HabsCast Hockey Blog

Uploaded on September 15, 2007 (flickr.com)
by Montreal_photos

After making 29 cuts yesterday, some of which questionable (Matt D’Agostini), there are still a couple more to come by the end of this preseason. An abundance of forwards and defensemen remain, but the real dilemma is what to do with Carey Price? In a report on RDS, former Habs goaltender Patrick Roy made it clear that it’s essential for the Canadiens to keep Price in the NHL this season and give him 30-32 starts, while giving Huet the remaining 50. In Patrick Roy’s first season in 1985-86, he played a total of 47 games and led the team to their 23rd Stanley Cup.

I’m not implying that if Carey Price starts 47 games this season that the Habs are going to win the cup because they won’t. They might not even make the playoffs; however, giving Carey Price the NHL experience is a necessity for his growth as an NHL goaltender and future star. Now, I’ve made it clear (in both my rookie review and yesterday’s article on the cuts) that management is very reluctant to keep Price as a backup in the NHL. They would simply prefer that he get regular / more playing time in the AHL. But what’s that going to do for him and his growth? By keeping Price in the NHL he can learn from Cristobal Huet and goaltending coach Roland Melanson.

So, if Canadiens management decides to keep Price in the NHL and use him as Huet’s backup, then what should be done with Jaroslav Halak? He is a young goaltender with great potential to become a star in the NHL. If the Habs decide to keep him, does he become the next Yann Danis or Mathieu Garon?

Overall it’s a problem that will be addressed sooner rather than later, and at this point there is no clear evidence on what the outcome may be.

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