Montreal Canadiens

Is Carey Price About to Be Traded by the Canadiens?

The rise in the NHL salary cap helps teams, but hurts others. Could the Montréal Canadiens contract with Carrie Price help solve problems?

by
Old Prof
February 8, 2025

Salary cap concerns may lead to Carey Price becoming a trade candidate for the Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens’ contract situation with Price is interesting. The team is still paying him and could be through the 2026 season, and it’s easy to forget his hefty contract is still on the books. But could a change in the salary cap suddenly make him moveable?

Many salary cap experts have wondered under what circumstances Carey Price’s contract might be traded. Is it even possible, given his status and current injury history? However, if anyone can pull it off, general manager Kent Hughes might be the NHL GM who could do it. He successfully traded a huge Shea Weber contract a year or so ago. Could Price’s contract be next?

The Rise in the NHL Salary Cap Could Hurt Some Teams

With the NHL’s big announcement of a huge salary cap increase in the coming years, there’s growing speculation that Price’s contract might be tradeable. Raphaël Simard from Dans Les Coulisses (translated into English) reported that the salary cap increase could help the Canadiens off-load Price’s contract. Having a contract like Price’s on their books isn’t bad for some teams. In other words, Price (at least his contract) could be traded as a way for an NHL team to get some salary-cap relief. His contract could become an attractive asset to some teams.

The projected salary cap for 2025-2026 could rise to $95.5 million, significantly shifting things for teams around the league. This rise could make Price’s contract more palatable, especially for teams looking to meet the cap floor.

Carey Price could be a trade candidate for the Canadiens, given the new salary cap estimates

A Carey Prices Trade Could Become Creative to Meet the New Floor

At 37 years old and with a contract that runs through 2026, Price’s $10.5 million cap hit might now be viewed as a necessary tool for some teams trying to meet the floor requirements of the new cap structure. Mostly, fans think that the salary cap rise will benefit teams. However, it might have an adverse effect in small markets or where teams are struggling at the box office. These teams need to be creative to meet the lower limits of the cap.

For smaller Canadian market teams, where the dollar isn’t as favorable, this might become even more intriguing.

Could Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton pull off another salary cap maneuver with this fresh development? It’s certainly a possibility and one worth watching. So, if you hear Carey Price has been traded, it doesn’t mean you’ll see him suit up with another team. It’s more of a creative financial arrangement.