3 Canadian NHL teams that will benefit from a shortened season

1. Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have really invested everything into Carey Price. Not only did they give him the biggest goalie contract in NHL history at the time, but they also put down another $4.35 million on his backup, Jake Allen.

The Canadiens rely heavily on Price. In 2019-20, he was tied for most games played among goaltenders with 58, and the season before that, he played the second-most games. He’s struggled with injuries and is 33 years old. Having this extended offseason is great for his body to properly heal, and a shortened season means a significantly reduced workload for the netminder.

When Claude Julien was asked about his goalie deployment plan, he said this:

"“You want to make sure he’s as fresh as possible. At the same time, you don’t want to overutilize him. Not only does Carey Price have to do that for us this coming season, we’ve got him for quite a few more years after this coming season. You want to manage him so that you can get the most out of him for as long as you can.” Claude Julien via NHL.com"

The Canadiens have made a lot of moves this offseason that have greatly improved their team. However, their most important piece is Price. The more favorable the circumstances are towards their star goalie, the better off this team will be.