Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price’s tenure appears on the verge of ending. With his signing bonus having been due on Sept. 1, his contract, which has one year left, is a potentially attractive asset to teams looking to stay above the salary-cap floor in 2025-26. And, since he’s effectively retired and otherwise destined for long-term injured reserve, he’s more valuable to the Habs elsewhere, with his contract on the books of another team.
Related: Top Canadiens’ Priorities Heading into 2025-26
So, it’s unlikely, however inconceivable it would have been at one point in time to so much as imagine Price in another team’s jersey, Canadiens fans would ever come to rue the day he’s eventually dealt. That’s not so much the case with the following still-active ex-Habs. Taking into account how they lost the rights to the player in the first place, trade trees in the event of a trade (i.e., what the Habs ultimately ended up with), contract quality, playing ability and how they best fit current needs in the lineup, here are the top three:
3. Sean Monahan
The Canadiens presumably traded Sean Monahan in 2024 in large part to pave the way for Kirby Dach to permanently take over the second-line centre spot. It’s ironic, because Dach hasn’t panned out due a string of knee surgeries, whereas Monahan’s own lengthy injury history probably (or at least should have) contributed to the decision not to re-sign the then-pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).
With Monahan on the verge of turning 30 and probably looking for a significant deal, both in terms of salary and term, it made sense for the Canadiens to trade him to the Jets for a first-round pick. That’s a mighty big statement to make considering Monahan is coming off a season in which he impressively scored at a point-per-game pace (albeit over just 54 games). After all, the Canadiens flipped the pick they got in a deal to secure the right to draft highly touted prospect Michael Hage, who’s projected to eventually fill the same role Monahan did and Dach has on the team.
Hage may fail to pan out. However, it’s also possible Monahan fails to replicate his successful 2024-25, when the Canadiens made the playoffs and his Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t, this coming season. Plus, it’s arguably likelier Hage develops into a player more capable of contributing at centre…
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