Canadiens Trade Carey Price to Sharks for Draft Pick and Prospect
SAN JOSE, Calif. – the Montreal Canadiens traded goaltender Carey Price to the San Jose sharks on Friday in a move designed to alleviate salary cap pressure, receiving a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and defenseman Gannon Laroque in return.
Price, 36, has not played in the NHL since April 29, 2022, appearing in only five games during the 2021-22 season following meniscus surgery. He was placed on long-term injured reserve before the 2022-23 season and has remained there since. The trade concludes the final year of Price’s eight-year, $84 million contract. A $5.5 million signing bonus was paid to Price by Montreal on September 1st, facilitating the ability to move his $10.5 million cap hit.
Prior to the trade,the Canadiens were $5.9 million over the NHL’s salary cap. PuckPedia now projects Montreal with $4.56 million in available cap space.
Throughout his 712-game NHL career, all with Montreal, Price established himself as one of the league’s premier goaltenders, posting a .917 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average.In 2014-15, he achieved a historic season, becoming the first goaltender to win the hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and a share of the William M. Jennings Trophy. Price also holds the Canadiens franchise record for career wins by a goaltender with 361.
The possibility of a trade had been anticipated by Price’s family. When asked on social media earlier this week about her feelings regarding a potential trade of her husband’s contract, Angela Price responded, “probably [feel] the same way most of Montreal would feel… But ultimately, you want what’s best for the team.”
Laroque, 22, is a right-shot defenseman drafted by San Jose in the fourth round (103rd overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to make his NHL debut.
