<\/p>\n
Canadiens legend Carey Price (Photo by Richard Wolowicz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Albeit unofficially retired, the expectation across the league is that Carey Price\u2019s contract should be moved in the coming days. With one year remaining at a $10.5M cap hit<\/a>, albeit with only $7.5M in actual salary owed, the Canadiens<\/a> could be in a spot to move the contract to open their cap possibilities.<\/p>\n The reasoning behind trading Price\u2019s contract is simple: The Canadiens are projected to be about $6M over the salary cap<\/a> at the moment and wouldn\u2019t be able to do the cap gymnastics required to make it work this year.<\/p>\n In past years, Montreal would be about $1-2M over the cap the day before the start of the season. They\u2019d maneuver their way around the cap by sending a few waiver-exempt youngsters to Laval for a day (a move referred to as \u201cpapering a player\u201d) in order to get under the cap and then subsequently put Price on LTIR.<\/p>\n No dice this year, the final year of Price\u2019s contract. And, with Price\u2019s final signing bonus, a whopping $5.5M, being paid out today, there has never been a better time to move the contract.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard Price\u2019s contract being in play for a while, things should shake loose as of September 1st or soon after,\u201d said the source. “I can\u2019t see the Canadiens going into the season with that anchor on their salary cap.\u201d<\/p>\n Price\u2019s contract, along with a bone-dry trade market, is one of the major reasons the Canadiens couldn\u2019t make another substantial trade for a top-6 piece. Not only did the Habs not want to sacrifice any roster players in their pursuit of a top-6 forward \u2014 preferably a centre \u2014 to boost their lineup, but adding any more notable salary would have forced them into offseason LTIR.<\/p>\n For an explanation as to why the Canadiens are looking to move Carey Price’s contract, see the video below until the five-minute mark:<\/p>\n Potential Destinations<\/p>\n As of the writing of this article, Price is expected to be traded at some point in the week. Sources have heard the most amount of noise around the San Jose Sharks who are just $5M over the salary cap floor, with nine unrestricted free agents \u2014 five of which are defensemen \u2014 that could be prime trade candidates.<\/p>\n Acquiring a contract like Price’s would give them the necessary insurance to trade some of their higher priced players without dipping under the salary cap floor.<\/p>\n This was a tactic used by the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, where they acquired Shea Weber’s $7.8M contract in order to stay above the salary cap floor after moving Seth Jones and Petr Mrazek. The Blackhawks have been rumored to be a team that could be interested in Price’s deal as well, for the exact same reasons as San Jose \u2014 Salary floor insurance.<\/p>\n Another surprising team that was suggested by an NHL source would be the Pittsburgh Penguins, who count ten unrestricted free agents and have made it no secret of their intentions to rebuild. Although they are $12M above the salary cap floor, sources have indicated that the Penguins could strip it down early and trade some vets if they continue to dwell in the basement of the NHL standings.<\/p>\n More on that last part below.<\/p>\n Tough Market<\/p>\n Naturally, when the Canadiens do move on from Carey Price\u2019s contract, the obvious question that comes is: \u201cWell, what\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n TVA Sports’ Jean-Charles Lajoie<\/a> reported that not only is Carey Price’s deal to be traded this upcoming week, but that the Canadiens are also working on a trade for center<\/p>\n In reaching out to sources close to the situation, the answer was unanimous: Wait to see how the market shakes out.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything is imminent with a top-six center with training camps set to start in a few weeks, but I have heard that they\u2019re monitoring a few situations in case teams have a change of heart between now and the December Roster Freeze,\u201d said a well-placed NHL source.<\/p>\n The trade market has been bone dry for months now, which has made GMs halt their push for additions, hoping some of their peers will come around to accepting futures and prospects in exchange for their coveted roster players.<\/p>\n This strategy has already been confirmed by Canadiens Executive Vice President, Jeff Gorton<\/a>, who mentioned in an exclusive interview with RG that they would look to continue adding to their roster throughout the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI have mentioned before that we don\u2019t look at it like opening day as the end of when you can change your roster,” said Gorton. “There are a lot of teams around the league that add players after that and all the way up to the deadline, so we\u2019re comfortable with where we\u2019re at and the moves we\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n It’s worth noting that, prior to Lajoie’s tweet, Dans Les Coulisses’ Max Truman<\/a> also highlighted that the Canadiens were looking for an immediate (but long-term) fix down the middle.<\/p>\n The issue in trying to make a move right now is that the list of teams in the same situation as the Canadiens is long, although some teams are in more desperate situations. Price’s will be extremely high, as the list of sellers is incredibly small in relation to the number of buyers.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, there are about five teams that would jump at the first bona fide top-six centre available, especially the Vancouver Canucks,\u201d said a source out of the Western Conference. \u201cThe Canadiens are putting a lot of hope in Dach to see how he starts the season \u2014 if he starts the season \u2014 and, should it not work, they\u2019ll reassess like they did last December.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that last season, while in the basement of the NHL standings, the Canadiens didn\u2019t hesitate to shake things up when they sent Justin Barron to Nashville<\/a> in exchange for Alex Carrier.<\/p>\n It was just the trade needed to stabilize the Habs\u2019 backend and provide a little more balance in their top-4, as they were playing with five left-handed rearguards on most nights by that point.<\/p>\n The same expectation has been echoed out of camp. Although the Canadiens feel confident that Kirby Dach will seize the opportunity, they won\u2019t hesitate to make a move when things open up if they feel it will help them in the long term.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard the Canadiens would move Price\u2019s contract to help line up another trade\u201d said another NHL source. \u201cIt\u2019s simply a question of when, and the market will dictate that.\u201d<\/p>\n Two Trade Periods?<\/p>\n One key factor that could play in the Canadiens\u2019 favor in waiting out the trade market is the number of borderline teams in the middle of the NHL standings and the growing hype of the 2026 NHL Draft. It\u2019s the main reason why the prophesized \u201cSummer of Offer Sheets\u201d never came about; teams didn\u2019t want to risk sacrificing their 1st-rounders in a draft that is so highly regarded.<\/p>\n