Kent Hughes Speaks On Montreal Canadiens’ Goalie Situation

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is being realistic when he says the Canadiens are rather thin in net without Carey Price.

The Habs remain in limbo when it comes to their future in net, as they await news on Carey Price’s health heading into the offseason. Hughes took to the airwaves of 91.9 Sports for an interview, and he discussed how the uncertainty in Carey Price’s situation could affect their ability to compete in the short term.

“There is nobody in our organization that has shown, year over year, that they can be a no.1 goaltender in the NHL,” said Kent Hughes regarding his goaltending situation beyond Carey Price.

Hughes’ comments weren’t jabs directed at Jake Allen or Samuel Montembeault, who performed admirably in Price’s absence this season. It was more of an internal observation that the Montreal Canadiens didn’t have a proven No. 1 goalie in their ranks or in the pipeline at the moment, which is 100% accurate. Hughes was candid about how Carey Price‘s health, and his $10.5M Cap hit, remain a major problem for them moving forward; as it handcuffs what they can do to improve at the goaltending position until they get any form of clarity on this ability to play.

“It’s a big question mark for us. If Carey is not available to play, his salary will be put on Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR),” said Hughes of the options he has regarding Price this summer. “However, if he does play or isn’t sure if he’s going to play, we don’t know how much money we have to work with this summer.”

As the Montreal Canadiens continue to look for help on the goaltending side down the line, what happens with Price will directly impact how their goaltending situation will play out in the short and medium-term. Once Hughes gains some clarity on the subject, you can expect him to act to bolster the position for the long term.

Price’s Future With The Montreal Canadiens

Throughout his end-of-the-season media availability, Price was extremely blunt and honest about his future, not just with the Montreal Canadiens but also as an NHL goalie. Unfortunately, as he notified reporters, his visit Wednesday in New York City, with the doctor that performed the surgery on his torn right meniscus, did not provide many answers, and there will be plenty of consultations and evaluations in the near future to determine the next step for the Canadiens’ goalie.

“We sat down briefly, we went over some imaging. No real questions were answered,” Price said.

As for how he felt after earning his first and only win of the season Friday, he was positive but reiterated he’s nowhere close to having answers on his future.

“I feel good. Felt good to get a win last night, to end the season that way,” Price replied. “Physically, I’m feeling okay. I’ve got a few questions to ask and a few appointments to make to plan out my off-season. It’s been a difficult process, a frustrating one. Moving forward, having another opinion, we’re going to sit down and formulate a plan. The best thing I could do and stay positive.”

The Montreal Canadiens starter for the last ten seasons also acknowledged that another surgery could be possible and said that, as of now, he could not envision himself playing a full starter’s workload next season.

“My honest opinion is no,” Price replied bluntly when asked if he could see himself playing 55-65 games next season. “I don’t believe that the current state, it would be sustainable for a whole season. So in that regard, again, I got a lot of question marks, and fortunately for me, I got a lot of time over the summer to prepare, so we’ll see.”

All hinges on Price’s health and whether he feels he’s ready to get back on the ice for an entire season in the NHL, even if it’s no longer for 55-60 games at a time. Once Price, Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens gain clarity on the subject, you can be sure that ensuring the future of the Canadiens’ situation in net will become a big priority for the club.