After reports earlier Saturday that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price had been asked to waive his no movement clause in order to be exposed in the Seattle Expansion Draft, we now have confirmation that Price has decided to do just that. At the same time, it isn't because Price wants to leave Montreal or because the Habs want him gone.
According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, Price has decided to leave himself exposed for the draft in order to protect teammate and fellow netminder Jake Allen. If Price's clause remains in tact, the Canadiens have no choice but to expose Allen, and it's almost certain he'll be taken by the Kraken. Allen is a solid backup goaltender who comes with an affordable price tag. For an expansion team, he could also be used in a 1A-1B set up between the pipes. Meanwhile, the hope is the money left on Price's contract will act as a deterrent.
The issue with this is i
t's a huge gamble. Price's contract is heavy, but just the increase in tickets sales that would come with a recognizable name like Carey Price would be considerable. It's amicable of Price to make the move, but there's no guarantee he won't be selected to move to Seattle. If anything, there's a decent chance Kraken GM Ron Francis pulls the trigger. If that happened, it would be the end of an era in Montreal. Price has been with the Canadiens his entire career, since being drafted 5th overall in 2005. This is bound to put some executives and fans in the edge of their seats come Wednesday when the expansion picks are announced.
As for goalies, various reports have names like Ben Bishop, Johnathan Quick, Chris Driedger, Martin Jones, Tristan Jarry, and the aforementioned Allen being available.
