The Montreal Canadiens Are Better Off Trading Carey Price

Carey Price will hopefully return to the Montreal Canadiens for the 2022-2023 season, but is that what’s best?

The Habs’ Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender only played in five games last season following knee surgery, and that same knee injury is still keeping his availability in question. Even if he is healthy this fall, we’re past the point where he can save the Canadiens.

There have been a lot of seasons in the last decade and a half in which Montreal was a competitive team despite its inability to produce offensively. The 2015 NHL MVP was the catalyst for his club’s ten playoff berths and four division titles throughout his career.

Price and company never found much success in the playoffs, though it was only a year ago that he led an underwhelming Canadiens team to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Canadiens should trade Carey Price.

The point is that without Price, Montreal would have had a fraction of the success that it enjoyed since he entered the league in 2007. Now, though, there is nothing he can do for this team.

For starters, when he returns from his injury full-time, he’s not going to be the same player that he was in his prime. Price has often been tasked with starting 60 or more games in a season, and with his durability in question and his 35th birthday days away, that’s not in the cards for him.

From a team perspective, the Canadiens’ 22-49-11 record last season was the worst in the league, and that was with other weak teams around them in the Atlantic Division.

With the Detroit Red Wings becoming one of the most improved teams this offseason and the Ottawa Senators landing multiple big names, Montreal’s competition has become much stiffer. Even if Price can shoulder the load, he and the Habs will be fighting an uphill battle.

At this point, there are few teams, if any, that would be willing to take on the remaining three years ($10.5 million per year) of Price’s deal, but the Habs should explore their options. Maybe a team like the Arizona Coyotes would be willing to acquire him, along with some picks.

The Canadiens and their fans would undoubtedly love to see Carey Price back on the ice at the Bell Centre, but the days of his performance being enough to drive the Habs toward success are behind him.