The future of goaltender Carey Price remains in a gray area in the eyes of Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes, while the main interested party prepares for another challenge.
After undergoing knee surgery last summer, Price returned to action on April 15 and has played five games this season. The 34-year-old keeper met the specialist who operated on him earlier this week in New York, but Hughes said it was too early to confirm whether Price will be 100% back next fall or whether his career is over.
“When he trains in the gym, there is no problem. It’s really when he plays that there is a problem, explained Hughes, during an end-of-season review at the Bell Sports Complex. The question is whether his knee can return to a point where Carey can play a full season. We don’t have that answer yet. »
Price explained that his knee continued to swell and he wasn’t able to play at a level he felt was acceptable.
“There are certain things that a goaltender is asked to do that I have trouble executing,” Price said.
“I have questions to ask and appointments to make over the summer to get a head start for next season,” he added.
Price noted that under current conditions, he doesn’t believe he’ll be able to come back next season and make 50-60 starts in net for the Habs.
“He’ll have his end-of-season medical and then we’ll talk to our doctors,” Hughes said. We hope that the situation will be clearer later on whether Carey can really get back into shape or if he will have to play despite feeling unwell. The sample was short, and it continued to annoy him. He was clearly not 100%. Will the injury prevent him from playing again one day? I don’t have that answer. »
Price therefore intends to get another opinion and he claimed that it is even possible that he will have another operation. However, there is no question of giving up, even if Price admits that the last year has been difficult.
And if the Canadiens’ 10-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Friday at the Bell Center was Price’s last career game, the principal concerned said he was at peace with that.
“It was an exceptional day. I slept very well. It was an “A+” day. If that was the end, that was a nice way to end it,” he simply said.
There are four seasons left in Price’s contract, which has an impact of $10.5 million on the Habs’ payroll.
If Price is ever able to extend his career, he can’t see himself wearing a uniform other than that of the Canadiens, who selected him fifth in the 2005 draft.
“The future of the team is so bright,” Price said. The team has spectacular youngsters. They bring so much energy. I hope to be part of that. »
An interest of both parties
Hughes said it was still too early to discuss the future of interim head coach Martin St-Louis. However, he mentioned that he would sit down with St-Louis to discuss “in the near future”.
Both parties have expressed a mutual interest in extending the partnership which began on February 9, following the dismissal of Dominique Ducharme.
“He’s a fantastic communicator, but it also takes a certain intelligence to be a coach these days, emotional intelligence,” Hughes said. I hear him talking about the players and I see that he understands how to get the most out of each one of them. »
“It’s not just a question of systems or concepts, it’s also about knowing how to manage all the information available. »
Hughes said he would like to offer a three-year contract to St. Louis, while the latter did not want to negotiate in front of the cameras.
The Canadiens finished their season ranked 32nd and last in the NHL, with a 22-49-1 record. This is the worst season for the Montreal franchise since the 1939-1940 campaign.
The team compiled a 14-19-4 record under St-Louis.
A new captain
Hughes was also asked to shed light on the status of captain Shea Weber, absent from the ceremonies surrounding the death of Guy Lafleur last weekend.
After pointing out that Weber will be present at Lafleur’s funeral on Tuesday, Hughes notably mentioned that Weber refused to meet with members of the media “because he is not comfortable answering questions without revealing too much about his wound “.
“Shea’s situation is complex. There are issues at the insurance level and at the league level. There are things he can’t talk about,” Hughes explained.
The general manager of the Habs clarified in the same breath that it is “very unlikely that he (Weber) will one day be able to return to the game”.
Hughes also reiterated his intention to appoint a new captain before the start of the next campaign.