Will Price want to be part of the Canadiens rebuild?
Sportsnet: Montreal Canadiens Carey Price has yet to play a game this season. He carries a $10.5 million cap hit through 2025-26. If Price is able to return this season and play well, it could improve his trade stock.
Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that maybe Price will decide to take the year off now that the Olympics are out of the question to work on his physical and mental health.
Friedman wonders if Price and Canadiens would have a talk about the teams’ rebuilding plan and if he’d want to be a part of it.
“Would the Canadiens and Price say well maybe another team might want you, but the only way that could work is if you get healthy and play some games this year so other teams can see that you’re alright. I think at some point that conversation is going to have to happen.”
Golden Knights will have several options when they need to clear cap space
Jesse Granger of The Athletic: There is no timeline on when Max Pacioretty will return from his wrist surgery. It’s not expected that he will be on the LTIR all season long to ‘help’ the Vegas Golden Knights salary cap situation when Jack Eichel is ready to return.
The Golden Knights may need to clear as much as $10 million if all players are healthy. They would also need to waive some players which could include a combination of Michael Amadio, Adam Brooks, Ben Hutton, Keegan Kolesar, Brett Howden and Dylan Coghlan. With their roster number at 23, they may need to shed just under $6.95 million.
Trading a $5 million player – Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith and Evgenii Dadonov – and goaltender Laurent Brossoit ($2.325 million) is one option.
Trading Max Pacioretty ($7 million), William Karlsson ($5.9 million) or Shea Theodore ($5.2 million) would move out more money but would create another hole. Theodore would bring back the biggest return. Highly unlikely any are moved.
Trade defenseman Alec Martinez and his $5.25 million cap hit. If they moved him and replaced him with Ben Hutton and his $750,000 cap hit, it could give them a 20-man roster of $81.6 million.