Kent Hughes Confirms Unexpected Development Regarding Carey Price

After discussing Jeff Petry's trade and a potential upcoming move among his goaltenders, Hughes also made another interesting statement, this time involving Carey Price.

Contrary to what was expected with the star goaltender's contract, where everyone anticipated he would be placed on long-term injured reserve to free up salary cap space, there has been a significant turnaround.

Indeed, the GM confirmed that he plans to keep the contract on the team's official roster, on the injured reserve list certainly, but without utilizing the salary exception provided by the LTIR (Long-Term Injured Reserve).

Why take this approach with Price's contract? This way, it will allow the team to gain salary cap space during the early months, something that couldn't have been achieved if the contract had been initially placed on the LTIR.

Thus, Hughes grants himself more flexibility under the salary cap, enabling him to add further possibilities to his strategy during the upcoming season. He can still place Price on the long-term injured reserve "mid-season" instead of "off-season," which will provide several advantageous benefits.

However, other moves will need to be made to adhere to Hughes' objective, as the Canadiens are currently over the $3.77 million ceiling.

It's worth noting that the team currently has three goaltenders, nine defensemen, and 14 forwards on its roster, indicating that there are at least three surplus players, and consequently, three excess contracts in the lineup.

Therefore, other moves are to be expected in the coming weeks for the Canadiens.

Credits : HabsetLNH.com