September 6, 2025
Yesterday, an era came to an end in Montreal. The Canadiens traded Carey Price’s contract and a fifth round pick to the San Jose Sharks. In return, the Habs also took on the contract of minor leaguer Gannon Laroque. The move marks the closing of one window and supports the opening of another.
Carey carried the Habs as long as he could.
Drafted in 2005, Price became exactly what GM Bob Gainey bet he would – their franchise cornerstone for a decade and a half. Unfortunately, his time was not accompanied by a management team that could build around Carey and maximize his dominance.
Price’s stellar career ended with him never having hoisted a Stanley Cup, an outcome that was less than he deserved.
In his final act of leadership, Carey Price proved he was committed to the Montreal Canadiens to the end.
During the rebuild, the contract Price had earned was not a burden to the Habs. Even with the prized goaltender incapacitated to stop pucks, the nature of the rebuild meant the Canadiens were not significantly impacted by the contract.
A playoff appearance changed that. The arrival of Ivan Demidov and delivery from Lane Hutson changed that. The subtraction of other Bergevin contracts and the addition of Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc changed that. The Habs are in a different stage of the building process and Price’s contract limited flexibility.
Carey didn’t have to waive so he could be traded from his career team. But in his quiet way, Carey Price delivered a final act of leadership to push the Habs to the next step.
This deal allows for some window transition.
A couple of Bergevin contracts remain, but they’re not prohibitive – at least not immediately. The Habs have some cap flexibility, perfectly timed with when HuGo is ready to add. Serious contention is just a piece or two and some maturation away. When those pieces become available, much like Noah Dobson did, the Canadiens are well positioned to pounce.
The contention window is very close now.
Now we wait for the next act of wizardry from the GM.
All week we’ve heard how much it would cost GM Kent Hughes to move the contract. Teams would not be motivated they said, and first and second round sweeteners were floated.
All it took was a fifth round pick and taking back a minor league contract the Sharks didn’t want and that won’t hurt the Habs. That’s practical wizardry. I expect nothing less in his next move.
Hughes will be concerned about being patient to get the right guy, while also knowing a good start to the season is essential. Relying on second half heroics is not a recipe for success, and that’s not news to HuGo.
A trade before the weekend expires would not shock anyone. Likewise, a patient approach similar to the Barron-Carrier move would not be surprising. The only surprise would be a misstep.
As it turns out, Hughes and Price have a thing in common – quiet effectiveness. Price was only able to carry a team. Hughes gets to build one.
Hab At Her 