On Friday, the Montreal Canadiens traded Carey Price and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in return for defenceman Gannon Laroque.
Speculation about moving Price’s contract ramped up after the Canadiens paid his $5.5 million signing bonus on September 1. The goaltender signed off the transaction by waiving the no movement clause in his deal. “Always a Hab. Just a teal one for now,” Price posted on X.
The transaction gives Kent Hughes more salary cap flexibility. According to Puckpedia, the Canadiens are about $4.5 million below the cap. If things stay the same, they could add up to $20.8 million in cap hit by the March 6 deadline. They still own nine draft picks for next year’s draft.
San Jose drafted Gannon Laroque in the fourth round, 103rd overall, in 2021. A double hip surgery sidelined him for most of the 2022–23 season and limited him to just 18 games in the ECHL and AHL the following year. The 22-year-old missed all of last season while dealing with complications during his rehab from those surgeries.
From the Sharks perspective, they have plenty of room under the salary cap to accommodate the final year of Price’s deal with a $10.5 million average annual value. San Jose is responsible for $2 million in actual cash, as the Canadiens covered the signing bonus earlier this offseason. It also simplifies general manager Mike Grier’s job to trade away large contracts as part of their rebuild.
End of the Price Era (Officially)
Price holds the franchise record for games played (712) and victories (361). He also appeared in 92 playoff games since his rookie season in 2007-08. He led the Canadiens to the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Finals with 13-9 record, 2.28 goals against average and .924 save percentage. The Anahim Lake, BC native also had a major role to Montreal’s 2014 Eastern Conference Final, when a collision with New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider sidelined him for the remainder of the series that the Canadiens lost in six games.
The following season, Price stole the NHL Awards show by winning the Hart Memorial, Vezina, William M. Jennings, and Ted Lindsay trophies. The Canadiens finished in the Atlantic Division thanks to Price’s performance of 44-16-6 record, 1.96 goals against average and .933 save percentage.
The 38-year-old also won the Bill Masterton Trophy for the 2021-22 season, after having offseason knee surgery and entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for substance use.
Price was not part of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 class but will certainly add that honour to his resume at some point.
