Habs leave Price, Weber unprotected for expansion draft

The Canadiens have submitted their protected list for the Seattle Kraken expansion draft to the NHL and Carey Price is not on it.

General manager Marc Bergevin had the option of protecting seven forwards, three defencemen and one goalie or eight skaters (forwards or defencemen) and one goalie. He went with the first option and protected goalie Jake Allen instead of Price.

The NHL released the expansion draft protected lists on Sunday morning.

Price, 33, has five seasons remaining on his eight-year, Us$84-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $10.5 million. Bergevin is hoping that the salary-cap hit will be too big for the Kraken's liking and that he'll be able to keep both goalies. Price has an $11-million signing bonus due in September and his salary for next season will be $2 million.

Price had to waive the no-movement clause in his contract for the Canadiens to leave him unprotected. He only waived the no-movement clause for the expansion draft, meaning the Kraken can't select Price and then trade him to another team without the goalie's consent.

On Sunday night, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre Lebrun reported that Price is scheduled to see a doctor this week in New York regarding a knee injury that could potentially lead to surgery, but the hope is it's not too serious.

Bergevin also decided not to protect captain Shea Weber. The 35-year-old defenceman has five seasons remaining on his 14-year, Us$110-million contract.

There were reports last week that Weber won't be able to play next season — and possibly longer — because of thumb, knee, ankle and foot injuries he has been dealing with.

Also not protected is forward Jonathan Drouin, who left the Canadiens for personal reasons in April and was placed on the long-term injured reserve list. The 26-year-old forward has two seasons remaining on his six-year, $33-million contract.

Other players on contract next season left unprotected are assistant captain Paul Byron, 32, and defenceman Brett Kulak, 27.

Bergevin did protect Armia, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 28. The GM didn't protect Phillip Danault, who can also become an unrestricted free agent, along with Erik Gustafsson, Corey Perry, Eric Staal, Tomas Tatar and Jon Merrill.

Price is from Anahim Lake, B.C., and has his off-season home in Kelowna, B.C., so if the Kraken did select him in the expansion draft he would be much closer to home. His wife, Angela, is from Kennewick, Wash., and her family still lives there. Kennewick is only 300 kilometres southeast of Seattle.

If the Kraken takes Price, it would free up $10.5 million in salary-cap space over the next five years for Bergevin. Unless Bergevin believes Cayden Primeau is ready for the NHL next season, the GM would then need to spend some of that money to find a goalie to share the workload next season with Allen.

But Bergevin would still have a lot of money left over after finding another goalie to spend on other players.

The expansion draft will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday.