Written by Steven Ellis. Guest article to AllHabs.net
Carey Price’s time as a starter in Montreal has been one crazy ride.
In his first year (2007-2008) Price was sharing the No. 1 goalie position with Cristobal Huet, but when Huet was traded at the deadline to the Washington Capitals, Price assumed the top spot. He would help the team finish first in the Eastern Conference, the Habs first conference championship since 1991-1992. The Habs would end up being eliminated in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers, but not without a strong performance from Price. The fifth overall pick from 2005 looked strong in his rookie year, and the Montreal fans finally felt like they had the next Patrick Roy.
The next two years proved otherwise. In 2008-09, the Canadiens barely made it in to the playoffs, then were swept by the Bruins in the first round. The next season (2009-10) was just miserable, as Price went 13-20-5 with no shutouts in 41 games. While the Canadiens just squeaked into the playoffs for the second consecutive year, Montreal ended up upsetting both the Caps and Pens to eventually meet their match in the third round, once again to the Philadelphia Flyers. While this was all great for the Canadiens, Price contributed little to their success that year, as current St. Louis Blue Jaroslav Halak was the one who put the team in his back and got them as far as they did.
But this all changed last season, the 2010-2011 campaign. Price was arguably the best goaltender in the league, racking up 38 wins (tied for most in the league) and eight shutouts, with a 2.35 goals against average (GAA), and a .923 save percentage (SV%.) These stellar stats help the Habs to a sixth place finish. But yet again Montreal was knocked out in the first round by the Bruins. Some believe that Price deserved to at least be nominated for the Vezina trophy, but instead received the fifth the most votes, behind Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo, Pekka Rinne and Tim Thomas, who went on to win the award.
Price is a very talented goalie. He is very calm in net, and while he is not flashy, he can make saves that can just blow your mind. There is a consensus among experts that Price is one of the most talented goaltenders in the league. He has a big frame (6’3″), which allows him to cover much of the net. He has magnificent puck playing ability, and tallies his share of assists due to this, but it can also cause some heart stopping moments. Luckily for Canadiens fans, Price is a proven winner, winning a Calder Cup, AHL playoff MVP and World Junior championship all in 2007.
So the big question is whether Price can replicate the success from last season, or return to his backup form from 2009-2010. There have only been three games this season, and for the most part has played quite solid. He was a bright point for the Habs during game one against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but was beat by the goalie in blue and white at the other end of the ice, James Reimer. Last year, Price had to be the team’s backbone with the injuries to Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges. In many cases, Price had to steal the game in order to win, and while Price is capable of that, it can’t be required every single game. The entire team needs to step up, especially the offense, which has been weak for way too long. Erik Cole was brought to Montreal to add some much needed offense, but so far seems to be playing injured. The offense hasn’t shown up yet, and an injury to Michael Cammalleri doesn’t help.
The Canadiens brought in Peter Budaj to replace Alex Auld as the backup to Price this season, and if he plays like he did in the pre-season, a injury to Price would spell disaster for Montreal. A one-time starter with the Colorado Avalanche, Budaj can perform well in big-game situations on occasion, and possesses the frame and talent of a starting netminder in the NHL. Every game in Montreal is a big game, and one or two bad games with the club will leave Budaj with a spot on the bench. He won’t get many starts in Montreal with Price in net, so he will be cold when playing. I’m not saying that Budaj is a horrible goalie. What I am saying is that Price can’t falter, or else the team is in trouble.
Price is easily one of the top goaltenders in the entire league, and at only 24 years old, he has a ton of upside and will only get better.The pressure is always on when your playing for Montreal, and that’s when he seems to dominate. The pressure got to him in 2009-10, but he started to relax more and has been better. For a goalie like Price, his positives and negatives can be compared to an elephant and mouse relationship. While there are so many positives in Price’s game, that help to make him one of the best goalies in the NHL, his one small negative can scare away all those good things and leave as a mediocre goalie within that time frame, and that is inconsistency. Nobody expected Price to have the bounce back season he did last year, so who knows what great, or not so great things he will achieve in his career? Only time will tell.
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