Latest Canadiens move confirms Carey Price's career likely over

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Josh tupper
September 7, 2022 (10:37)

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Earlier this summer Kent Hughes announced that the Montreal Canadiens didn't expect for Carey Price to be available to the team at all during this season. A long standing knee injury appears to be the culprit for Price's demise. Today the Canadiens announced the signing of Kirby Dach to a new 4-year contract.

So what is the significance of the signing?

Immediately following the signing the Montreal Canadiens announced that they'd placed Price on long-term injured reserve. By placing Price on LTIR the Canadiens became cap compliant allowing the team to operate with a full 23 man roster. But placing a player on LTIR isn't simply as easy as just doing so. There are multiple layers involved in this process.

In the Collective Bargaining Agreement the rule reads as follows:

Bona-Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception to the Upper Limit. In the event that a Player on a Club becomes unfit to play (i.e.. is injured, ill or disabled and unable to perform his duties as a hockey Player) such that the Club's physician believes, in his or her opinion, that the Player, owing to either an injury or an illness, will be unfit to play for at least (i) twenty-four (24) calendar days and (ii) ten (10) NHL Regular Season games, and such Club desires to replace such Player, the Club may add an additional Player or Players to its Active Roster, and the replacement Player Salary and Bonuses of such additional Player(s) may increase the Club's Averaged Club Salary to an amount up to and exceeding the Upper Limit, solely as, and to the extent and for the duration, set forth below. If, however, the League wishes to challenge the determination of a Club physician that a Player is unfit to play for purposes of the Bona-Fide Long-Term Injury/Illness Exception, the League and the NHLPA shall promptly confer and jointly select a neutral physician, who shall review the Club physician's determination regarding the Player's fitness to play.

With Price's placement on LTIR it confirms that multiple physicians have verified that the Canadiens netminder is incapable of playing for the team. Price will become the second Legendary goalie to have his career cut short due to health issues over the past 3 years, after Henrik Lundqvist was forced to retire due to heart issues.

If this is the end for Price, and it appears to be, he will go down as one of the best goaltenders to never win the Stanley Cup.

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Is Carey Price a Hall of Famer?
Yes, he definitely deserve to be inducted	31	57.4 %
No, he was great but not deserving of the Hall	23	42.6 %
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