Carey Price’s 2022-23 season is likely over before it started.
This, according to Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes, who said news surrounding the star goaltender was discouraging.
Kent Hughes says news on Carey Price's knee is discouraging. Don't expect him available at start of the season. Possibly won't be able to return at all this season.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) August 18, 2022
More information will likely be known at the start of training camp when medicals are done for players, but the news is nothing short of a gut punch for one of the best goaltenders in the last decade.
The 34-year-old goaltender has been working through issues surrounding his knee and in April, he admitted his future was murky.
“There were still a lot of question marks for me,” said Price at the time. “We sat down briefly, then went over some imaging, and no real questions were answered for me.”
Price met with doctors in July, who performed his arthroscopic knee surgery on a torn meniscus.
He returned to the Habs’ lineup late in the season playing in five games and won the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
“There’s obstacles in life that will always challenge you and I think having the ability to overcome those and keep things in perspective and keep moving forward is something that we should all be teaching our children and loved ones,” said Price in a video that aired after he won the trophy.
Over his 15-year career, Price has appeared in 712 games posting a 361-261-79 record with a .917 save percentage and a 2.51 GAA. He won the Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy, Lester B. Pearson trophy and the William Jennings trophy all in 2014-15. That year, Price posted career-bests in wins (44), save percentage (.933) and GAA (1.96).
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.