The Montreal Canadiens traded the final year of Carey Price’s contract on Friday. The deal between the Habs and the San Jose Sharks sent Price’s contract and a 2026 fifth-round pick for 22-year-old blueliner Gannon Laroque.
On the surface, the deal is a cap dump. The Canadiens were over the cap ceiling and needed to become cap-compliant ahead of the season. While the easiest thing would have been to place Price on LTIR, the Canadiens opted to move his contract.
By essentially making a paper transaction, the Canadiens now have about $4.5 million in cap space per PuckPedia. That amounts to over $20 million in deadline cap space.
That’s what this trade is truly about. It’s about what’s known as “cap accrual.” Teams that are under the cap accumulate dollars for every day they are under the cap. Every day that goes by and a team is under the cap, they can add more at the trade deadline.
The Canadiens aren’t necessarily thinking about adding a player now. They’re positioning themselves for when the right deal becomes available. If that deal happens tomorrow, so be it.
But if they must bide their time until the trade deadline, then so be it, too. The Canadiens don’t need to rush a deal in September. The trade market is far from being ready to explode.
Do bear in mind, however, that may not be the case for long. Several teams are in danger of getting off to slow starts. If such teams choose to throw in the towel early, the additional cap space will come in handy for Montreal. Otherwise, the Habs may have to sit tight until early March 2026 to get the pieces they need for a playoff run.
Canadiens targeting top-six additions this season
By now, it’s no secret that the Montreal Canadiens are targeting top-six additions. The team is looking to make the most of its current lineup, but understands upgrades could come in handy.
Specifically, the uncertainty surrounding Kirby Dach could force the Canadiens to make a move. Dach spent much of last season on the shelf. When healthy, he showed promise, but didn’t do much to cement himself as the team’s 2C.
Of course, a healthy, productive season from Dach would make this entire conversation moot. But that remains to be seen. If Dach is unable to prove he’s the right man for the job, the Canadiens will need to prioritize a center.
That won’t come cheap, especially since the Habs are unwilling to part with prospects or roster pieces. But it may only be a matter of time before the right deal comes along for the Canadiens. It’s all a question of exercising patience.
That’s something that the Canadiens can afford to spend, given the young core currently in place.