Before the Montreal Canadiens had Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler battling to be the future number one goalie, they dealt with a similar situation in the late 2000s. The Canadiens drafted Carey Price with the 5th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and with selecting a goalie that high, expectations were that he could become the next great goalie in Montreal. The only problem was that another goalie, selected in the 9th round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, was not going to let that happen without a fight. Jaroslav Halak was not a highly touted prospect, but he worked his way into the conversation of being the next starting goalie for the Canadiens. After years of battling, the Canadiens finally had to make a decision in 2010, and to most surprise, they chose to trade Halak to the St. Louis Blues after his historic playoff performance. A move that was absolutely the right call, even though it did not look like it at the time.
Halak’s superhuman 2010 playoff run
By the 2008-09 season, Price and Halak were sharing the crease in Montreal, with the former 5th overall pick getting the edge in starts. In their first year as a tandem, it was Halak who had the more impressive numbers. He posted a 2.86 goals against average and a .915 save percentage compared to Price’s 2.83 goals against average and .905 save percentage, while Halak started 13 fewer games. It was Price who got the nod in the playoffs, as the Canadiens were swept by the Boston Bruins in the first round. In the 2009-10 season, the workload was closer to 50/50, with Halak starting 43 games to Price’s 39. Price struggled during stretches of the season, and when it got to the playoffs, it was Halak who got the nod to start against the Washington Capitals in round one.
Halak was the hero in Game 1, stopping 45 of the 47 shots he faced, as the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals were left shocked. Washington responded in games 2 and 3, lighting up Halak in the latter, as the Slovakian goalie was pulled halfway through the second period. The Canadiens elected to start Price in Game 4, but after a 6-3 loss and now down 3-1 in the series, Montreal chose to go back to Halak for Game 5. Halak kept the Canadiens in the game, stopping 37 out of 38 shots, as the Canadiens left Washington with a 2-1 win. Game 6 is when Halak mania went into full effect. The Canadiens were thoroughly outplayed, getting outshot 54 to 21, but Halak stood on his head, stopping 53 shots as Montreal won the game 4-1, tying up the series. Game 7 was more of the same. The Capitals outshot the Canadiens 42 to 16, but they could not beat Halak, as he stopped 41 of those to help Montreal eliminate the number one seed Capitals in round one.
The city of Montreal was going Halak crazy, replacing stop signs with new versions with his name on them. However, the Canadiens had an equally tough matchup in round two, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. After Halak struggled in Game 1, getting pulled for Price in the third period, he rebounded in Game 2, stopping 38 out of the 39 shots he faced, backstopping the Canadiens to a 3-1 victory, evening the series at one. The Penguins looked to have taken control of the series, winning two out of the next three games, taking a commanding 3-2 series lead, but Halak was not ready to go home just yet. He stopped 34 shots in the Canadiens 4-3 victory in Game 6 and shut down the Penguins in Game 7, stopping 37 shots as the Canadiens upset Pittsburgh in round two.
The Cinderella run would end in the Eastern Conference Final, as it looked like both the Canadiens and Halak ran out of gas. The Philadelphia Flyers completely dismantled the Canadiens, defeating them in five games. It was an impeccable run by a team that, in the 2009 offseason, had completely changed the look of their roster and was being spearheaded by a 24-year-old goaltender getting his first chance to play in the playoffs. Heading into the 2010 offseason, the Canadiens had a decision to make. Both Price and Halak were restricted free agents looking for a big contract extension, and signing both of them was not an option.
Canadiens were right to stick with Price over Halak
The Canadiens had a tough decision to make: either trade their playoff hero or the former 5th overall pick who had all the intangibles to be a great goalie one day. Halak was a relatively small goalie, listed at 5’11”, and relied heavily on his athleticism, but had shown that he had the capabilities to steal a game or a playoff series. Price, on the other hand, despite his struggles early in his career, had all the makings of being a star goalie. The 6’3” goalie was positionally sound, making the hardest saves look like routine stops. The Canadiens chose to keep Price, sending Halak to the Blues for Ian Schultz and Lars Eller. The move was questioned at the time, but over 15 years later, it was proven to be the right one.
If you look at just the pure numbers, it looks like Price’s and Halak’s careers played out exactly the same. Price’s career goals against average is 2.51, Halak’s is 2.50. Price’s career save percentage is .917, Halak’s is .915. The major discrepancy was that Price started 700 games while Halak started 555. After Halak left Montreal, he dealt with a lot of injuries, which likely was because his stature could not withstand the workload of a starting goaltender, but when he did play, you knew he was as reliable as they come. Price became one of the more durable goalies in the league during his prime, and even started 72 games the season following the Halak trade. The Canadiens bet on potential with Price, and wow, were they ever proven right.
Price went on to be arguably the best goalie in the NHL during his prime, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, Vezina Trophy, and William M. Jennings Trophy all in a single season. With the Canadiens having a long lineage of Hall of Fame goaltenders, Price added himself to that list this year. He is the Canadiens' all-time wins leader (361), stopping more shots than any other goalie in franchise history (19304). It may have been controversial at the time of the trade, but looking back now, keeping Price was one of the best decisions in franchise history.
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