Carey Price has been widely regarded as one of the greatest goaltenders in the Salary Cap era. During his career, he nearly led the Montreal Canadiens to multiple Stanley Cup wins.
The 36-year-old took a leave of absence from the team when he entered the Player Assistance Program back in 2021. His most recent game was on April 26, 2022 before he had to get his knee re-evaluated by his medical team.
A return to the NHL for Price was unlikely, and at 36-years-old, he had already been approaching that age where you begin to consider retirement from Professional Hockey. And now, we just may know where his career will go from here.
Price confirms the worst
During a media conference on Tuesday, September 12, Carey Price all but confirmed his future as a goaltender in the NHL.
“It’s just not gonna happen. To take the stress of the goaltending position, it’s just not where it needs to be,” said Price in a news conference on Tuesday. Price is still under contract with the Canadiens for three more years with his $10.5 million annual cap hit.
Price missed all but five games with the Canadiens during the 2021-22 season, and missed the entire 2022-23 season. After leading his team to the Stanley Cup finals during the COVID shortened 2020-21 season, he landed on the LTIR and had to get several medical procedures done.
In his most recent full season (2021-22), Price had 66 starts and had an impressive 44-16-6 record with a .933 SV%.
What Now?
While Price has not officially retired, he will remain on LTIR until his contract runs out, which is common amongst players suffering career-ending injuries.
If this truly is the end, Price will finish his career as the Canadiens all-time franchise leader in Games Played and Wins.
Price won the Olympic Gold Medal with team Canada at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi (Pictured Below).
While this may be the end of Prices career as a goaltender, becoming a member of the Canadiens front office remains possible in similar fashion to Paul Byron.
Is Carey Price a top-10 Goaltender of all time?
Yes
No
