Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price barely played in the 2022-22 NHL season, and he might just miss an entire season altogether in the upcoming 2022-2023 NHL campaign. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes hinted to reporters Thursday that the veteran netminder's chances of playing the next season are close to zero.

Via The Canadien Press:

“Speaking to reporters after the Canadiens acquired forward Sean Monahan in a trade with Calgary, Hughes said it was unlikely that Price would be able to return without first undergoing surgery, and that rehab alone likely wouldn't be enough.”

Carey Price's problematic knee has been a huge obstacle for the 35-year-old goalie to play full-time again, even after he went knee surgery in July 2021. After going under the knife, Price was supposed to play at the start of the last season, but chose to enter the NHL's player assistance program. Between his knee and his mental health issues, Carey Price was only able to appear in a total of five games. It's a disappointing season on the ice for Price, especially when considering the fact that a season prior, he led the Canadiens to a stunning run all the way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite having the fewest points among all teams that made the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Price is still carrying a whopping price tag of $10.5 million AAV until the end of the 2025-26 season, but for now, it appears that the Canadiens will go forward with Jake Allen taking over the starting duties in front of the net for the team.