Canadiens’ Price Set to Speak with Media on Monday

The Montreal Canadiens have notified reporters that goaltender Carey Price will speak with them on Monday, Oct. 24.

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Price, 35, was limited to just five games last season due to a knee injury, and has started off the 2022-23 season on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Due to his ongoing knee issue, this media avail drew reactions from plenty of fans and media alike, as they believed it would be a retirement press conference. According to long-time Habs reporter Eric Engels, however, that is not the case.

“Just to clarify, since I see all kinds of reactions: This has been in the plans for a long time.” Engels wrote in a tweet. “Carey was away for a bit during training camp and it just worked out this way schedule-wise. It’s just to discuss how he feels and go over his situation. And no, not retiring.”

Habs fans can exhale here, though speaking from a logical sense, he likely won’t be retiring anytime soon, regardless of whether or not he is able to work his way back into the crease. The 2014-15 Hart and Vezina Trophy winner still has three additional seasons after 2022-23 in which he is owed $10.5 million annually. If he were to retire, he would no longer receive that money. It is likely that if he isn’t able to return to the crease, he will remain on LTIR for the duration of his contract.

With that said, the hope is that Price can still return. He was believed to have been making some progress in his recovery this offseason, but recently let it be known he is still having pain in day to day tasks such as climbing stairs. He is seeing plenty of specialists and trying everything he can to get back, but it doesn’t seem like his body has responded the way he nor the Habs organization had hoped to this point. Expect further clarification from him on Monday.

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