely going to receive far less.
It’s been rumoured that Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey had offered Price in a package with some combination of fellow young stars including Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban in an effort to pry Vincent Lecavalier out of Tampa in 2009.
If true it seems plausible that Gainey disciple Pierre Gauthier could have attempted a similar deal in 2010. Would the Habs really have been better off with Halak and Lecavalier, or another player of his ilk, instead of Price, Subban and Pacioretty?
Hard to say but that leads us to the second and more intriguing question. Would the Canadiens have fared better by having a cheaper goaltending option than Price and his 10.5 million dollar hit? In theory, this would have altered the club’s roster construction and freed up money previously allotted to their goaltending to be spent instead in other areas.