Carey Price injury update: Will not return until February
The Montreal Canadiens confirmed today that star goaltender Carey Price will not return until after the All-Star break at the earliest.
The Montreal Canadiens have struggled mightily this season without reigning Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner Carey Price. The Habs are 10-2-0 when Price is in net and 13-14-3 when he is not. Montreal is currently in third place in the Atlantic Division but the Bruins aren’t far behind and they have four games in hand against the Canadiens. The Canadiens will have to find a way to win without Price because head coach Michel Therrien confirmed he’ll be out until after the All-Star break.
"We don't expect him to be back before the All-Star break" - Michel Therrien on Carey Price.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) January 8, 2016
This explains why the Canadiens recently traded for Edmonton Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens. Price is the kind of goalie who masks a ton of the Canadiens flaws. Goalies who can do that can be next to impossible to replace. The Canadiens are finding that out the hard way.
Mike Condon has been doing quiet well recently in relief of Price, which probably makes it easier for Montreal to let Carey Price rest until he is 100% healthy. They’ve already tried to rush him back this season which led to him having to miss even more time. Another factor that likely weighed into this decision was that the Canadiens only play eight more games in January.