Subscribe
Follow Us
The Montreal Canadiens made multiple moves in NHL free agency to improve their roster. After making the playoffs but being eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals, the young core of players hope to improve in 2025-26. Still, the lynchpin of Carey Price's contract could hinder future moves.
The former fifth overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens is due $10.5 million this year. While he has not played since April 2022 due to a lingering knee issue, and it seems like Price's career is over, he has still not officially announced retirement. This means his salary is on the books for the Canadiens in 2025-26. The team will need to play a waiting game with the Price contract overall.
Price was the fifth overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2005 NHL Draft. He broke into the NHL in 2007-08 and quickly became a fixture for the Canadiens. After starting 41 games in his first full season, he would continue to be the primary starting goaltender for nearly a decade. He would play in 72 games in 2010-11, winning 38 times and breaking the franchise record for minutes played in a season. The goaltender would continue to break records for the team.
In 2014-15, he broke the Canadiens' record for wins in a season and save percentage. That year, he would win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL MVP, and the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender. Price is a seven-time All-Star, a member of the NHL Quarter-Century team, plus has won the Ted Lindsay Award and William M. Jennings Award in his career.
Future Canadiens moves depend on Carey Price
The Canadiens are currently $4.8 million over the cap for the 2025-26 season. Part of this is the $10.5 million cap hit of Price. Much of the future market for the Canadiens revolves around their former netminder. This will come to a head on September 1, when Price is due $5.5 million in a signing bonus. This takes away money from the available cap space for the team. While the goaltender is due just $2 million after that, with 60 percent covered by insurance, this is still a significant cap hit for the team.
The reason September 1 is so valuable for the Canadiens is that they would eat the $5.5 million of cap hit, making the cap hit for another team just $5 million. This makes his contract much more manageable for a team willing to take it on. After paying the remaining $5 million, the contract expires at the end of the season.
The waiting game comes into play there. The Canadiens have noted they do not want to use a roster spot for Price. While the team could use long-term IR money, this hinders future flexibility with the team over the cap. Long-term IR will allow them to be up to ten percent over the cap, but also not allow them to make major moves. With the timing of September 1, a team could take on the contract of Price with extra cap space, while getting something else in return. Meanwhile, it allows Montreal more financial flexibility. While Price's career is over, his contract creates one more year of questions.
