"Nobody was shocked Friday afternoon when the Montreal Canadiens announced they had traded Carey Price's contract and a fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for right-shot defenseman Gannon Laroque. Price was expected to move after the final signing bonus of his eight-year, $10.5 M AAV contract was paid off on September 1. Despite GM Kent Hughes saying the Habs didn't need to trade the winningest goaltender in franchise history, it was only a matter of time before he pulled the trigger."
"By getting rid of the legendary goaltender's contract, Hughes gave himself some room under the cap, the Canadiens now have just over $4.5 M to spend. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will, but they do have the option. The Habs brass made no secret of the fact that they would have liked to find a second-line center on the trade market this offseason, and obviously, it didn't happen."
"As we've heard so many times in the Marc Bergevin era, trading for a center is hard. Hughes has done it a few times already, acquiring Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, but neither has panned out at a pivot yet. The truth of the matter is, they will not get an impact second-line center with that kind of cap hit. In fact, former Hab Christian Dvorak had a $4.45 M cap hit, and he was never a second-line center for Montreal."
The Montreal Canadiens traded Carey Price's contract and a fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Gannon Laroque after the final signing bonus on his eight-year, $10.5M AAV deal was paid. The move was made for cap compliance and better cap management instead of using LTIR. The trade freed just over $4.5M in cap space, giving the team optional flexibility. The Canadiens sought a second-line center this offseason but found no suitable trade, and previous acquisitions Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook have not developed into pivots. A $4.45M cap hit has proven insufficient for an impact second-line center, and unsigned players such as Mason McTavish could become trade considerations.
Read at Yahoo Sports
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