Carey Price to Make Season Debut for the Canadiens

Carey Price is back.

The 34-year-old netminder will be in the crease for the first time this season when the Montreal Canadiens host the New York Islanders on Friday.

It has been a long season for Price. He had knee surgery over the summer, entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in the fall, suffered a setback in his recovery, and contracted COVID-19 in January.

Now, for the first time since last season’s Stanley Cup Final, Price will be on the ice with his Canadiens teammates. As the long-time face of the franchise, he will surely be a sight for sore eyes in Montreal.

Carey Price is set to make his season debut for the Canadiens.

This will be a tremendous confidence booster for the Montreal organization, as well as its fanbase. After making its first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1993, this team has struggled mightily in its bid to replicate last year’s performance.

The Canadiens own an Eastern Conference-worst 20-43-11 record with a -91 goal differential this season and have long been eliminated from postseason contention.

Considering the fact that just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this season for the Habs, welcoming Price back to the Bell Centre will be a much-needed lift.

I do question whether or not he should be on the ice for a team with nothing to play for, given how much he has gone through this year. The last thing anyone would want for him as a player and as a person is to do damage to something that he has worked so hard to improve.

With that said, there is no denying that seeing number 31 back on the ice will be a special moment. As much as I don’t want him to risk further injury in a game that means nothing, it’s clear that for him, the Canadiens, and the fans, this game does mean something.

This game will represent the rewards of dedication and perseverance and will hopefully be the first step in a rebound for both Price and the Canadiens as they look ahead to the 2022-2023 campaign.

Montreal has eight games remaining in the final two weeks of its season, as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner.