Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price and the 84 million dollar question
At 31-years-old, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price’s record-breaking eight-year, $84 million contract extension is set to begin in 2018-19.
Although he is a bonafide superstar and arguably one of the greatest goalie to strap on pads in the modern era, or ever, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is becoming increasingly prone to injury if recent history is any indication.
He was limited to just 48 starts last season due to a sustained concussion in February and struggled to find his groove upon return. This was just two seasons removed from Price appearing in a mere 12 games during the 2015-16 campaign.
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When he was healthy, Price’s numbers did not fondly reflect his performance the last year. Albeit on a less-than-impressive Montreal Canadiens team.
Price spoke to Kevin Woodley of NHL.com.
“At the end of the day, I know how I feel about my game and I know I could have played better,”
A 16-26-7 record is uncharacteristically poor coming from a netminder of his calibre. However, the underlining .900 save percentage and 3.11 goals against average just make matters more concerning heading into the first of an eight-year contract.
Not to mention, he also became the most expensive goalie in NHL history.
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Asset Management
When the deal was signed back in July of 2017, Price had just come off of a stellar season and 37-20-5 record with a .923 save percentage on a sub-par Canadiens’ team. His 2.23 goals against average happened to be (and still is) the third lowest of his career to top it all off.
The resulting contract is a prime example of jumping the gun despite what Price means to this team and franchise as a whole. The Canadiens are not in a position to contend in the near future barring unforeseen changes.
Yet general manager Marc Bergevin still felt inclined to lock-in 14 percent (at the time) of Montreal’s salary cap a full season in advance. That’s the type of negotiating money you reserve for, say, a free-agent such as John Tavares?
It could play into why he refused to speak with the Canadiens at all. Price was due for a massive pay-raise from his previous six-year, $39 million contract, but the result appears to have cost the Canadiens a shot at landing this off-season’s biggest prize.
However, Bergevin isn’t afraid to admit his shortcomings when it comes to Price’s contract and its impending difficulties.
“Giving one player a big amount makes things a little more difficult,”“But that’s part of my job to manage that. In an ideal world, we would have given him less. But that’s just part of the negotiation process.”
His $10.5 million salary cap hit ranks as the third-highest in the entire league, behind just Connor McDavid and John Tavares, and tied with a pair of Blackhawks in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
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Complicating Matters
It won’t be easy to move Price and his $10.5 million salary cap hit, seeing as he has full no-movement clause embedded in his contract. This limits the Canadiens presently and going forward whilst having an obscure team direction.
Bergevin refuses to acknowledge a much-needed rebuild and has continued to flex his poor asset management throughout the off-season. Stagnant moves such as trading a versatile Alex Galchenuyk for another winger in Max Domi do little, if anything, to bolster the team’s chances of improving in the short term. It simply leaves head coach Claude Julien with one less option down the middle to lead breakouts and alleviate pressure from Price.
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If the Canadiens do eventually intend to rebuild, a $10.5 million average salary for an ageing goaltender is certainly not the best initiative for the future of the franchise. Although Bergevin has failed to address key team issues for several consecutive off-seasons, the Canadiens do have a promising talent pipeline that could help Montreal rebound sooner than many expect. Even then, the Price contract will prove to be detrimental in its later years.
Stats and contract information from NHL.com and CapFriendly.com.