Canadiens' goaltending is stuck between a rock and a hard post
In the first of two articles about the Canadiens' goaltending situation, we look at the players within the organization.
In a perfect world, Carey Price will meet with a doctor for another opinion about his wonky knee and the doctor will suggest a course of action that will allow the Canadiens goaltender to resume his career in October.
But this is not a perfect world and that's the least likely scenario facing Price and the Canadiens.
There is the possibility that Price could undergo further surgery, which would most likely mean he would miss most, if not all, of next season.
And there is the distinct possibility Price's 700th game, on April 29, was his last.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes will be awaiting the latest medical news about Price because he needs clarity as he prepares for next season. The only good news is that, if Price is unable to play, the Canadiens will be able to place him on long-term injury reserve. The Canadiens would still be on the hook for his salary — he has US$7.75 million coming his way next season, including a $6.75-million signing bonus to be paid on Sept. 1 — but they would free up his $10.5-million cap hit.
That would give Hughes some flexibility, but some of the savings would have to go toward finding help in the net.
During an interview with 91.9 FM Wednesday, Hughes admitted that the Canadiens are without a No. 1 goaltender.
“Until a goalie shows he's a No. 1 in the NHL, you can never know if you have one,” Hughes said. “I think with goalies it's always difficult. We saw with Jake Allen that he was very, very good when he came back from injury. But we don't have anyone yet among our goalies that has shown, year in and year out, that he is a No. 1.”
Hughes was being generous when he said Allen was “very, very good,” because his performances were wildly inconsistent. He did see a lot of shots — more than 40 in six of his 10 starts after he came back from the injury — but he had a 4-4-2 record before he suffered a second groin injury. He allowed 36 goals in the 10 games.
Allen has been a No. 1 as recently as 2018-19 with the St. Louis Blues, but the Canadiens acquired him two years ago as someone who could play 25 to 30 games and give Price some much-needed rest. The problem is that Allen, too, needs some rest and when he has been asked to play a lot of games over an extended stretch, he has struggled. His record on the season was 9-204 with a 3.30 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
When Price was sidelined at the end of the 2021 regular season, Allen appeared in 18 of 19 games down the stretch. Allen played well enough for the Canadiens to back into the playoffs, but a 7-9-1 record isn't going to get the job done over a full season. He has one year remaining on a deal with a cap hit of US$2.875 million.
The other goaltenders under contract to the Canadiens, Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau, are restricted free agents and it will be a surprise if either one gets a one-way contract.
Montembeault, acquired on waivers from Florida when it became apparent Price wouldn't be ready to start the season, struggled with an 8-18-6 record and a 3.77 GAA, while Primeau had a 1-7-1 record with a 4.62 GAA.
Primeau will turn 23 this summer. That's still young for a goaltender, but unless he can dominate at the AHL level, the guy who was once tabbed as the goaltender of the future will be remembered as a seventh-round gamble who didn't pay off.
Next: Who's available in free agency?